Mancilla Semíramis. Architectural glossary

25 Concepts of theorists. terms

The concepts in this glossary are all related to some of the most important theorists. I chose that topic because I believe they changed the perspective of architecture and therefore are fundamental to everyone who wants to know about the history and evolution of architecture throughout the years.

Architrave: noun; The lowest level of an entablature. It rests on the abacus at the top of the capital of a column; Example: The 59-foot-high structure, topped with an architrave, is made from marble from Mount Pentelicus, also used for the Parthenon.; es: Arquitrabe
Balustrade: noun; A rail and the row of balusters or posts that support it, as along the front of a gallery.; Example: With its cupola on a gallery above a balustrade over a colonnade on a plinth, the many-layered little temple distills High Renaissance sublimity into a compact package; es: Balaustrada
Belvedere: noun; A structure (such as a cupola or a summerhouse) designed to command a view.; Example: Pavilions—also known as summerhouses, gazebos, or belvederes—are architects’ more free-spirited counterpoints to a house.; es: Mirador
Cantilever: noun; A long projecting beam or girder fixed at only one end.; Example: The porch is supported by steel cantilevers.; es: Viga voladiza
Capital: noun; An extension of the column, usually carved, that supports the entablature. It spreads out the load on the entablature but concentrates it on the column; Example: It rests on the abacus at the top of the capital of a column; es: Capitel
Clerestory window: noun; A large window or series of small windows along the top of a structure's wall, usually at or near the roofline.; Example: Designers who wish to maintain wall space and interior privacy and keep a room well-lighted often use clerestory windows.; es: Ventana de triforio
Cornice: noun; Is the molding that sticks out from the entablature to the edge of the roof.; Example: The Granacki study described the 1910 YMCA as a historic brick structure with wood double-hung windows, a projecting metal cornice just below simple brick parapet wall and decorative brick diaper panels between third-story windows; es: Cornisa
Entablature: noun; In a classical roof supported by columns, it is the weight-bearing support that connects the roof to the columns. It is divided into three elements, the architrave, the frieze, and the cornice.; Example: When it was built, the hotel was sided with smooth, dressed limestone slabs, brick columns and neoclassical terra cotta entablature.; es: Entablamento
Form: noun; The visible shape or configuration of a building, the outer shape.; Example: "form follows function" Louis Sullivan; es: Forma
Frame structure: noun; A construction system with columns and beams that create a frame and can grow vertically and horizontally.; Example: The house was elevated by pilotis allowing free circulation on the ground and also consisted of a reinforced-concrete frame structure, which was achieved from the Dom-ino’s constructional system.; es: Estructura de marcos
Free facade: noun; The design of the facade is free as the walls are non-supporting, which is the result of the open floor plan; Example: The free facades served only as a skin for the building.; es: Fachada libre
Function: noun; The purpose natural to or intended for a building, considering the necessities the building has to fullfil.; Example: "form and function are one." Frank Lloyd Wright; es: Función
Horizontal window: noun; Long horizontal windows, instead of smaller framed windows; Example: horizontal windows allow maximum illumination, better ventilation, and also views of the surrounding yard; es: Ventana horizontal
Horizontalness: noun; Design based on horizontal elements with the aim of not disrupting the horizon.; Example: Horizontal lines mimic the horizontalness of hills and shorelines; es: Horizontalidad
Open floor plan: noun; The floor space can be arranged freely without the concern for supporting walls into rooms. Replacing walls dividing the space for interior load-bearing columns.; Example: Le Corbusier designed an open floor plan structure called the Dom-ino house in which the model removed load-bearing walls and the supporting beams for the ceiling.; es: Planta libre
Organic architecture: adjective; an environmentally integrated approach to architectural design; Example: Organic architecture strives to unify space, blend interiors and exteriors, and create a harmonic built environment that is not separate or dominant from nature but part of a unified whole.; es: Arquitectura orgánica
Oriel window: noun; A window that projects out from the exterior wall. An example would be a bay window that is not supported below and with its own roof that indents back to the wall.; Example: The main kitchen is French in style with three oriel windows, the term for bay windows that don’t reach the ground.; es: Ventana oriel
Ornament: noun; Element used to make something look more attractive but usually having no practical purpose.; Example: Garden ornaments such as statues and fountains.; es: Ornamento
Overhanging eaves: noun; The part of a roof that overhangs the walls of a building.; Example: Exterior bands of brick and limestone anchor the Robie House to the earth while overhanging eaves and cantilevered roofs shelter it from the elements.; es: Aleros colgantes
Piloti: noun; columns or piers that elevate a structure off the ground; Example: As the pilotis raise the building off the ground, it allows circulation beneath the house, which frees the building site.; es: Pilote
Repetition: noun; The action of repeating something.; Example: From Egyptian architecture, Le Corbusier acquired the idea of symmetry and repetition; es: Repetición
Restoration: noun; the action of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition; it means to reestablish it in a finished state, which may in fact never have actually existed at any given time; Example: Viollet-Le-Duc emphasizes the advantages of photography for documenting the structures to assist in restoration, to create a record that can be continually referred back to, and for future discoveries of features that may have gone unnoticed.; es: Restauración
Roof garden: noun; a garden on the flat roof of a building; Example: Besides the decorative benefit, roof gardens may provide food, temperature control, hydrological benefits, architectural enhancement, habitats or corridors for wildlife, recreational opportunities, etc.; es: Terraza jardinada
Story: noun; A floor or level on a construction, limited by flooring and a ceiling.; Example: Sir, if we throw him down the three-storey building he will only break his limbs.; es: Piso, nivel
Symmetry: noun; balanced proportions; Example: The facade has several architectural elements, such as symmetry and repetition; es: Simetría