Architecture glossary

25 Architectural terms terms

This glossary will introduce you to the architectural terms

Architectural project: Noun and adjective; An architectural project is the set of plans, drawings, diagrams and explanatory texts that serve to express the design of a building prior to its construction.; Example: The architectural project is for a cultural sports complex.; es: Proyecto Arquitectónico
Asphalt: Substantive; Black mineral of natural origin or obtained artificially by petroleum distillation.; Example: The street is asphalt; es: Asfalto
Basement: Substantive; Part of a building located between the foundations, below the ground level of the street.; Example: The house has a basement; es: Sótano
Beam: Substantive; It is a linear structural element that works mainly in bending. In beams, length predominates over the other two dimensions and is usually horizontal.; Example: This is the case of so-called rigid or non-deformable solids, such as a metal beam, a stone or a glass bottle.; es: Viga
Brick: Substantive; Piece of baked clay, generally in the shape of a rectangular prism, used in the construction of walls, pillars, etc.; Example: They walk through the red brick entrance; es: Ladrillo
Coating: Substantive; A layer of some type of material with which a surface is covered.; Example: All three had cracks in the coating and other signs of corrosion.; es: Revestimiento
Column: Substantive; A vertical, elongated piece of architecture that generally serves to support the weight of the structure, although it can also have decorative purposes. Its section is usually circular; when it is quadrangular it is usually called a pillar, or pilaster if it is attached to a wall.; Example: The column prevailed over the wall as a supporting element; the wall was used as a closing element.; es: Columna
Concrete Mixer: Substantive; It is a machine to make concrete, the builder has to make a great physical effort because it beats stone, sand, cement and water, which are heavy materials.; Example: Tomorrow the concrete mixer will be used; es: Mezcladora de Concreto
Construction: Substantive; A construction is the act of making a new structure using ingenuity and different materials and the completed work, building or structure.; Example: Construction is planned to be completed in 6 months.; es: Construcción
Cover: Substantive; Constructive element that protects buildings on the upper part and, by extension, the structure that supports it. In certain cases, it is also called a roof.; Example: The circle of the floor plan and the hemisphere of the roof symbolically link the enclosure to the celestial world.; es: Cubierta
Elevation / Front view: substantive; An elevation or elevation, in technical or architectural drawing, is the flat representation of the facade of a building, a side of a machine or an object, by orthogonal geometric projection, without taking into account the perspective, preserving all its proportions.; Example: Draw the elevation in a proportionate way.; es: Alzado
Footing: Sustantivo; A footing is a type of shallow foundation (usually isolated), which can be used in reasonably homogeneous soils of medium or high compressive strength. They consist of a wide concrete prism placed under the columns of the structure.; Example: The house was built with isolated and continuous footings.; es: Zapata
Foundation: Substantive; Laying or construction of the foundation of a building or other work.; Example: What type of foundation would you use to build a house in an area where there are many earthquakes?; es: Cimentación
Foundation slab: Substantive; A foundation slab is a concrete slab supported on the ground which distributes the weight and loads of the building over the entire bearing surface.; Example: Slabs are a type of shallow foundation that performs very well in inhomogeneous soils that with other types of foundations could suffer differential settlements.; es: Losa de cimentación
Hall: Substantive; A room in a building or part of a house immediately next to the main entrance door.; Example: The owner left in the direction of the reception hall.; es: Vestíbulo
Hallway: Substantive; A long, narrow space in a building or house that connects some rooms with others.; Example: Through the street door one entered a short corridor leading to a courtyard.; es: Pasillo
Marble: Substantive; Roca metamórfica constituida principalmente por calcita y dolomita, compacta, de textura cristalina blanca o con vetas de distintos colores que se emplea como material de construcción y escultura.; Example: Marble and granite are found in large slabs of compact, even-grained stone.; es: Mármol
Mortar: Substantive; A mixture of various materials, such as lime or cement, sand and water, used in construction to fix bricks and cover walls.; Example: Mortar is a mixture of cement and sand with water.; es: Mortero
Scale Model: Substantive; Reproduction of a monument, building or other construction (real or projected) made to scale in reduced size.; Example: Architecture majors are known for making good models.; es: Maqueta
Sketch: Substantive; Outline or project that contains only the main features of an artistic or technical work.; Example: I make sketches before designing; es: Boceto
Steel: Substantive; Iron alloy with small amounts of carbon, which acquires great hardness and elasticity with hardening.; Example: It consists of an articulated structure of painted steel wires and ﬁnished aluminum sheets, which due to its lightness and unstable position permanently modiﬁes its appearance.; es: Acero
Terrain: Noun and adjective; An extension of land, especially when bounded by something.; Example: The land for my project is located in Colima.; es: Terreno
Tile: Noun and adjective; Piece of baked clay, generally ribbed in shape, which, fitted together with others, forms part of the roof covering and is used to allow rainwater to run off it.; Example: The basic construction was of scholastic simplicity, with cement floors, tile roofs and green-painted metal doors.; es: Teja
Vanishing point: Substantive; A vanishing point, in a conic projection system, is the geometric place where the projections of straight lines parallel to a given direction in space, not parallel to the projection plane, converge.; Example: Vanishing points are very important for the realization of drawings, as they allow to give a sense of depth and maintain the perspective that an observer would have from a certain point of view.; es: Punto de fuga
Wood: Substantive; The hard, fibrous substance that forms the trunk and branches of trees.; Example: ¿Cuántos tipos de madera se utilizan para construir estas cabañas?; es: Madera