Architectural and Engineering Glossary
C
Same as riebeckite asbestos.
A glazed clay drain tile,sometimes with bell-shaped ends.
In Gothic architecture and derivatives,an upward-oriented ornament,often vegetal in form,regularly spaced along sloping or vertical edges of emphasized features such as spires,pinnacles,and gables.
A capital having a series of crockets.
A paint defect that permits color to be removed from a surface by rubbing.
See alligatoring.
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An undercroft.
Same as crossette.
1.A monument of prehistoric or uncertain date consisting of an enclosure formed by huge stones planted in the ground in a circle.2.A dolmen.
1.The warp of a board edge from a straight line drawn between the two ends;also called edgebend or spring.2.A piece of timber so warped;a knee.
A knee rafter.
A bunch of foliage worked or sculptured at the top of a spire,finial,or similar decorative member,and having a resemblance to the top of a plant.
Same as crocket.
Same as crossette.
1.An object consisting primarily of two straight or nearly straight pieces forming right angles with one another;the usual symbol of the Christian religion.2.A monument or small building of any kind surmounted by a cross,1,as a market cross.3.A pipe cross.
1.In a church,a transverse aisle between pews.2.In an auditorium,an aisle usually parallel to rows of seats,connecting other aisles or an aisle and an exit.
Same as Christian door.
In a grating,one of the connecting bars which extend across bearing bars,usually perpendicular to them;where they intersect the bearing bars,they are welded,forged,or mechanically locked to them.
In a metal grating,the distance between centers of the cross bars.
A batten.
1.A large beam between two walls.2.A girder that holds the sides of a building together.3.Any beam that crosses another.4.A strut between the walings on opposite sides of an excavation.5.A beam which runs transversely to the center line of a structure.6.Any transverse beam in a structure,such as a joist.
In sedimentary rocks,inclined laminations or bedding which lends textural and color pattern to building stone of such material.
A masonry bond in which courses of Flemish bond alternate with courses of stretchers;the joints in the courses above and below the stretchers are opposite the centers of the stretchers.
Same as X-brace.
1.Any system of bracing in which the diagonals intersect; also called X- bracing.2.Horizontal timbering which extends across an excavation so as to support a cofferdam or sheathing.3.Braces that cross from one column to the next to increase the load bearing capacity of the combination.
Separation in wood in a direction perpendicular to the normal grain direction.
Diagonal bracing (in pairs) between adjacent floor joists to prevent the joists from twisting.
A cruciform church;one having a cross shaped ground plan.
See crossbanding.
On the surface of the ground,the gradient across the width of a building.
A fiddleback grain pattern.
A gable which is set parallel to the ridge of the roof.
Any beam which unites longitudinal girders.
Grain in wood not parallel with the long dimensions,or irregular gnarled grain.
A wooden float having the grain of the wood parallel to the short side of the float.Used for leveling and scouring the surface of plaster or cement.
A masonry house having a cruciform plan (i.e.,shaped like a cross);especially found in colonial Maryland and Virginia.At the front of the house,entry was through a front door in a two story extension in the transverse direction of the cross;at the rear of this extension was an enclosed porch on the ground floor containing a small,steep stair leading to a room above.Meals were usually prepared in an outkitchen near the house.
Bracing between common joists which is arranged in a herringbone pattern.
A rectangular panel with its longest dimension in a horizontal direction.
A passageway across one end of an open hall,2 that separates the hall from the area that serviced the hall.
A hammer having a wedge shaped peen.
A cross shaped ornamental flower in tracery.
Same as arch rib.
Same as staggered riveting.
In a suspended acoustical ceiling,a secondary member of the suspension system.Also see cross-furring.
A seam that is perpendicular to the long edge of a roll of carpeting.
A representation of a building,or portion thereof,drawn as if it were cut vertically to show its interior;often taken at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the building.
See net cross sectional area.
Of a surface,the slope that is perpendicular to the direction of travel.Comparewith running slope.
1.The diagonal arch of a ribbed groin vault.2.A transverse rib of a groined roof.
A light-gauge metal member,similar in shape to an inverted T;used to support the abutting ends of form boards in insulating concrete roof constructions.
