Architectural and Engineering Glossary
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In Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries,a model of a lighthouse having an altar.
Abbr.for “center” or “central.”
In ancient Rome,a small informal dining room,often on an upper story.
In ancient Rome,the formal dining room in a house,sometimes even in a separate annex.
A monument erected in memory of one not interred in or under it.
A molded plaster centerpiece.
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A pediment on a gable located at the center of a façade;may be flush with the front wall or project forward from it.
Same as valley gutter.
In American Colonial architecture,the floor plan of a house usually having two rooms symmetrically situated on each side of a centrally located hallway;a stair in the hallway leading to the loft space above.Essentially a hall and parlor plan with a hallway separating the two rooms.
A window sash hung on its centers so that it swings about a horizontal axis.
A line representing an axis of symmetry;usually shown on drawings as a broken line.
The nailing of slates (at a point just above their middle) along a line which is slightly above the head of the slates in the course below.
See center of gravity.
See shear center.
Of a door:a pivot having its axis on the thickness center line of the door,normally about 23⁄4 in.(7 cm) from the hinge jamb.
A hand held punch consisting of a steel rod,one end of which has a sharp point;used to mark a point on metal,indicating where a hole is to be drilled.
The horizontal door rail which separates the upper and lower panels of a recessed paneltype door;usually located at lock height.
A string,1,which is located under a flight of stairs at its midpoint and which supports its treads by cantilever action.
A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self supporting.
The common rafter,directly adjacent to a hip rafter,that joins the longitudinal member at the apex of a roof.
Usually a quarter sawn hardwood board cut near the center of a log.
See centering.
A prefix indicating division by 100.
The thermometer scale,divided into 100 degrees,in which 0C is the freezing point of water and 100C is the boiling point.
Same as pound calorie.
In the metric system,a measure of length equal to a hundredth part of a meter,or 0.3937in.;abbreviated cm;an inch equals 2.54 cm.
A mechanical system of air conditioning in which air is treated by equipment outside the area served and distributed by means of ductwork.
A system in which heat is supplied to all areas of a building from a central plant through a network of ducts or pipes.
A stationary concrete mixer from which the freshly mixed concrete is transported to the work.
Concrete that is completely mixed in a stationary mixer,from which it is transported to the delivery point.
A building having all its principal axes of equal length.
A pump consisting of an endless chain,fitted at intervals with disks,which moves through a pipe;used to raise sludge.
Riveting in which the rivets are set in parallel adjacent rows along the seam and are not staggered.
A power driven saw,usually hand held,for cutting wood;a protruding arm carries an endless chain,into which the cutting teeth are set.
A draftman’s scale or an engineer’s scale which is graduated in inches,which are further subdivided by 10 and multiples of 10.
A large bond timber.
Same as chair rail.
A Buddhist or Hindu sanctuary,shrine,or temple.
A soft limestone,usually white,gray,or buff in color,composed chiefly of the calcareous remains of marine organisms.
trim A chalkboard frame,operating hardware,and accessories.
A hollow concrete masonry unit with portions depressed to form a continuous channel for reinforcing steel and grout.
1.In a ceiling suspension system,a metal clip which is hung from a channel and to which a perforated metal pan is attached.2.A special fastener made of light gauge sheet metal or wire for the attachment of gypsum lath,or the like,to steel channels.
A method of window glazing which uses removable,surface-mounted,U-shaped metal stops or beads to fix the glass in place.
See strip mopping.
A drain pipe having a half or three quarter circular cross section;open along the top.
A heavy horizontal member in suspended ceiling construction.
Same as channel, 1.
A series of grooves in an architectural member,such as a column.
A piece of wood fastened to the rafters at the eaves and projecting beyond the wall,so as to prevent rainwater from trickling down the face of the wall.
A chapel within a church,endowed for religious services for the soul of the donor or others he may designate.
