Architectural and Engineering Glossary

G

Gaul

A hollow spot or area in a coat of plaster,mortar,or the like.

Gault Brick

A brick made from a mixture of a heavy thick clay soil and sand that produces a color of brick between white and pale yellow,depending on the percentage of clay.

Gauze

1.Any thin,open-weave,woven fabric;usually transparent.2.A fine wire cloth;also called lawn.

Gazebo

A small ornamental structure,such as a pavilion,often providing a splendid view;usually built in a garden,in a park,or along a  stream;same as belvedere or summerhouse.

Gazophylacium

A place where precious items were deposited, as a treasury in a palace or in a church.

GB

Abbr. for glass block.

GC

Abbr. for “General Contractor.”

Geison

A projection from the face of a wall such as from a cornice or coping.A large C clamp,used by joiners.

Gel

A semisolid material,somewhat elastic,composed of matter in a colloidal state that does not dissolve;remains suspended in a solvent.Also see cement gel.

Gel Coat

A thin,outer layer of resin,sometimes containing pigment,applied to a reinforced plastic molding to improve its appearance.

Gelatin Mold

A semirigid mold made from gelatin;used in making plaster casts.

Gelling

Any process whereby paint or varnish thickens to jelly like consistency.Also see livering.

Gemel Window

A window built into a pair of openings;a window having two bays.

Gemel, Chymol, Gimmer, Gymmer, Jimmer

Two corresponding elements of construction considered as a pair.

Geminated

Coupled,as in coupled columns.

General Bid

A bid by a person seeking to become the contractor or general contractor on a project,as opposed to someone seeking to become a subcontractor.

General Conditions

That part of the contract documents (of the contract for construction) which sets forth many of the rights,responsibilities,and relationships of the parties involved.Also see conditions of the contract.

General Contractor

The prime contractor who is responsible for most of the work at the construction site,including that performed by the subcontractors.

General Diffuse Lighting

Lighting from luminaires which distribute 40% to 60% of the emitted light upward and the balance downward.

General Hospital

An institution,consisting of a building or buildings,in which patients,irrespective of sex and age,receive diagnostic and therapeutic medical and surgical services for most forms of illness,injury,or disability.

General Industrial Occupancy

The use of a building of conventional design for all types of manufacturing operations,except high hazard.

General Lighting

Lighting designed to provide a substantially uniform level of illumination throughout an area.

General Requirements

The title of Division 1 of the AIA’s uniform system for construction specifications,data filing,and cost accounting.

Generally Accepted Standard

A specification,code,rule,guide,or procedure in the field of construction, or related thereto,recognized and accepted as authoritative.

Generator

A machine that converts mechanical power into electric power.

Generator Set

A unit consisting of an electric generator driven by an engine.

Genets

In Early English style architecture,cusps in the arch of a doorway.

Gentrification

The upgrading of urban property in a deteriorated area,usually resulting in the dispersal of the current residents and their replacement by a more affluent population.

Geodesic Dome

A structure consisting of a multiplicity of similar,light,straight-line elements (usually in tension) which form a grid in the shape of a dome.

Geodetic Survey

A land survey in which the curvature of the earth is considered;applicable for large areas and long lines;used for the precise location of basic points suitable for controlling other surveys.

Geometric Style

The early development of the Decorated style of English Gothic architecture,in the first half of the 14th cent.,characterized by the geometrical forms of its window tracery.

Geometrical Stair

A stair constructed around a stairwell without the use of newels at the angles or turning points.

Gilloche

See guilloche.

Gilmore Needle

A device used for determining the setting time of hydraulic cement.

Gilsonite, Uintahite

A naturally occurring grade of asphalt used in floor tile,paints,paving,and roofing.

Gimlet

A small tool with a pointed screw at one end;used to bore small holes in wood by turning it with one hand.

Gimmer

Same as gemel.

Gin Block

A simple form of tackle block with a single wheel,over which a rope runs.

Gingerbread

Highly decorative,elaborate woodwork,usually turned on a lathe and/or fashioned on a jigsaw.

Gingerbread Style

A richly decorated American building fashion of the 19th cent.

Girandole

A branched light holder,either standing on a base or projecting from a wall. 

Girder

A large or principal beam of steel,reinforced concrete,or timber;used to support concentrated loads at isolated points along its length. (See illustration p. 462.)
 

Girder Bracket

Same as trimming joist.

Girder Casing

The material which totally encloses a girder,as one that projects below a ceiling.

Girder Post

Any column or post which supports a girder.

Girding Beam

See side girt and end girt.

Girdle

A band,usually horizontal;esp.one ringing the shaft of a column.

Girdle Cornice

A cornice that encircles a building like a girdle.

Girt Board

A timber girt.

Girt Strip

Same as ledger board.