Architectural and Engineering Glossary
G
A hollow spot or area in a coat of plaster,mortar,or the like.
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.
1.Any thin,open-weave,woven fabric;usually transparent.2.A fine wire cloth;also called lawn.
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.
A place where precious items were deposited, as a treasury in a palace or in a church.
Abbr. for glass block.
Premium Product & Services
Best products and services from our partners
Abbr. for “General Contractor.”
A projection from the face of a wall such as from a cornice or coping.A large C clamp,used by joiners.
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.
A thin,outer layer of resin,sometimes containing pigment,applied to a reinforced plastic molding to improve its appearance.
A semirigid mold made from gelatin;used in making plaster casts.
Any process whereby paint or varnish thickens to jelly like consistency.Also see livering.
A window built into a pair of openings;a window having two bays.
Two corresponding elements of construction considered as a pair.
Coupled,as in coupled columns.
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.
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.
The prime contractor who is responsible for most of the work at the construction site,including that performed by the subcontractors.
Lighting from luminaires which distribute 40% to 60% of the emitted light upward and the balance downward.
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.
The use of a building of conventional design for all types of manufacturing operations,except high hazard.
Lighting designed to provide a substantially uniform level of illumination throughout an area.
The title of Division 1 of the AIA’s uniform system for construction specifications,data filing,and cost accounting.
A specification,code,rule,guide,or procedure in the field of construction, or related thereto,recognized and accepted as authoritative.
A machine that converts mechanical power into electric power.
A unit consisting of an electric generator driven by an engine.
In Early English style architecture,cusps in the arch of a doorway.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A stair constructed around a stairwell without the use of newels at the angles or turning points.
See guilloche.
A device used for determining the setting time of hydraulic cement.
A naturally occurring grade of asphalt used in floor tile,paints,paving,and roofing.
A small tool with a pointed screw at one end;used to bore small holes in wood by turning it with one hand.
Same as gemel.
A simple form of tackle block with a single wheel,over which a rope runs.
Highly decorative,elaborate woodwork,usually turned on a lathe and/or fashioned on a jigsaw.
A richly decorated American building fashion of the 19th cent.
A branched light holder,either standing on a base or projecting from a wall.
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.)
Same as trimming joist.
The material which totally encloses a girder,as one that projects below a ceiling.
Any column or post which supports a girder.
See side girt and end girt.
A band,usually horizontal;esp.one ringing the shaft of a column.
A cornice that encircles a building like a girdle.
A timber girt.
Same as ledger board.
