Windows architectural terms

Sash A single assembly of stiles and rails made into a frame for holding glass. Sash cord In double-hung windows, the rope or chain which attaches the sash to the counter balance. Sash lift A protruding handle screwed to the inside bottom rail of the lower sash on a double-hung window. Sash weights In older double-hung windows, the concealed cast-iron weights which are used to counterbalance the sash. Seat board A flat board cut to fit the contour of a bow or bay window and installed between the sills and the flat wall surface, providing a seat or shelf space.

Shims Wood wedges often wood shingles used to secure the window or door unit in the rough or masonry opening in a square, level and plumb position during and after installation. Sidelights Narrow fixed units mulled or joined to door units to give a more open appearance. Sill The main horizontal member forming the bottom of the frame of a window or door.

Simulated divided light A method of constructing windows in which muntins are affixed to the inside and outside of a panel of insulating glass to simulate the look of true divided light. Single glazing Use of single panes of glass in a window. Not as energy-efficient as double glazing.

Single-hung A double-hung type of window in which the top sash is fixed or inoperable. Sloped Sill Adapter Used to cover the gap between the old sloped sill window and the new block frame window.

It adapts a new window to the existing sloping sill. Solar gain The process of providing a net heat gain within a structure, over and above the normal heat loss, by passive collection of the sun's heat through windows and other glazed areas.

Stool An interior trim piece on a window which extends the sill and acts as a narrow shelf. Tempered glass Glass manufactured to withstand greater than normal forces on its surface. When it breaks, it shatters into small pieces to reduce hazard. Standard on all doors and large fixed windows.

Tenon A rectangular projection cut out of a piece of wood for insertion into a mortise. Thermal break The addition of a thermal insulating material between two thermally conductive materials. Transom A small window that fits over the top of a door or window, primarily for additional light and aesthetic value.

True divided light A term which refers to windows in which multiple individual panes of glass or lights are assembled in the sash using muntins. U-value Rate of heat flow-value through the complete heat barrier, from room air to outside air. The lower the U-value, the better the insulating value.

Unison lock A casement locking system which secures the window at two locking points by operation of one handle. Vapor barrier A watertight material used to prevent the passage of moisture into or through floors, walls and ceilings.

Weatherstripping A material or device used to seal the openings, gaps or cracks of venting window and door units to prevent water and air infiltration. Window Terms Glossary Air Chambers Small honeycomb spaces within the sash and frame which help to insulate and strengthen the window Air Infiltration The amount of air that passes between a window sash and frame.

Brickmold A type of external casing which frames windows and doors. Conduction Energy transfer from one material to another by direct contact.

Some of the vocabulary associated with wall treatments includes the following:. It is created by overlapping thin boards horizontally. Board and batten , associated with Gothic Revival architecture, is a type of siding consisting of wide boards set vertically.

Joints between the boards are covered by narrow strips of wood called battens. Shingles are thin pieces of wood or other material laid in overlapping rows and used to cover the roof or wall of a house. As wall treatments they first became a popular in the early s. Machine-cut shingles were factory-made and often arranged on Queen Anne buildings in a variety of ways, including hexagonal and fish-scale patterns.

Rough-cut shingles are associated with Shingle Style and Colonial Revival architecture. Brick patterns are especially important on Tudor Revival architecture. A belt course also called a string course or band course is a continuous row or layer of stones, tile, brick, etc, that runs along the face of a building like a belt on a pair of pants.

Belt courses divide a wall into horizontal levels. Concrete block became popular after , when Harmon Palmer patented the first cast-iron hollow block machine. His invention allowed two men to produce eighty to one hundred fire-resistant, low-maintenance, low-cost compared to stone blocks in a day. These concrete blocks were used both for foundations and for walls. Until the s, the most popular face designs were rock face shown here and panel face.

Half timbering is a construction or decoration method in which vertical, horizontal and diagonal timbers make up the frame of the wall.

These timbers are then filled with lath and plaster nogging , sticks and mud or clay wattle and daub , stone, or brick. It is associated with the Queen Anne, Craftsman and Tudor style homes.

The shapes and sizes of original windows often provide clues to the style and age of a building:. Greek Revival homes in Adrian are easy to spot by the small frieze windows set into the broad decorative frieze board that runs along the top of the exterior wall of the house.

Windows and doors in non-residential Gothic Revival structures are occasionally set within pointed arches , which are sometimes referred to as lancets. More common on churches and a few commercial buildings, they rarely appear in residential buildings in Adrian.

Italianate windows are typically much taller and thinner proportionally than Greek Revival windows, resembling the shape of a door. In fancier homes, these tall, thin windows are often crowned by half-round arched window heads that help shed water away from the window opening.

Windows on Queen Anne homes often have huge panes of glass, often bordered with small panes of leaded, etched or stained glass. Palladian windows , named after the 16th-century Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, have a tall, central, arched window flanked on each side by shorter rectangular windows.

Closely associated with the Classical Revival , they rarely appeared on buildings in Adrian before the Columbian Exposition. At the turn of the century, squat, half-round arch windows and doors began to appear on Romanesque Revival and Shingle-Style structures, such as the Bowen House, Dennis Street, built in In addition, with the Richardsonian Romanesque style, one also finds transom windows arranged in ribbon-like patterns and rows of rounded windows framed with drip moulding.

Colonial Reviva l homes typically feature double-hung windows that slide up and down and are divided into smaller panes of glass. Decorative shutters often flank these windows. A porch or portico is an entrance way usually with columns or posts and a roof that frames the front door of a house. Rectilinear transom windows above a door are more typical of a Greek Revival doorway.

Colonial Revival buildings often have fanlights, which are semicircular or semi-elliptical transom windows—usually with glazing bars radiating out like a fan. Sidelights are stationary windows that flank a door. Queen Anne and Craftsman style homes are more likely to have a room-size porch. A column is a supporting pillar consisting of a base, a cylindrical shaft, and a capital, which is the head or top of a column.

The most common column styles originated in ancient Greece. In America, columns have played a prominent roll in a number of house styles since the late eighteenth century. Most of the traditional column styles can be distinguished by their capitals. Colossal columns stand more than one story high. They are closely associated with Renaissance-revival and Classical Revival style architecture. The Corinthian order, named for the Greek city of Corinth, is the youngest of the three Greek architecture styles—and was the favorite of the ancient Romans.

It features an elaborate capital that is decorated to look good all the way around and traditionally featured stylized representations of acanthus leaves—a plant that grows wild in the Mediterranean.

Balance Tubes: The mechanism that allows the window to stay into a desired opening position Weighted : A more traditional balance mechanism which features a chord and pulley. Spring Loaded : A more contemporary balance mechanism that fits neatly into the building profile and which is invisible to the naked eye.

Click on a window to find out more. Casement windows are hinged at the side and can come either in pairs or on their own within a window frame. These windows are opened and closed with a crank or push-out handle. Materiality — The type and quality of the materials used. Monolithic — An awe-inspiring, large and solid object. Morphology — The study of form, shape or structure.

Motifs — An important element of a design that is often repeated. Mullion — A vertical element separating panes in a window. Nodes — The connecting point of a network, usually of roads or paths.. Nuance — Subtle difference in expression. O Order — A classical style of architecture. Organic — Natural and often curvy in appearance. P Parapet — A low wall, located at the top of any sudden drop, such as at the top of the facade of a building.

Parametric — A design principle and method created by algorithms. Parti — A diagrammatic interpretation of a design concept. Penetrate — To go into. Pillar — A structural support, similar to a column. Pilotis — A structural support, similar to a column. Play with — Experiment and test a design of notion. Pods — Small and rounded forms. Portico — An entrance porch with columns or pilasters and a roof. Projection — A side wing, tower, or window bay that protrudes from a building.

Public Realm — Areas that are open to the public. R Rebate — A recessed strip. Redundancy — A situation in which something is no longer useful. Rectilinear — Appears to be and is made up of rectangles. Regenerate — To improve and bring back to life. Robust — An object, method or idea, that seems to be flawless and sensible. S Scale — The size of something. Setback — A step-like recession in a wall. Skin — The outermost layer of the building …its external material. Space — Another way of describing an exterior or interior area.

Stucco — A plaster used as a coating for walls and ceilings. Superimpose — To place one thing over another. Sustainability — A measure for how environmentally friendly a building is. Truncated — A shape with its corners chopped off. Typology — The language and features of an object or environment. U Uniformity — The arrangement of objects that are the same or similar to one another. V Vernacular Architecture — Vernacular architecture responds to local methods of building construction, local climates, and local living needs and traditions.

Verticality — A measure of tallness and uprightness. We provide the next and new generations of architects with opportunities to learn and evolve through shared expert knowledge, tutorials, guides and studio resources. Free Site Analysis Checklist.