Contents

Building Types

• Religious: Church elevation, Temple Plan, Synagogue, Church Plan, Mosque
• Castle & Palace: Medieval castle, Renaissance palace, Turreted palace, Millionaire’s mansion, Grand hotel
• Domestic: Tuscan atrium, Great hall, Jettied urban house, Suburban house, Apartment block
• Public: Theater, Town Hall, Museum, College library, Government building
• Commercial: Stoa, Commercial and domestic, Market house, Department store, Warehouse

A Grammar of Style

• • Greek: Early Corinthian Order, Doric Order, Temple plan, Cella, Painted decoration
  • Roman: Roman elaboration, Structural arch, Concrete dome, Late Roman palace complex, Roman domestic building
  • Early Christian & Byzantine: Aisled bascilica, Domed bascilica, Outer narthex, Mosaic decoration, Christian capital
  • Romanesque: Apsidial chapel, Romanesque elevation, Ornamental variety, Blind arcading, Romanesque door
  • Gothic: French early Gothic, Elegant ambulatory, English Perpendicular, Decorated style, Gothic market cross
  • Renaissance: Pedimented church, Arcade and entablature, Symmetrical facade, Northern Renaissance, All’antica motifs
  • Baroque & Rococo: Curving facade, Monumental motifs, Curved plan forms, Curved pediment, Rococo ornament
  • Palladian: Porticoed church, Temple facade atop a podium, Coffered rotunda, Dormer window, Temple-fronted rotunda
  • Neoclassical: National style, Combination features, Unifying portico, Neoclassical fireplace, Greek Revival house
  • Gothic Revival: Sham Gothic, Gothic Revival house, Gothic Revival church, National pride, Urban adaptation
  • Late 19th Century: Beaux-Arts style, Eclectic style, Moorish style
  • Queen Anne style, Art Nouveau
  • Modernism: Modernist house, Art Deco style, Postmodernist detail, Modernist office, Suburban house

Materials

• Stone: Cyclopean masonry, Ashlar, Rustication, Putlogs, Rubble walling
• Brick: Roman brick, Brick with stone detailing, Bonds, Shaped brick, Polychrome brick patterns
• Decorative Masonry: Polychrome masonry, Lesenes, Flint flushwork, Cosmati work, Stone quoins
• Wood: Decorative framing, Construction, Jetty, Half-timbering, Mortise-and-tenon joint
• Iron & Steel: Cast-iron roof, Exposed iron framing, Mixed materials, Warehouse facade, Early skyscraper
• Concrete: Roman concrete, opus reticulatum, New shapes, Portland cement, Exposed concrete
• Glass: Curtain wall, Mosaic, Small-paned window, Stained-glass armature, Cylinder glass
• Roofing: Imbrex and tegula, Thatch, Pantiles, Leadwork, Corrugated metal
• Exterior Wall Covering: Siding, clapboard, Pargeting, Fishscale shingle, Stone cladding
• Interior Wall Covering: Linenfold paneling, Wall painting, Mixed media, Fielded paneling, Overall decoration
• Ceiling: Painted wooden ceiling, Exposed beam, Plaster cornice, Coffering, Ceiling rose
• Flooring: Mosaic, Earthen, Scagliola, Medieval tiling, Bathroom tiling

Columns & Capitals

• Classical Orders: Doric, Tuscan, Corinthian, Ionic, Composite
• Early Christian: Eastern exuberance, Ionic colonnade, Adaptation and combination, Spolia, Fold capital
• Romanesque: Colonnette, Scallop capital, Decorated column, Historiated capital, Column figure
• Gothic: Rich ornamentation, Complex column, Dying molding, Detached shaft, Molded capital and base
• Renaissance & Baroque: Hierarchy of Orders, Renaissance pilaster, Decorative column, Banded column, Rococo capital
• Revival Styles: Antiquarian study, Ionic Order, Baseless Doric, Skyscraper column, Britannic Order, Pipe column

Arches

• Shape: Round, Flat, Horseshoe, Pointed, Shouldered
• Romanesque: Nave arcade, Giant Order, Blind arcading, Geometric ornament, Clasping motif
• Gothic: Pointed arch, Multiple moldings, Four-centered arch, Ogee, Cusping
• Renaissance & Baroque: Arches and entablature, Rusticated arch, Blocked keystone, Depressed arch, Loggia
• Revival Styles: Neoclassical house, Gothic Revival style, Triumphal arch, Rundbogenstil, Gothic Revival porch
• Modern: Train station, Rusticated arcade, Modernist arcade, Art Deco arch, Parallel arch

Roofs & Gables

• Classical: Extended pitched roof, Antefix and acroterion, Sculpted pediment, Triglyph, Pedimented facade and flat roof
• Romanesque: Multiple roof styles, Decorated gables, Gargoyle, Corbel table, Corbelled parapet
• Gothic: Open hall roof, Crown-post roof, Windbraces, Bargeboards, Hammerbeam roof
• Late Gothic: Changing roofline, Arch braces, Machicolations, Openwork parapet, Decorative crenellations
• Renaissance: Multiple gables, Shaped gables, Decorative gables, Elaborate combinations, Hipped roof
• Baroque & Rococo: Steeply pitched roof, Mansard roof, Cornice, Balustrated parapet, Balustrade with urns
• Neoclassical: Greek-style pitched roof, Valley roof, Modillion cornice, Hipped roof, Balustraded roof light
• Victorian & Modern: Projecting cornice, Steep roof, Flat roof, Cottage orne, Decorative roofline

Vaults

• Barrel & Groin: Bay definition, Coffered barrel vault, Groin vault, Transverse arch, Centering
• Rib: Unifying rib, Sexpartite vaulting, Lierne vaulting, Ridge rib, Net vaulting
• Rib Construction: Broken vault, Tas-de-charge, Vault response, Vault webbing, Sculpted keystone
• Buttress: Flying buttress, Vaulting stress points, Pinnacle, Arched flyers, Pilaster buttress
• Fan: Blind tracery, Englarged springing, Ornamentation, Fan vault construction, Pendant vaulting

Domes

• Construction: Circular dome, Single-shelled dome, Squinch, Pendentives, Drum and dome
• Simple: Saucer dome, Hemispherical dome, Oval dome, Stilted dome, Triple-shelled dome
• Complex: Polygonal dome, Pumpkin dome, Onion dome, Pointed dome, Semidome
• Cupola & Lantern: Polygonal lantern, Octagonal lantern, Neoclassical cupola, Bay-window cupola, Cupola ornamentation

Towers

• Defensive: Fortress tower, Central keep, Irish round tower, Tower house, Chivalric style
• Church: Crossing tower, Decorated tower, Parish church tower, Armpit tower, Asymmetrical tower
• Belfry: Freestanding tower, Campanile, Bellcote, Bell window, Civic belfry
• Spire & Steeple: Phased construction, Needle spire, Rococo steeple, Fleche, Neoclassical steeple
• Turret & Pinnacle: Pinnacle, Corner turret, Stair turret, Tower pinnacle, Tourelle
• City: Art Deco spire, Renaissance civic tower, Early skyscraper, Gothic Revival town hall, Modernist tower

Doors & Porches

• Greek & Roman: Partially hidden doorway, Etruscan doorway, Tower door, Double doors, Arched doorway
• Portico: Hexastyle, In antis, Pediment, Peristyle, Engaged portico
• Romanesque: Recessed door, Projecting doorway, Order, Sculpted doorway, Tympanum
• Gothic: Triple portal, Porch, Banded brick doorway, Hood molding, Blind tracery paneling
• Renaissance: Triumphal arch, Coffered double doors, Inventive ornament, Rusticated doorway, Strapwork detail
• Baroque & Rococo: Baroque doorway, Blocked surround, Eared architrave and panels, Broken pediment, Atlantes
• Neoclassical: Corinthian portico, Fanlight, Delicate detailing, Pedimented porch, Sidelights
• 19th Century: Gothic Revival porch, Porte-cochere, Integral porch, Part-glazed door, Art Nouveau doorway
• Modern: Fully glazed front, Colonnaded facade, Glass canopy, Tuscan porch, Unified facade

Windows

• Greek & Roman: Windowless building, Vitruvian, Niche, Tivoli, Improved lighting
• Romanesque: Widely spaced round-headed windows, Chevron ornament, Splayed window, Lancet, Stepped lancets
• Gothic: Bar-tracery rose window, Plate tracery, Reticulated tracery, Stained glass, Lucarne window
• Late Gothic: Flamboyant tracery, Perpendicular tracery, Uncusped tracery, Hood molding, Mixed Renaissance and Gothic
• Renaissance: Alternating pedimented, Arched, Mullion and transom, Biforate, Bay
• Baroque & Rococo: Baroque combintions, Broken-base pediment, Dropped keystone, Oil-de-boeuf, French window
• Palladian: Multiple Palladian forms, Palladian window, Palladian influence, Diocletian window, Rusticated surround
• Neoclassical: Glazed colonnade, Sash window, Neoclassical motifs, Bow window, Neoclassical villa
• Victorian: Terraced bay window, Gothic sash window, Queen Anne bay window, Outside blind, Full-pane sash window
• Commercial: Medieval store window, Bow-fronted store window, Divided display window, Queen Anne store front, Undivided display window
• Modern: Pattern of voids, Ribbon window, Curtain-wall glazing, Suburban oriel window, Sealed window

Stairways

• Construction: Parts of a staircase, Spiral-stair construction, Open-string stair, Alternating treads, Well stair
• Medieval: Stepped altar platform, Exterior stair, Palace stair, Stair turret, Freestanding spiral stair
• Renaissance: Double-helix stair, Twin external stairs, Turned balusters, Decorated well stair, Splat balusters
• Baroque & Rococo: Vase-shaped balusters, Twisted balusters, Ironwork panel, Mixed balusters, Rococo balusters
• Neoclassical: Stepped podium, Exterior stair, Circular stair, Area, Adam-style balusters
• Revival Styles: Gothic Revival stair, Oversized stone stairway, Mass-produced balusters, Service stair, Neoclassical newel post
• Modern: Electric elevator, Iron spiral stair, Escalator, Art Nouveau stair, External escalator

Chimneys & Fireplaces

• Medieval: Open hearth, Abbey kitchen, Canopied fireplace, timber smoke hood, External chimneystack
• Renaissance & Baroque: Multiple chimneystacks, Decorative chimney, Ornate chimneypiece, French Renaissance chimney, Mirrored overmantel
• Neoclassical: Multiple fireplaces, Partially concealed chimneystack, End stack, Adam fireplace, Bull’s-eye fireplace
• 19th Century: Louis XIV-style fireplace, Arched insert, Chimneypot, Cast-iron fireplace, Tudor Revival fireplace
• 20th Century: New types of heating, Exposed stack, Art Deco fireplace, Coal heater, Hole-in-the-wall fireplace

Ornament

• Human Figure: Caryatid, Head stop, Cupid, Herm, Atlas
• Animal Form: Bucrania, Beak head, Claw feet, Grotesque, Sphinx
• Foliage: Acanthus leaf, Crocket, Foliage trail, Naturalistic foliage, Arabesque
• Floral: Anthemion, Rosette, Garland, Ball-flower, Fleur-de-lys
• Geometric: Chevron, Meander, Diaper pattern, Egg-and-dart, Guilloche
• Architecture as Ornament: Micro-architecture, String course, Console, Pediment, Canopy
• Molding: Modillion, Scotia and torus, Bead-and-reel, Chamfer, Egg-and-dart
• Decorative Object: Cartouche, Armorial display, Obelisk, Strapwork, Urn

Glossary

acanthus
aisle
all’antica
altar
ambulatory
antefix
anthemion
antiquity
apex
applied
apse
Arabesque
arcade
arch
architrave
ashlar
astragal
atlas
atrium
attached
attic
balcony
baluster
bargeboard
Baroque
base
basilica
battlement
bay
bce
beam
Beaux Arts
bell tower
bellcote
biforate window
blind
blind arcade
bond
boss
bow window
brace
bucrania
bust
buttery
buttress
caisson
came
canopy
canted
cantilever
capital
cartouche
caryatid
casement window
ce
cella
cement
chamfer
chapel
chevron
choir
Chrismon
cladding
clapboard
Classical
clerestory
closer
coffering
colonette
colonnade
column
concrete
conoids
console
corbel
Corinthian
cornice
cottage orne
crenellation
cresting
crocket
crossing
cruciform
cupola
curtain wall
cusp
Cyclopean masonry
cyma reversa
Decorated
dentil molding
diaper
Diocletian window
Doric order
dormer
double-hung window
dovecote
Dravidian architecture
drip molding
dry stone wall
eared
eaves
egg-and-dart
elevation
embrasure
en delit
enfilade
engaged
entablature
exedra
façade
facet
fanlight
Federal
festoon
fielded panel
finial
Flamboyant
fleche
flue
fluting
flying buttress
framing
French door
fresco
frieze
gable
gallery
gargoyle
garland
Georgian
giant order
glazed
glazing bar
Gothic
Gothic Revival
Greek
Greek Revival
groin vault
grotesques
guilloche
half-timber
hall
hammerbeam
head stop
hearth
heraldic
heraldry
hipped roof
historiated
hood molding
IHS
imbrex
infill
Ionic
jamb
jetty
joist
keep
keystone
lancet
lantern
lesene
lierne
light
lintel
loggia
louver
lozenge
lucarne
lunette
machicolation
mantel
mantelpiece
mask
mason
masonry
meander
medieval
metope
micro-architecture
minaret
modernist
modillion
molding
mortar
mortise
mosaic
motif
mouchette
mullion
muntin
naos
narthex
naturalistic
nave
Neoclassical
newel
niche
Norman
obelisk
oculus
oeil-de-boeuf
ogee
opisthodomos
opus reticulatum
orders
oriel
Palladian
Palladian window
palmette
paneling
parapet
pedestal
pediment
pelmet
pendentive
peristyle
perpendicular
picturesque
pier
pilaster
pillar
pinnacle
pitch
plan
plaster
plate glass
plinth
podium
polychrome
porch
portal
portico
post
purlin
putlog hole
putto
quatrefoil
Queen Anne
quoin
rafter
Renaissance
render
respond
reveal
rib
ridge
riser
Rococo
Roman
Romanesque
rotunda
roundel
rubble
Rundbogenstil
rustication
sash window
scagliola
scotia
scriptorium
scroll
semidome
serlian window
shaft
shingle
shutters
siding
soffit
spandrel
spire
splay
spolia
springer
squinch
stained glass
stall riser
steeple
story
strapwork
string
stringcourse
stucco
stylized
stylobate
subdome
surround
tas-de-charge
tegula
temple
tenon
terrace
tierceron
torus
tourelle
tower
trabeated
tracery
transept
transom
tread
trefoil
triforium
triglyph
trumeau
Tudor
tufa
turret
Tuscan
tympanum
valance
vault
Venetian arch
Victorian
villa
volute
voussoir
weatherboarding
weathervane
webbing
wing

Sources Cited

Cragoe, Carol Davidson. How to Read Buildings: A crash course in architectural styles. New York, NY: Rizzoli, 2008.