Architectural History and Styles - Terms

Arch: is a structure in the shape of an inverted U around an opening. The arch construction overcame several limitations of the post and lintel.

Bearing walls: bearing walls are solid walls that provide support for each other and for the roof.

Buttress: it is a protruding structure that was added at the base to add support to an arch or wall.

Dome: a dome is a further refinement of the arch. It is made of many arches arranged so that their bases form a circle and the tops meet in the center.

Early American style: it refers to all styles that developed in various regions of the colonies. The styles that primarily dominated were brought form England and France.

English style: it was developed in England and it includes several variations of some common architectures features. They share high-pitched roofs, massive chimneys, half-timber siding, small windows, and exterior stone walls.

French style: French Provincial houses contain steeply pitched up roofs, long projecting windows, corner quoins, curved lintels, and towers.

Gothic arch: it is a variation of the arch. The pointed arch was called Gothic arch and became very popular in cathedrals during the Middle Age.

Italian style: it originated in Italy and featuring columns and arches that are generally part of an entrance and windows or balconies that open onto a loggia.

Keystone: wedge-shaped stone that locks the other stones in an arch in place. Each stone is supported by the keystone in the center.

Mediterranean style: Italian and Spanish architectural styles, also called Southern European style.

Mid-Atlantic style: architectural style common in the Mid-Atlantic states and resulting from the availability of brick, a seasonal climate, the influence of Thomas Jefferson and early Greek and Roman architecture, also known as classical revival.

New England Colonial: architectural style developed by the colonists who settled the New England coastal areas. One of the most popular was  the Cape Cod.

Post-and-lintel construction: is a horizontal bean. This is placed across two vertical posts, such as for a door or window. It was the solution of bearing walls. It is also called a lintel.

Ranch style: architectural style adapted to the needs of settlers as they moved west, featuring a single-level, rambling plan, usually with a patio in the centrel.

Skeleton frame construction: construction in which wall covering are attached to an open frame in which small structural members share the loads.

Vault: a vault can be viewed as a series of arches that forms a continuous arched covering.