§ 70-296. Glossary of architectural terms.

While many of these terms do not appear in this manual they may appear on architectural drawings and are included to facilitate a better understanding of building design.

Arch shall mean a structural element shaped in an arc or curve.

Balcony shall mean a platform extending from the facade of a building.

Barrel tile shall mean semi-cylindrical tile used for roofing; i.e., Mediterranean Revival.

Bay window shall mean a window projecting outward from the main wall of a building.

Board and batten shall mean vertical siding composed of wide boards that do not overlap and narrow strips, or battens, nailed over the spaces between the boards.

Bond shall mean the general method of overlapping the joints of successive courses of bricks or stones, thereby binding them together to form a wall or other surface. Different patterns may be formed by these joints (e.g., common bond, Flemish bond, English bond, herringbone bond).

Casement window shall mean a window with hinges to the side and a vertical opening either on the side or in the center.

Clapboard shall mean siding material or horizontal wooden strips, often applied with the thicker edge overlapping the clapboard below.

Coping shall mean the capping or top course of a wall, sometimes protecting the wall from weather.

Cornice shall mean projecting ornamental molding along the top of a building or wall.

Course shall mean a horizontal row of bricks, shingles, stones, or other building materials.

Coursed masonry shall mean a wall with continuous horizontal layers of stone or brick.

Cupola shall mean a lookout or similar small structure on the top of a building.

Dormer shall mean a structure projecting from a sloping roof with window or ventilating louvers.

Double hung window shall mean a window with an upper and low sash arranged so that each slides vertically past the other.

Double portico shall mean a projecting, two-story porch with columns and a pediment.

Eave shall mean the projecting overhang at the lower edge of a roof.

Entablature shall mean in classical architecture, the part of a structure between the column capital and the roof or pediment, comprising the architrave, frieze, and cornice.

Facade shall mean a building's face, front or elevation.

Fan light shall mean a semicircular or fan-shaped window with radiating members or tracery set over a door or window.

Fascia shall mean a flat, horizontal band used to finish the edge of an exposed rafter.

Fenestration shall mean window design and placement.

Finial shall mean an ornament at the top of a spire, gable or pinnacle.

Flashing shall mean copper or other materials used to make weather-tight the joint between a chimney and a roof.

Flat roof shall mean a roof having only enough slope for drainage.

Floor area ratio (FAR) shall mean the ratio of the gross floor area of all structures on a lot to the lot area.

Frieze shall mean a horizontal band, often with decorative detail, located below the cornice.

Gable shall mean a triangular wall section at the end of a pitched roof.

Hip roof shall mean a roof with four uniformly pitched sides.

Jalousie shall mean a type of window or door with numerous horizontal slats, usually glass, operated by a crank.

Keystone shall mean the central, top-most stone or feature of an arch. Also, the central detail above windows or doors which appears to come from an arch but is used for decorative purposes.

Lattice shall mean diagonal interlocking lath or other material used as screening.

Lintel shall mean the horizontal beam over the top of a door or window.

Louver shall mean a door or window with fixed or movable slanted slats.

Mansard shall mean a roof with two slopes on each side, the lower slope being much steeper; frequently used to add an upper story.

Masonry shall mean stone work or brick work used in wall construction.

Mass shall mean three dimensional forms, the simplest of which are cubes, boxes (or "rectangular solids"). Buildings are rarely one of these simple forms. This composition is generally described as the "massing" of forms in a building.

Miter shall mean the edge of a piece of material, generally wood, that has been beveled preparatory to making a miter joint.

Molding shall mean a decorative band either carved or applied into a surface.

Mullions shall mean a vertical member separating (and often supporting) windows, doors or panels set in a series.

Muntins shall mean a small, slender wood or metal member which separates the panes of glass in a window.

Pediment shall mean wide, low pitched gable end of the roof; triangular crowning-element over doors and windows.

Pitch shall mean the slope of a roof expressed in terms of a ratio of height to span.

Porch shall mean an unenclosed or partially enclosed roofed area. Also referred to as a lanai.

Porte-cochere shall mean a large, covered entrance porch through which vehicles can drive.

Portico shall mean a major porch, usually with a pedimented roof supported by classical columns.

Primary building facade shall mean the particular facade of a building which faces the street to which the address of the building pertains.

Principal building shall mean the main structure on a lot.

Quoin shall mean units of stone, brick, or raised stucco used to accentuate the corners of a building.

Rafter shall mean a sloping structural member of the roof that extends from the ridge.

Setback shall mean the minimum horizontal distance between the lot or property line and the nearest front, side, or rear line of the building (as the case may be), including terraces or any covered projection thereof, excluding steps.

Shake shall mean split wood shingles.

Shed roof shall mean a sloping, single planed roof as seen on a lean-to.

Shingle (roof) shall mean a thin, oblong-shaped material laid in overlapping rows as a covering for roofs, typically of wood or an asphalt based material.

Shiplap siding shall mean early siding consisting of wide horizontal boards with "U" or "V" shaped groves.

Shutter shall mean a cover or screen for a door or a window.

Sidelight shall mean a window or opening in or at the side of a wall, door, etc.

Siding shall mean building material used for the surface of a building.

Sill shall mean the lowermost member of a frame house. The large dimension wooden element resting directly on the foundation.

Slate shall mean thinly laminated rock, split for roofing, paving, etc.

Soffit shall mean the finished underside of an eave.

Street frontage shall mean the total linear dimension of all property lines which coincide with the edge of an adjoining street right-of-way.

Stucco shall mean coarse or fine plasterwork used for exterior or interior walls.

Transom shall mean a small window or shutter-like panel directly over a door or window.

Terra cotta shall mean a fine-grained, brown-red, fired clay used for roof tiles and decoration; literally, cooked earth.

Tile (roof) shall mean a thin, usually rectangular material laid in overlapping rows as a covering for roofs, typically of fired clay or concrete.

Veranda shall mean a roofed porch sometimes stretching on two sides of a building.