An A-Z glossary on the theme of ‘building features’, containing a definition for each letter of the alphabet (where possible).
Spiral staircase at Blue Carpet, Newcastle © CABE
The term building features refers to the various elements or smaller details that are used for functional or design purposes within a building.
The A Z glossary for buildings and places can be used as:
- a straightforward research tool for teachers and students
- a reference point for students during a unit or scheme of work on buildings and places
- introductory activities for a new learning session or scheme of work on buildings and places
- a way of developing classroom discussion.
Building features: A-Z glossary
Alcove A small walled space that opens off from a larger room.
Balcony A platform that comes out from a wall of a building for people to stand upon. Usually constructed in front of windows or external doorways, supported by brackets and surrounded by a railing.
Cornice An ornamental decorative strip of wood (moulding) that runs around the wall of a room, just below the ceiling.
Dado rail A waist-high decorative strip of wood (moulding) that runs horizontally round a room.
Eaves The lower part of a roof that overhangs the wall of a building.
Fireplace A purpose-built space at the base of a chimney, designed for a domestic fire, usually made from bricks.
Gargoyle A water-spout directed out of a wall made from cement, often taking the shape of a grotesque carved human or animal.
Bodmin College students at the Eden project © Chris Saville / APEX
Jalousie A blind or shutter made by a row of angled slats (thin wooden boards).
Kailyaird A Scottish term for a kitchen garden or a back garden, often close to a cottage.
Lattice Strips of thin, light wood made into a criss-cross pattern for decoration.
Mezzanine A floor that is built between two other main storeys, typically the ground and first floors.
Niche A hollow space built into a wall to display a statue or ornament.
Open stair A staircase without a wall or rail on one or either sides.
Picture-rail A strip of wood (moulding) on a wall to hang framed paintings on.
Quadrangle A square or rectangular courtyard, enclosed by buildings.
Relief A form of decoration that is raised above the surface, used to decorate a wall.
Skirting A wooden board that is fixed to the base of a wall to create a finish between the plaster and the floor.
Terrace An outside paved platform connected to a home, designed for walking on.
Veranda A roofed platform along the outside of a house, level with the ground floor.
Wheel-window A round pane of glass framed with wood or metal with spoke-like bars coming out from the centre, placed into a building wall for people to view the outside.
Xylotechnigraphy The decoration of wood by staining, graining and finishing to look like a finer wood.
Zeta The upper storey of a building.
More A-Z glossaries
Go back to the complete list of A-Z glossaries for buildings and places, and associated class activities.
