Architecture Dictionary
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_1909-plan-of-chicago-civic-center-plaza.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_1909-plan-of-chicago-civic-center-plaza.jpg)
1909 Plan of Chicago
Milestone
The 1909 Plan of Chicago, also commonly referred to as the “Burnham Plan,” was a visionary Progressive…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_1933-34-fair-026.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_1933-34-fair-026.jpg)
1933-1934 Century of Progress Exposition
Milestone
How did the 1933-1934 Century of Progress Exposition impact Chicago and its architecture?
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_manhattan-building-02.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_manhattan-building-02.jpg)
19th-Century Commercial
Style
Architects working in the late 19th Century were not approaching the design of tall commercial office…
Term Details![](https://architecture-org.s3.amazonaws.com/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_hero-building-1.jpeg)
![](https://architecture-org.s3.amazonaws.com/files/glossary/sqr_sml_hero-building-1.jpeg)
Accessible architecture
Term
Accessible architecture refers to the design and construction of buildings and spaces that can be easily…
Term Details![](https://architecture-org.s3.amazonaws.com/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_acoustic-design-auditorium-theatre.jpeg)
![](https://architecture-org.s3.amazonaws.com/files/glossary/sqr_sml_acoustic-design-auditorium-theatre.jpeg)
acoustic design
Term
Acoustic Design is the deliberate and thoughtful consideration of sound in architectural and interior…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_harold-washington-library-04-2.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_harold-washington-library-04-2.jpg)
acroteria
Term
Acroteria are the pedestal and sculpture at the top and lower sides of a triangular pediment; originally…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_church-apse-ear.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_church-apse-ear.jpg)
apse
Term
the half-rounded end of a church, behind the nave
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_glessner-house-arch.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_glessner-house-arch.jpg)
arch
Term
a curved structure that spans across an open space and is made from individual pieces called voussoirs
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_chicago-board-of-trade-15-ear.jpg)
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Art Deco
Style
Art Deco emerged as a popular style of American architecture the 1920s and 1930s. The style originated…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_arts-crafts-home-drebenstedt-001.jpg)
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Arts and Crafts
Style
The Arts and Crafts movement originated in England in the mid-19th century as an antidote to the dehumanizing…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_art-institute-of-chicago-basrelief-ear.jpg)
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bas-relief
Term
sculpture that projects only a short distance from the wall on which it is attached
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_clarke-house-base.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_clarke-house-base.jpg)
base
Term
the bottom portion of a Classical column
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_unkown-building-beam.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_unkown-building-beam.jpg)
beam
Term
a horizontal structural member that supports a load
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_elks-national-memorial-07.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_elks-national-memorial-07.jpg)
Beaux-Arts
Style
Almost every corner you turn, you can find Beaux-Arts style architecture in Chicago. Influenced by classical…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_willis-tower-bundled-tube-construction.jpg)
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bundled tube construction
Term
Bundled tube construction is an architectural and structural engineering technique used in the design…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_daniel-burnham-1912.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_daniel-burnham-1912.jpg)
Burnham and Root
Architect/Firm
In the decades after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root changed the…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_drilling-caisson-2.jpg)
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caisson
Term
a large vertical, concrete pier, cast in place and used in a foundation where the soil is unstable
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_robie-house-cantilever.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_robie-house-cantilever.jpg)
cantilever
Term
a beam that projects out and is supported only at one end
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_clarke-house-capital-2.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_clarke-house-capital-2.jpg)
capital
Term
the upper portion of a Classical column
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_flag-michigan-avenue.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_flag-michigan-avenue.jpg)
The Chicago Flag
Milestone
The Chicago flag, an image close to the hearts of many Chicagoans, is now 100 years old. The City Council…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_marquette-building-chicago-window.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_marquette-building-chicago-window.jpg)
Chicago window
Term
The Chicago window design emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a response to the need…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_clarke-house-clapboard-siding.jpg)
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clapboard siding
Term
long thin wooden boards thicker on one edge than the other, laid horizontally on the exterior of a building
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_inland-steel-clear-span-construction.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_inland-steel-clear-span-construction.jpg)
clear-span construction
Term
a structural system that does not use any columns between the exterior walls
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_willis-tower-column.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_willis-tower-column.jpg)
column
Term
In architecture, a column refers to a vertical structure that supports a load. It can be freestanding…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_aqua-tower-concrete.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_aqua-tower-concrete.jpg)
concrete
Term
a hardened mixture made from four ingredients: cement, water, sand, and gravel
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_trump-international-hotel-and-tower-core-and-outri.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_trump-international-hotel-and-tower-core-and-outri.jpg)
core and outrigger construction
Term
a structural system for a tall building that uses a central core of concrete, with massive horizontal…
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_marquette-building-cornice.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_marquette-building-cornice.jpg)
cornice
Term
a decorative band across the top of a building that projects beyond the wall
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_clarke-house-cupola.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_clarke-house-cupola.jpg)
cupola
Term
a small structure built on top of a roof to let light in to the room below
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_elks-national-memorial-dome.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_elks-national-memorial-dome.jpg)
dome
Term
a structure that looks like half of a sphere
Term Details![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_lrg_chicago-bungalow-dormer-02-ear.jpg)
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/architecture-org/files/glossary/sqr_sml_chicago-bungalow-dormer-02-ear.jpg)
dormer
Term
a small structure with a window that projects out from a sloping roof
Term Details