Architectural ABC's - Part Four of Four

Part Four:

Let's just say I didn't think this series out fully.  The final three letters were the most challenging, as any elementary school kid could have guessed.  These aren't quite as traditional as the previous terms, but they did teach me a lesson (literally and figuratively).

Although architects may know these terms and even use them often, the history and source of these terms in relation to their modern usage was in fact an interesting journey for me while researching them.  Aside from their alphabetical first letter, there was neither rhyme nor reason as to their selection, other than the etymological ancestry.  Here are X, Y and Z.

Xeriscaping - is a landscaping method that originated in Colorado.  The term derives from the Greek word 'xeros' which means dry.  The point of xeriscaping is to provide attractive landscaping that does not rely on irrigation.  I happened to have been introduced to that term years ago working on a project in Boulder, Colorado.  At first I thought I was hearing zero-scaping, but that was just a result of my own hearing loss - it does not mean plant less. It may have started in dry climates, but the concept is a valid part of best design practices for any climate.  Make use of rain runoff and use hearty plants that can use the runoff instead of piping in water.  Design credit: Martin/Martin Engineering in Colorado (www.martinmartin.com).

Vegetation is concentrated where the water will go.

Plants are hearty and drought resistant and provide visual interest even at dry times. 

Yoke  - is the top rail of a double hung window sash joining the two side rails or a pipe fitting that combines a drain pipe to a vent pipe.  The term is related to wooden beam used to pair two field animals to enable them to pull in unison.  A pair of oxen can be called a ‘yoke’ of oxen.  Many languages have words stemming from the animal related definition, including German, Latin and Greek.  A “yoke” that is an archaic unit of measurement is actually the amount of land that can be cultivated by a pair of oxen.  These units of measurements are also derivative in many languages.  They are notably described in the Great Survey of much of England in 1086, called the Domesday Book.

This member is more commonly referred to as a top rail.

The vent pictured is called a yoke vent.  Illustration Credit:  McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. 

Zamboni - okay, this is a stretch.  But my other options were ziggurat and zigzag; and for word origins Zamboni is way more interesting.  The word for that awesome between-the-periods entertainment at a hockey game comes from Frank Zamboni himself.  According to the company website (zamboni.com) Frank developed his namesake machines to resurface ice after working in both the auto repair and refrigeration business.  In the 1940's, ice skating was very popular and there was a real need to smooth out that ice after tons of teenagers scuffed it up.  The prototypes used tractors and Army surplus gear.  By the 1950's, he was on his way, selling to both the ice skating rinks and NHL for hockey, eh?

The first patent for an ice resurfacing machine.  Source: zamboni.com.

So there you have it.  Architecture terms A-Z.  If you missed the previous editions of this series, just go to YeomanArchitect.blogspot.com and keep scrolling backwards.  To learn more, use one of my sources:

Dictionary.com

Dictionary of Architecture and Construction

myEtymology.com

Wikipedia.org

Zamboni.com

All photos and diagrams are either my own or, to the best of my knowledge, fair use under U.S. copyright laws.

Architectural ABC's - Part Three

Part Three:
Although architects may know these terms and even use them often, the history and source of these terms in relation to their modern usage was in fact an interesting journey for me while researching them.  Aside from their alphabetical first letter, there was neither rhyme nor reason as to their selection, other than the etymological ancestry.  Here are 'Q' through 'W'.  Any help on X, Y and Z would be appreciated.

Quoins – are the expressive corner pieces in masonry wall.  They are often ‘faked’ in contemporary architecture using coated foam shapes.  Originally they were a legitimate reinforcing technique to support corners of walls that were spanned between with thinner stones.  In the Renaissance, quoins became exaggerated in order to impress upon the onlooker a feeling of strength.  Its origin is the same as the English word ‘coin’, both coming from the Latin ‘cuneus’ for wedge, or wedge shaped stone.  I guess you can say one is the cornerstone of an edifice, the other is the cornerstone of a free democracy.

Quoins on both corners at this intersection in Rome.

Reglet – is a linear architectural trim piece.  The term is often used when it involves flashing, or shedding of water from one surface to another.  The word is derived from the Latin ‘regula’ meaning straight edge.

The reglet here is along the rake, transitioning between stucco and metal flashing.

Scaffold – is a raised platform often seen used in the present participle of “scaffolding”.  Prior to its common use as a work surface for people and building materials working on architectural endeavors, it was commonly used to refer to the raised platform for the execution of criminals.  Earlier origins may be in the Italian word catafalco, which was the wooden framework supporting the coffin or body of a person during a funeral.  Maybe that is why erecting scaffolding is so darn expensive, because in the past, it was literally your last stop.

Scaffolding used to lay up masonry in a stair tower.

Terrazzo – is a flooring material made from chips of marble and granite set in a binder that is polished to give it a very smooth finish.  Many schools and public buildings have these floors because they last nearly forever and are abuse resistant.  The word terrazzo literally means “terrace” and the latin root terra means “earth”.  Invented by Italians to be a low cost alternative to stone slab floors, it is now a very high end material in terms of cost.

Used in schools because of its bullet proof nature, this is the school I went to 30 years ago, exactly the same today.

Urn – this form is found in Federal and Georgian Revival styles of architecture in decorative treatments in wood façade features as well as other decorative carvings in buildings.  The urn was very popular in furniture making in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, and as the two fields shared woodworking crafters, it may have migrated.  Urns symbolize immortality and the word comes from the Latin ‘urna’ for earthen vessel for ashes or water.

The urn often makes its way into the pediment, as in this example from downtown Lancaster.

And another here.

Vinyl – what architectural materials cannot be made of this stuff?  Most commonly, building materials are made from PVC, or polyvinyl chloride.  But who knew that the word origin of vinyl comes from the Latin ‘vinum’ which means wine because of ethyl alcohol’s role in the chemistry of it.  The word as we know it originated with German Chemist Hermann Kolbe in 1851.

Vinyl can do a lot of things - here is is shown on the inside and outside of the building at the same time.  It can look pretty convincing and also meet fire ratings and smoke spread requirements. 

Wainscot – or ‘wainscoting’ is the paneling on an interior wall, typically on the lower portion and today for aesthetic purposes only.  The term in its current use has been around from the 1500’s, but the term may come from the Low German ‘wagenschot’ in the 1300’s – having to do with wagon and coach building from boards used for paneling.  I’ve come to realize that almost everyone has their own pronunciation for this word.

Some of the nicest I've ever seen in a skilled nursing facility, wainscot can really set off a room.

Resources:

Dictionary.com

myEtymology.com

Wikipedia.org

Next:  Part 4, X Y and Z

Architectural ABC's - Part Two

Part Two:
Although architects may know these terms and even use them often, the history and source of these terms in relation to their modern usage was in fact an interesting journey for me while researching them.  Aside from their alphabetical first letter, there was neither rhyme nor reason as to their selection, other than the etymological ancestry.  Here are 'I' through 'P'.

Incandescent – As in the light bulbs quickly receding into obscurity; incandescent comes from the Latin incadescere, to glow white.  Electrical current runs through a wire filament at a high temperature in order to produce visible light.  Over 20 inventors of incandescent lamps are recognized prior to Thomas Edison, however, he included his lamp in a viable system able to provide electric lighting to towns.  The term can also be used as an adjective to describe many architects.

Edison's patent for the light bulb.

Jalousie – A type of window or shade that is made from overlapping, angled slats of wood or even glass.  Pronounced Jal-oh-SEE.  The word literally means ‘jealousy’ in French.  Seems to be a reference to the ability to look outside without being seen, in order to guard your possessions.  It won't meet any energy conservation awards, however.

A Jalousie window we used to have in our house.  Jealous?  No.

Knob – as in door.  Probably from Low German ‘knobbe’ for a knot in wood or perhaps a knoll, or isolated, round hill.  I try to avoid grassy knolls myself.  And book depositories. Dead as a door knob takes on another meaning in architecture, because door levers are the standard for accessibility, and knobs are more rarely used in commercial buildings.  Kentuck Knob, a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Western PA, is an example of the round hill definition.

A nice door knob in Murano, Italy.

Kentuck Knob is built just to the side of the hill, rather than on the hill, in typical Wright fashion.

Lintel – a load bearing member across an opening in a wall, regularly seen in a door or window.  This word derives from the Latin ‘limen’, which means threshold.  This is very nearly the opposite of a lintel in architectural terms, one above a door and the other below – curious.

You can see concrete lintels over three openings in this CMU wall.  Often the structure is hidden.

Exposed lintels can be extremely decorative, such as this example from Duke Street in Lancaster. 

Mortar – the mixture of cement and lime that binds bricks and other masonry units together.  This seems to derive from the Latin ‘mortarium’ or a bowl for mixing or pounding.  Interesting that the product was named after the vessel in which it is mixed.  And that thing on your head at graduation? A mortar board.

Bags of Type S Mortar on site.  The mixing vessel can be a wheelbarrow or a specialized mixer, seen in the background.

Nogging - This is not binge drinking too much of the yule-tide beverage.  This is the infill of brick or sometimes other building materials in half-timber construction.  Sometimes it was intended that this be plastered over, other times it remains exposed.  A 'nog' in old English is a wooden block or similar that is of the same size as a brick, unassumingly used as infill.  Also, in naval architecture, nogging is the act of maintaining the shape of the hull of the ship while it is being built, similar to shoring.

Brick nogging in half-timber framework.

Oculus - this means 'eye' in Latin.  It is an architectural opening most commonly thought of at the top of a dome, but can also be in a wall.  The Romans, unsurprisingly, used this feature often, and it was used heavily in Renaissance churches.  The plural is oculi.

One of the more famous oculi - in the roof of the Pantheon.

Portland Cement - is not named for either of the Portlands in the United States, but is actually named for a type of stone, Portland, quarried in England.  Modern cement was developed at the end of the 1700's and is a critical ingredient in concrete, but of course the Romans had it figured out in the B.C.'s or else the Pantheon would not still be here.  Portland cement reacts with water to harden, it does not 'dry out'.  It is a chemical reaction that will take far longer than the 7 or 28 day strength tests often used in construction.  Most Portland Cement was imported from England to the US until companies in Michigan and Pennsylvania began producing it in the late 1800's.

Mercer Castle, or Fonthill, was built in the early 1900's for the tile maker in Doylestown, Pa.  

Walls, roofs. window frames & mullions, and stairs are all made of concrete, possible because of Portland Cement.

Coming soon:  "P through W"  Should be interesting.

Architectural ABC's - Part One

Do you know the origins of these terms?  Although architects may know these terms and even use them often, the history and source of these terms in relation to their modern usage was in fact an interesting journey for me while researching them.  Aside from their alphabetical first letter, there was neither rhyme nor reason as to their selection, other than the etymological ancestry.

ANSUL – A combination from the words Anhydrous Sulfur Dioxide (SO2).  This fire extinguishing chemical is synonymous with any commercial kitchen installation to architects.  The chemical compound was also used as a fruit preservative and refrigerant in earlier years.  The Ansul Company was named as a defendant in a 2005 lawsuit regarding the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.  Don’t spill any of that on the grill.

A typical ANSUL suppression system over a commercial kitchen grill.

Bariatric – From the Greek roots:  bar- (meaning weight); -iatr (meaning treatment); and –ic (pertaining to).  The term originated in 1965 and has in recent years become prevalent in health care architecture regarding patient rooms and spaces for the treatment of obese patients.  Specialized lifts and furniture along with larger spaces for patients are included in “Bariatric Rooms”.  Many facilities provide at least one or two bariatric rooms in each new wing to be built.

Ceiling lifts and the removal of barriers are typically addressed in rooms to serve Bariatric patients.

Caisson – From the French word for ‘box’ or ‘case’, in architectural terminology, a caisson is a deep, drilled footing or foundation system as opposed to a spread footing.  They are used where there is poor soil or high risk of turning due to seismic activity or in very tall buildings.  Maybe it comes from the need to find a big box of money to pay for them.

Cross-section of deep foundations.

Decibel (dB) – Strictly speaking, a decibel is a logarithmic unit used to compare two values of power or intensity.  In architecture this is most commonly sound intensity.  Deci- denotes a factor of one tenth and –bel is used in honor of Alexander Graham Bell, as the term originated to signal loss across telegraph and telephone circuits.

Various sound sources and their intensities.

EPDM rubber – Ethylene propylene diene monomer.  An elastomeric, synthetic rubber perfect for roofing.  Also a good insulator and chemically and thermally stable, it is also used in sealants and gaskets in the automotive and aviation industries.

A sheet of EPDM roofing.

Flue – The opening in a chimney to direct exhaust from a fireplace of some other combustion source.  This term likely comes from Middle English ‘flewe’ meaning a mouthpiece for a hunting horn, or Olde English ‘flowan’ or to flow.  Or both, no one seems to know for sure.

A cross-section of a chimney and flue.

Galvanic action (or corrosion) – This is a chemical process named after 18^th Century Italian physician Luigi Galvani.  Galvanic action occurs when one metal corrodes another metal in the presence of an electrolyte.  Salt water or acid rain provides the electrolyte in most architectural corrosive environments.  Architects must be careful in the placement of dissimilar metals if exposed to the exteriors of buildings.  Galvani discovered the process by making dead frog’s legs twitch.

The bolts are a dissimilar and non-compatible material to the metal it is fastening, thus the corrosion.

HEPA filter – High Efficiency Particulate Arresting filters are those that remove 99.97% of particles measuring 0.3 microns from the air passing though.  The original HEPA filter was developed for the Manhattan Project in order to prevent radioactive particles.  Probably didn’t help much when the bombs were detonated in the open air.  It is now a generic term but was a registered trademarked in the 1950’s.

An example of a HEPA filter.  Normally many times thicker than a traditional filter.

Next up:  "I through P"