Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture

2139 Pages·2005·120.27 MB·English

by  Burden Ernest.

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Preface
Architecture throughout the ages has provided shelter from the elements, refuge
and safety from intruders, palaces for royalty, shops for merchants, and shrines
for religions. Throughout history all of these structures have been constructed
with different materials, components, forms, and architectural styles. These
items were all part of an integrated system of building, which represented the
current customs of each culture.
The Egyptians had a relatively integrated system of building using simple
parts. This produced a monolithic style, which featured extensively carved
ornamentation on the otherwise simple, massive forms. The Greeks developed
an architecture derived from wooden prototypes, which consisted of a kit of
parts. It is this system which became the standard adopted by western
civilizations, and modified by many succeeding generations into infinite
variations of these basic forms. Other civilizations, such as those in China,
Japan, Thailand, and India, developed similar stylistic features indigenous to
their own cultures and religions. This dictionary describes these styles, and
illustrates many of them with photographs of their typical structures.
The number of individual building components has not increased
significantly over the past centuries of building. In fact, the number of building
components has decreased as building designs became simplified. On the other
hand, buildings have become more complex on the technical and functional
aspects of the interior and mechanical systems. Many of these new technical
terms have been included here, including the new language of green,
sustainable, and ecological architecture.
Architecture is a tangible product, and the numerous photographs contained
in this edition add a dimension that is not possible using word definitions alone.
However, there are many intangible aspects involved in contemporary practice
as well, and these have also been listed. They include not only aspects of the
design and building process, but many new terms relating to building renovation
and restoration that are so prevalent in today’s practice.
The typical function of a dictionary is to isolate and define individual
elements, and to provide specialized information. This dictionary carries it to
another level, by illustrating many of the definitions with photographs of these
elements in their position within the structures. In addition, this dictionary
illustrates several variations of the same element, including both historical and
contemporary examples.
contemporary examples.
The photographs in this book were selected from the author’s library of
building sites from around the world. Some examples are well known, while
other images provided the clearest illustration of the definition. No attempt was
made to identify any of the illustrated components by building type, location,
date, or architect, except for the listings of the architects themselves and some of
their most well-known buildings.
Another distinctive feature of this dictionary is the use of color photographs
to illustrate the definitions. The first two editions of this work were in black and
white. The addition of full-color illustrations not only makes this a departure
from most other works of this kind, but may become the universal lexicon of the
future.
Acknowledgments
A special thanks to my editor, Joy Evangeline Bramble, who suggested a new
and updated look for this edition, and the inclusion of green, sustainable, and
ecological terminology. Steve Chapman, publisher, McGraw-Hill Professional,
encouraged the revision with the addition of color images. Pamela Pelton
expertly handled the production of this edition, as she has done with previous
editions, and coordinated the effort with the printer in China. Stephen Smith
managed the editing and proofing of the text and was helpful in coordinating a
complex, staged production process. A very special thanks to my wife, Joy
Arnold Burden, for her untiring assembling of the files for the editing,
enhancement of the color images, graphic design, and layout of the entire book.
She provided a high level of quality control throughout the final production. All
the photographs in this work are from the extensive image library of the author,
plus the numerous photographs taken by my wife, Joy, on our many
photographic excursions around the world. Thanks also to my son Ernest III for
his photographs of Santiago Calatrava’s Ciutat de la Arts in Valencia, Spain.
About the Author
Ernest Burden pursued an architectural career at the Rhode Island School of
Design, transferring one year later to study with pioneering architect Bruce Goff
at the University of Oklahoma. While at Oklahoma he was a finalist for the Prix
de Rome in Architecture, and upon graduation recieved the Senior Faculty
Design Award. Mr. Burden began his professional career as an architect and also
provided other architects with architectural renderings and video presentations
as they sought approval for their projects. The compilation of a decade of this
presentation work was featured in his first book, Architectural Delineation: A
Photographic Approach to Presentation, which was first published by McGraw-
Hill in 1970, followed by two additional editions. Another popular book,
Entourage: A Tracing File, was originally published in 1980, and is now in its
5th edition, with all color images. Other book ventures with McGraw-Hill
include Building FACADES: Ornamental Details, and Visionary Architecture:
Unbuilt Works of the Imagination. Mr. Burden also has written and illustrated
two other dictionaries, the Illustrated Dictionary of Architectural Preservation,
and the Illustrated Dictionary of Building Design and Construction, both
published by McGraw-Hill.
About the Book
The first edition of this dictionary was produced using a 1 MB Mac Plus for the
text, and black and white photographs produced on a photocopier scanner, and
the mechanicals for the printer were produced by hand. This third edition was
produced using scanned images of the original photographs or direct digital
images, and electronically generated text, and assembled in a desktop publishing
program. Each single page of this edition tops 1 MB and demonstrates the leap
in technology over a decade.
Introduction
This book was designed to be an educational experience through the study of the
color photographs, as well as providing technical information through the
written definitions, and by clustering and cross-referencing of similar elements.
There are over 40 grouped categories of definitions, where one can find many
related definitions in the same general location in the book. This includes
specific types of arches, doors, joints, moldings, roofs, walls, or windows. The
format throughout the book is structured so that it can be used as an easy
reference guide, consisting of two main categories: definitions that are
illustrated, and those that are not illustrated.
ILLUSTRATED DEFINITIONS
The definitions that are illustrated are shown in a narrow column, with the first
illustration adjacent or following, as shown in the following example.
Abacus
The flat area at the top of a capital, dividing a column from its entablature. It
usually consists of a square block, or is enriched with moldings. In some orders
the sides are hollowed and the angles at the corner are truncated.
DEFINITIONS ONLY
Definitions that are not illustrated are shown in a wide column, as shown in the