Acoustic Tile
A product used as a finish for ceilings that has the capability to absorb sound

A.I.A.
American Institute of Architects

Arcade
A series of arches supported on columns either freestanding or attached to a wall

Asphalt
A petroleum product that is used as a binder for roofing membranes and in the making of pavements

Baluster
A spindle or post supporting a stair handrail or forming part of a balustrade

Balustrade
The entre railing system, with a row of balusters underneath a balustrade

Bas-relief
A carving raised above a background plane

Batten
A cover strip that provides protection against the penetration of water at a splice point in exterior sidings.

Bay
A window element that protrudes from the façade of a building

Beam
A structural section that spans between two supports while supporting loads applied normal to its longitudinal axis.

Bearing capacity
The property of soil that is used to establish the size of footings. It is based on various tests, depending on the type of soil being tested.

Bearing pile
A slender foundation section set vertically in the ground that develops its load capacity by its end resting on a stable layer of soil

Belt
A line of stone trim encircling the exterior of a building

Bench Mark or Datum point
A point of know elevation , established by registered survey and marked by a brass plate on a post or near the ground level

Berm
A dam or stockpile of dirt

Blasting cap
A device used in detonating dynamite

Bond beam
A section of masonry wall that has been reinforced with steal bars and grout to provide additional stability to the wall

Bracket
A small, curved or angular support designed to carry weight

Bulkhead
A temporary barrier placed inside a form at some point where the daily concrete pour is to be terminated.

Bulking
A resulting increase in volume of a material that has been disturbed

Buttresses
Masonry or brick projecting from and build against a building to provide additional strength

Cofferdam
A temporary boxlike structure used to hold back water or earth while work is being done inside it

Caisson
A containment vessel used to provide protection for the construction crew during the placement of foundations in unstable soil conditions or in areas having a high water table.

Casement window
A window sash opening outward on side hinges

Chancel
The east end of a church, often containing the main alter

Civil Engineer
Provides administrative and technical services for construction, estimating, design & project management

Column
A structural member used primarily to resist axial compressive loads

Conductivity
The ability of a material to transmit electricity or heat

Construction joint
A break in a concrete pour.

Control joint
A break provided in a concrete component to allow for the change in length due to temperature changes and shrinkage

Coping
Overhanging trim at the top of a wall

Cornice
The uppermost part of a beam carried by columns, used to crown the wall of a structure. Ie: molding used at the edge of a roof.

Course
A horizontal row of bricks, stones and other materials used in masonry

Cross gable
A gable set parallel to the roof ridge

Cruciform
A cross-shaped floor plan used for churches

Cupola
A small domes or pointy structure on the top of a building or turret

Dado
In architecture, a term used for the lower portion of an interior wall covered with a special finish such as tile

Decibel
A unit used to describe the intensity of sound

Decking
That portion of a structural frame that spans between supporting beams or walls and serves as a floor or roof.

Density
The amount of material contained within a unit volume, excluding all voids in the material. In metric units it is expressed as mass per unit volume

Design loads
The weight of the building superstructure on the supporting soil

Dewatering system
An arrangement of pipes and pumps used in the lowering of the water table in the vicinity of an excavation.

Dormer
A window that projects from a rood

Dry Concrete
A concrete mix that has little or no water added to the cement and aggregate mixture

Elevation
The height of a point with respect to a datum point of known elevation

End plates
Plates welded to the ends of structural steel sections for connection purposes

Estimator
Reviews project drawings and works with subcontractors and suppliers to develop accurate projections of project costs.

Façade
The front of a building

Fanlight
A semi-circular window, used above a door, which looks like a fan

Fascia
The vertical finish on a rafter overhang or roof edge

Field Engineer
Lays the groundwork for all projects and coordinates the “nuts and bolts” of work on site including building and site layout.

Finial
An ornament used to top off architectural features

Flashing
Light-gauge metal used to cover areas of discontinuity between different building elements

Float
A tool used in the leveling of poured concrete prior to final finishing

Footings
That portion of a structural frame used in the transfer of building loads to the supporting soil

Force
A vector quantity representing the interaction between two objects or masses. A vector quantity has both magnitude and direction

Formwork
A temporary structure used as a mold for plastic concrete

Friction Pile
A foundation section that develops its load capacity from the frictional forces that are developed between the surrounding soil and the surface of the section.

Gable
A triangular section of a wall, having a pitched roof

Girder
A main structural section that supports secondary roof or floor beams

Grade
A term used to describe the slope of a roadway, pipeline, or floor beams

Grade Lines
Lines that have a uniform rate of rise throughout their length

Grout
A nonshrink mixture of cement and fine aggregate used in filling fractures in hardened concrete, in rock formations, and under beam-and column-bearing plates

Gusset plate
A plate welded to structural steel sections, normally used for connecting cross-bracing

Hardpan
A densely compacted mixture of clay and granular material

Header
The end of a brick

Isolation joint
A joint that separates two structural components and allows for movement between them

Keystone
A wedge-shaped stone in the center of an arch used to keep the arch from collapsing

Laser
Light rays that are concentrated into a controlled beam of light

Lintel
A small beam spanning over a door or window opening

Lite
A sheet or pane of glass enclosed by a frame

Louvers
Vents covering an opening which admit air but no light

Mansard roof
A roof with steeply-pitched sloping sides on the top of which is a flat deck

Monolithic
Concrete sections that are poured together without any breaks

Monument
A permanent marker used in designating a point of known elevation

Mudsill
A bearing pad used under a shore to distribute the shoring load over a larger surface

Nave
The central portion of a church with aisles on either side

Parapet
That portion of a perimeter wall that extends above the roof of a building

Pile
A structural section placed in the ground for the purpose of supporting a superimposed load

Plywood
A sheathing product made of several wood veneers with their grain normal to one another, producing a panel that has uniform properties in both directions

Project Manager
In charge of supervising the business aspects of a construction project including scheduling, budgeting, processing and serving as a liaison between the owner and architect.

Purlin
A secondary structural section that supports a roof deck

Quick condition
A loss of bearing capacity that occurs in a saturated, fine-grained soil when it is disturbed

Quoin
Stone trim placed to produce a raised or exposed edge, providing relief to the surface of the wall

Rebound
The property of a material to increase in volume when an existing load has been removed.

Resistivity
The nonconductance of a material.

Rustication Strips
Strips placed in the formwork to produce an attractive design in the face of the finished concrete.

Saturated, Surface-Dry Aggregates
Aggregates that have all pores completely filled with water, yet are dry on the surface

Scupper
A channel cut into the parapet of a building at the roof elevation to provide a means for roof drainage.

Shore
A vertical structural member that is used for supporting formwork at a predetermined elevation

Sill
The horizontal ledge at the bottom of a window or a flat section serving to distribute concentrated loads over a larger area

SI System of Units: system International d’Unites
The latest version of the metric system

Slab on Grade
A concrete slab that is poured on prepared soil and depends on the base material for its strength

Slurry
A watery mixture of some cementous material used for stabilizing asoils or for sealing fractures in walls.

Soffit
The underside of a roof overhand

Stretcher
The long side of a brick

Structural Slab
A concrete slab that must be able to support its own weight plus any other superimposed load between two points of support

Subfloor
Sheathing that is used to provide a sound surface for finished flooring materials

Subsurface
Below the ground

Superintendent
Oversees all field operations to ensure that all work is in compliance with contract documents and on schedule.

T-Bars
Light, metal R-shaped sections used in supporting acoustic panels in suspended ceilings

Till
A mixture of clay, sand, and Boulders

Total Station
Survey instruments that are able to transmit data from the field directly to the office.

Transept
The “arms” part of the flooring of a cross shaped church

Turnbuckle
A steel bar with threaded portions at both ends fitted with eyebolts, so that when turned, will shorten the distance between the two eyebolts. Used in tightening bracing cables in structural steel frames.

Turret
A small tower

Underpinning
The process of providing additional support to existing foundations.

Wall-point
A perforated pipe, protected by a screen, that is driven into the ground for the purpose of collecting water

Yoke
A metal or wooden section placed around a column form to provide support to the form sheathing.