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Grade 3 & 4 - Activity 1


Glossary of Architectural Terms
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SITE CONTENTS
EXPLORING FOR OLD BUILDING PARTS Learning Outcomes
 

You probably all know what a roof, a door or a window look like. But have you ever wondered what the other parts of a building might be called? There are names for almost every building part, and some of them, like wainscoting or clerstory, are very strange sounding.

In this project we are going to learn to identify building features by looking at Measured Drawings and searching the glossary. We are going to match the building feature, such as a special kind of window, with its correct name.

There is one building to explore. You are an explorer, and you will need to record your information carefully on the Explorer's Worksheet so others can learn about where you have been. You will be exploring the outside of the building.

Let's go. Our expedition starts at the South Elevation of the Church of the Holy Cross.

Print out the Explorer's Worksheet.

Your assignment is to carefully label the building parts. You need to find all of the parts in the list below. Read the definitions carefully.

DEFINITIONS

Bargeboard: Boards or other decorative woodwork fixed to the edges or projecting rafters of a gabled roof. Sometimes called gingerbread.

Three Tiered Spires: Symbolic towers in church architecture representing the Crucifixion, or three crosses.

Lancet: A narrow-pointed window.

Portal Window: A window leading into the portal, or elaborate entranceway to a building.

Rose Window: A round decorative and functional window, often on the facade of the building, and sometimes in a stylized flower motif.

Crocket: An upwardly projecting repeated decorative element, often along spires and gables in Gothic Revival architecture.

Finial: An ornamental projection at the top of a gable, roof or other high component.

Roundel: A circular panel or decorative component.

Your Project

Look at the Explorer's Worksheet and decide which definition matches the correct part of the building. Write the correct definition in the space provided.

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Last updated 31 August 1998.
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