Vocabulary
What is the name of the vertical column that holds up a horizontal beam or lintel?
What is a POST.
This structural system is formed when you take two vertical posts and lay a long horizontal block on top of it.
What is the POST & LINTEL SYSTEM.
Trusses rely on this simple geometric shape to give their structure rigidity.
What is a TRIANGLE.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris is an example of what type of structural system?
What is the TRUSS & FRAME SYSTEM.
What is the name for the outside face of a building?
What is the FACADE.
Voussoirs are wedge-shaped pieces that stack to form an arch. What is the name of the center-top, and most important, voussoir?
What is the KEYSTONE.
The Washington Monument relies on thick stone masonry walls (with no interior steel frame) to hold itself up. This monument is an example of what type of structural system?
What is a LOAD BEARING WALL SYSTEM.
Stone and concrete are excellent materials to resist what type of force?
What is COMPRESSION.
The Parthenon in Athens and Stonehedge in England are world-famous examples of structures using this simple system.
What is POST & LINTEL.
Of these two architectural scales, the 1/16" = 1'-0" or the 1/4" = 1'-0", which scale would make the building elements appear larger on the page?
What is the 1/4" SCALE.
This type of curved ceiling structure could otherwise be thought of as an extruded arch.
What is a BARREL VAULT.
This system separates a building's structure from its outer walls (or skin).
What is the SKELETAL FRAME & CURTAIN WALL SYSTEM.
"Centering" is the name for the wooden scaffolding needed to help construct this structural form until the critical keystone is placed.
What is the ARCH.
Medieval castles with their massive stone walls are a great example of this structural system.
What is a LOAD BEARING WALL SYSTEM.
Which time period in history does the design of the Morgan Library directly reference?
What is the RENAISSANCE.
This is the non-structural, thin outer covering that is hung on the steel or concrete frame of a modern high-rise building.
What is a CURTAIN WALL.
This early structural system made it possible to create openings for windows and doors for the first time.
What is the POST & LINTEL SYSTEM.
A truss works by distributing forces to its interconnected members so that they are only subjected to these two simple types of stress.
What are COMPRESSION & TENSION.
At over 1,450 feet tall, the Empire State Building in NYC is a quintessential example of a structure made possible by this system.
What is the SKELETAL FRAME & CURTAIN WALL SYSTEM.
What is the name given to the drawing that represents a horizontal cut through a building?
What is the FLOORPLAN.
Arches need strong abutments (solid supports at the base of the arch) in order to resist this type of outward pushing force.
What is LATERAL FORCE or THRUST.
Used to span openings since ancient times, this system efficiently transfers all forces through pure compression, entirely avoiding tension in its structural members.
What is the ARCH SYSTEM.
A horizontal beam in a post & lintel system will experience this force along its bottom edge, limiting the distance it can span.
What is a TENSION FORCE.
The Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct in France, primarily utilizes this structural system to span large distances and carry massive loads.
What is the ARCH SYSTEM.
The architectural term for areas within a building designated purely for movement or passage, like hallways and stairwell.
What is CIRCULATION.