Architecture Glossary
Web Page Glossary
Hi, I'm Béatrice, a student in the architecture technology program at Montmorency College since 2024. This glossary is for any newcomers to the architecture or construction field who need to read plans and job-site instructions in English. Architecture has a lot of specialized terms that general English courses don't cover, which makes technical documents and site communication harder to follow. This glossary helps close that gap. It includes 20 terms. They range from structural elements like beam and column to materials like concrete and steel, and drawing types like floor plan and section. Each entry has a definition, an example, a French translation, an audio clip, and often an image. Google Translate and Wikimedia Commons were also used for the translations and images. I chose the words based on vocabulary that comes up often in my courses and real construction contexts, and built the definitions using the Virtual Writing Tutor glossary maker, Merriam Webster or Cambridge Dictionary and refining them for accuracy. Explore the entries below, and use the audio, images, and translations to help the vocabulary stay with you.
- beam
- noun
- Long, sturdy piece of wood, metal, or concrete used in construction, or a narrow line of light, energy, or a wide smile.
- Example: A structural beam holds up the ceiling in the old wooden house.
- fr: poutre
- bracing
- noun
- System of supports used to strengthen a structure.
- Example: The builder installed diagonal steel bracing to reinforce the wall against strong winds.
- fr: contreventement
- column
- noun
- Vertical structure, arrangement, or printed section that runs from top to bottom.
- Example: The grand entrance hall was lined with tall marble columns.
- fr: colonne
- concrete
- noun
- Hard building material made of cement, water, sand, and gravel.
- Example: The construction workers poured wet concrete into the wooden molds to form the foundation.
- fr: béton
- elevation
- noun
- Two-dimensional, scaled, straight-on view of a building's exterior face or an interior wall.
- Example: The builder looked at the front elevation to see the roof height.
- fr: élévation
- floor plan
- phrase
- Scale diagram of a room, apartment, or building viewed from directly above.
- Example: The carpenter checked the floor plan before building the walls.
- fr: plan
- furring strip
- phrase
- Thin, flat piece of wood or metal used in construction to level uneven surfaces, create air gaps, or provide a nailing base for finishing materials
- Example: Remove any nails or staples from the furring strips with the pry bar.
- fr: fourrure
- insulation
- noun
- Material used to slow down the transfer of heat, sound, or electricity.
- Example: The builder packed thick fiberglass insulation inside the walls to keep the house warm in winter.
- fr: isolation
- partition
- noun
- Vertical structure like a thin wall that separates one part of a room or building from another.
- Example: The partitions between the toilets were very thin.
- fr: cloison
- recessed
- adjective
- Design elements, structures, or features set back or indented into a wall, ceiling, or facade rather than protruding outward.
- Example: The minimalist hallway relied on recessed light architecture to illuminate the walkway without any hanging fixtures cluttering the low ceiling.
- fr: encastré
- roofing
- noun
- Protective materials used to cover the top of a building, or the trade and process of installing and repairing roofs.
- Example: The construction company specializes in residential roofing.
- fr: toiture
- section
- noun
- Architectural drawing that shows a building or space as if it were sliced vertically and viewed from the side.
- Example: The architect studied the section to see how the roof connects to the top floor wall.
- fr: coupe
- speech transmission index
- phrase
- Numerical value from 0 to 1 that measures how clearly spoken words can be understood in a specific space or through a communication system.
- Example: The wall blocked so much sound that the speech transmission index was too low to understand my neighbor's conversation.
- fr: indice de transmission du son
- steel
- noun
- Strong, hard metal alloy made primarily of iron combined with a small amount of carbon.
- Example: The workers welded the heavy steel beams together to build the skyscraper's frame.
- fr: acier
- structural framework
- phrase
- Structural skeleton built from connected columns and beams that supports a building's roof, floors, and walls.
- Example: The workers assembled the timber framework before adding the walls and roof.
- fr: ossature
- stud
- noun
- Vertical wood or metal uprights inside a wall used to attach drywall or paneling.
- Example: If you screw directly into the stud instead of just the plaster, the shelf will hold much more weight.
- fr: montant
- thermal resistance
- phrase
- Measure of how strongly a material or object opposes the flow of heat.
- Example: Builders choose insulation with high thermal resistance to reduce heat loss and lower energy bills.
- fr: résistance thermique
- timber
- noun
- Wood from trees used for building houses and making furniture, or the trees grown specifically for that purpose.
- Example: The trucks hauled the heavy logs of timber straight to the local sawmill.
- fr: bois de construction
- to overlap
- verb
- Spaces, volumes, or structural elements that partially cover, share, or coincide with one another.
- Example: The plastic vapor barrier sheets must overlap to keep moisture out of the walls.
- fr: chevaucher
- transversally
- adverb
- Moving, lying, or extending crosswise from side to side or at right angles to the long axis of something.
- Example: The wooden beams ran transversally across the ceiling to support the weight of the roof.
- fr: transversalement