GLOSSARY
This glossary defines terms used in construction. Some of terms have additional
meanings, but only the definitions that relate to construction are given here.

Words Definitions
areaway
bar chart
bearing – wall

bearing piles



bird mouth

A sunken area affording access, air, and light to a basement door or window.
Chart comparing various amounts by the length of thick, solid lines or bars.
Structure in which heavy outer walls support the weight of the structure, as
from a floor or roof of a building.
Required where the soil at normal foundation level cannot support ordinary
pad, trip, or raft foundations or where structures are sited on deep filling
which is compressible and settling under its own weight. Piled foundations
are a convenient method of supporting structures built over water.
The part of a raft with a plumb and level cu that fits and is secured to the wall
plates.
brittle

bond
Describe a material that cannot be deformed (change in shape) without
breaking.
The adhesion between two substances, as concrete and reinforcing bar.

building code Local and state law that specify the methods and materials that can be used
for each aspect of construction.
building permit Document issued by the local government that indicates a structure is
approved for construction.
cantilever beam A projecting beam supported only at one fixed end.
casting

cast-in-situ
concrete slabs.
commercial
building
Process in which materials are softened or melted and then forced or
poured
into a mold. As it solidifies, the material takes the shapes of the mold.
One-or two-way spanning, supported on steel beams or lattice girders. Ribbed
or waffle slabs can also be used for long spans.
Building used for businesses, such as supermarket and shopping malls; may
also include churches. etc.
compressive
strength
compression
reinforcement
continuous beam

The ability of a material to resist being squeezed or pressed.

Reinforcement designed to absorb compressive stresses.

A beam extending over more than two supports.


construction
projects
column
Projects built for public such as highways, bridges, and tunnels…

A rigid, relatively slender structural member designed primarily to support
axial, compressive loads applied at the member ends.
corrosion The gradual eating into or wearing away of a material caused by the action of
acid or rust.
dead load The basic weight of a structure including weight of structure, floors, walls…
ductility

The ability of a material to be changed in shape without breaking or
fracturing.
elasticity The ability of a material to readily return to its original shape after a force has
been applied and then removed.
elevation

façade
Drawing that shows the outside of a structure, as viewed from the ground
level.
The front of a building or any of its sides facing a public way or space, esp.
one distinguished by its architectural treatment.
excavation
exterior wall
The process of digging a hole for the foundation of a structure.
A wall forming part of the envelope of a building, having one face exposed to
the weather or to earth. Also called external wall.
fatigue strength The ability of a material to withstand repeated loads.
field engineer

fixed - end beam
first floor

flat roof
The person who oversees large construction project.
A beam having both ends restrained against translation and rotation.
The ground floor of a building. In Britain and elsewhere, the first floor is the
floor immediately above the ground floor.
A roof having no slope, or one with only a slight pitch so as to drain
rainwater.
floor plan Diagram showing the arrangement of a room or rooms as viewed from above.
footing The part of a structure below a foundation wall that distributes the structure’s
weight.
foundation The part of the building that is below the first floor; it’s designed to support
the superstructure.
frame
superstructure
Structure in which many connected parts support the weight of the building.
frost line

The depth to which the soil freezes in winter. Footings must be located below
he frost line.
gable roof A roof sloping downward in two parts from a central ridge, so as to form a
gable at each end.
general constructor

gambrel/barn roof


ground floor

A construction company that agrees to manage an entire project and be
responsible for all the work done from start to finish.
A gable type roof which has more than one slope on one face. It is used
extensively by frames. The upper portion is like two lean-to roofs placed
together. The lower slopes are like lean-roofs.
The floor of a building at or nearest to ground level.
high-rise building

hip roof
Describing a building having a comparatively large number of stories and
equipped with elevators.
A roof having sloping ends and sides meeting at an inclined projecting angle.
Also, hipped roof.
heavy construction Building methods and materials used for large structures such as tunnels
factories, high-rise apartments.
impact strength The ability of a material to withstand sudden impact, such as a hammer blow;
also called toughness.
industrial building
interior wall
Buildings used by production industries.
Any wall within a building, entirely surrounded by exterior walls.
inspector
lean-to roof
lintel
A worker who checks for flaws in a product or structure.
A shed roof with a higher end abutting a wall or large building.
A beam supporting the weight above a door or window opening.
light construction Building methods and materials used to make smaller structures, such as
single family homes and garages.
live load The weight applied to a structure, including people, furniture, snow, and so

on. Live loads often change.
load-bearing wall

low – rise building
The wall that helps to support a structure. They may be exterior or interior
wall.
Describing a building having one, two, or three stories and usually no elevator

mass

mezzanine

mid-rise
Structure in which large quantities of materials are used to construct a solid or
nearly solid structure.
A low or partial story between two main stories of a building, esp. one that
projects as a balcony and forms a composition with the story beneath it.
Describing a building having a moderately large number of stories, usually 5
to 10, and equipped with elevators.
natural material
nonbearing wall
Materials that are found in nature.
A wall supporting no load other than its own weight.
partition

pad foundations



pillar


pitch

pitch roof
plasticity

plain concrete

pre-cast and pre-
stressed concrete
slab
Nonload –bearing walls that divide a building into rooms, or part of a
building into areas.
Provided to support structural columns. They may consist of a simple circular,
square, or rectangular slab of uniform thickness, or they may be stepped or
haunched to distribute load from a heavy column. Pad foundations to heavily
loaded structural steel columns are sometimes provided with a steel grillage.
An upright, relatively slender shaft or structure, usually of brick or stone, used
as a building support or standing alone as a monument.
The slope of the roof. It is the relationship of the rise of the roof to the span.
A ¼ pitch roof has a rise equal to ¼ of its span.
A roof having one or more slopes.
Ability of a material to keep its new shape after it has been deformed
(changed in shapes)
Concrete having no reinforcement, or reinforced only for drying skrinkage or
thermal stresses.
one-way spanning supported on steel beam. Slabs can be solid, hollow, or
double-T in form.

process The action part of a system; operation that changes the size, shape, or

appearance of materials
process quality
control
post
overhanging beam
raft foundations
Process by which workers, methods, and machines are inspected throughout
the manufacturing process to make sure the product is made correctly.
A stiff vertical support, esp. a wooden column in timber framing.
A simple beam extending beyond one its supports.
Required on soils of low bearing capacity, or where structural columns or
other loaded areas are so close in both directions that individual pad
foundations would nearly touch each other. Raft foundation in reducing
differential settlement on variable soils or where there is a wide variation in
loading between adjacent columns or other applied loads.
repair
reinforcement

reinforcing bar
Process of fixing damaged areas in a structure.
A system of steel bars, strands, or wires for absorbing tensile, shearing, and
sometimes the compressive stresses in a concrete member or structure.
A steel bar for reinforcing concrete.
residential building Building in which people live in.
restoration

ridge

rise
Process of returning a building or other structure to the way it originally

looked.
A horizontal line of intersection at the top between two sloping planes of a
roof.
The theoretical height of the roof over the top of the wall plates.
rough work

run
saw – tooth roof
Placement of utility system pipes or wires inside the walls of a structure
before the walls are covered.
Half of span
A series of roofs, when viewed from ends, resembles the angles of saw teeth.
shear strength

shed roof
span

simple beam
Measurement of how strong a material is when it is being pushed in opposite
directions at the sane time.
A roof having a single slope.
The extent of space between two supports of a structure. Also the structure
supported.
A beam resting in simple supports at both ends.
site The land on which a project will be constructed.
site plan A diagram showing the location of the building on the lot, boundaries, roads,
the contour of the earth, and landscaping.
specification




skyscraper
(1) Detailed description that give all the information needed to make a
product.
(2) Written detail about what materials are to be used for a structure and the
standards and government regulations that must be followed.
A building of exceptional height and many stories, supported by a steel or
concrete framework from which the walls are suspended.
stress
strip foundations
Forces created inside a material by other forces acting on it from the outside.
Provided for load-bearing walls, and for rows of columns which are spaced
so closely that pad foundations would nearly touch each other.
subcontractor

A construction company that specializes in one type of work, such as a
plumbing or painting.
superstructure The part of building above the foundation, beginning with the first floor.
tensile strength
tension
reinforcement
The ability of a material to resist being stretched or pulled apart.
Reinforcement designed to absorb tensile stresses.

tail cut The shape of the cut or cuts at the overhang end of a rafter.
torsion strength
toughness

utility systems
The ability of a material to resist twisting.

The ability of a material to withstand sudden impact, such as a hammer blow;
also called impact strength.
The electrical, plumbing, and climate control (heating and cooling) systems of
a building.
warehouse
wall

wall plate
Large building in which products are stored until customers order them.
Any of various upright construction presenting a continuous surface and
serving to enclose, divide, or protect an area.
A horizontal member built into or laid along the top of a wall to support and
distribute the load from joints or rafters. Also called raising plate.
working drawing Drawing containing the information needed to build a structure.
zoning law Regulation telling what kinds of structure can be built in certain areas of
community; may also specify minimum property sizes.