Grade

10

TVL-ICT
TECHNICAL DRAFTING
QUARTER 4 – MODULE 1

BASIC ARCHITECTURAL
TERMS

Writer: Reviewed by:

SALVADOR C. LAVARIAS RODOLFO L. AQUINO

Master Teacher II Master Teacher I
San Jacinto National High School LMSAT

Validated by:

GINA Q. AQUINO PhD.

Head Teacher III
San Jacinto National High School
 Prepare Plan Using CAD
This lesson aims to familiarize the students in basic architectural terms.

A) INTRODUCTION:
During their five years of architecture school, architecture students can do a lot of
drawing. However, this does not imply that you must be an expert at drawing to become an
architect. To be honest, drawing skills are not even needed when you first start architecture
school. Architectural terms and definitions are best learned first before going to actual
performance of creating a drawing.

B) READINGS / LECTURES:

BASIC ARCHITECTURAL TERMS

.
But why is an architectural description so important? Definitions allow us to all be on
the same page when talking or reading about a plan because they allow us to all have a shared
understanding of a word or term. The purpose of a definition is to explain the meaning of
a particular term in architectural planning which may be obscure or difficult, using terms that
are commonly understood and whose meaning is clear.

Architecture is defined as the method of designing and building something into a usable,
pleasing form.

Adobe Bricks
Bricks formed out of mud or clay and baked in a kiln or under the sun.
Adobe bricks are often bonded together with mud- or lime-mortar joints,
and coats of lime-and-sand stucco often cover adobe walls to prevent
them from eroding in the rain. Figure 1: Adobe Bricks

Arcade
A series of arches supported by columns or other vertical elements.
Figure 2: Arcade
Arch
A curved or pointed structural element that is supported at its sides.
Figure 3: Arch
Architectural Symmetry
A characteristic (particularly of classical architecture) by which the
two sides of a facade or architectural floor plan of a building
present mirror images of one another.
Figure 4: Architectural Symmetry

Archway
An opening with a curved or pointed top.
Figure 5: Archway
Attic Window
A window lighting an attic story, and often located in a cornice. Attic
windows are common to ancient Greek and Greek Revival architecture.

Figure 6: Attic Window

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Balcony
A platform that projects from the wall of a building, and which is enclosed
on its outer three sides by a balustrade, railing, or parapet.

Baluster
Figure 7: Balcony
A vertical supporting element, like a small column.
Figure 8: Baluster

Balustrade
A railing consisting of a row of balusters supporting a rail.
Figure 9: Balustrade
Bay Window
A projecting bay that is lit on all its projecting sides by windows.

Bell Roof Figure 10: Bay Window

A roof shaped like a bell, and typically situated on top of a round tower. The
bell roof has origins in Normandy, toured extensively by Stanford White, who
incorporated bell roofs into many of his Shingle Style houses and buildings.
Figure 10: Bell Roof
Beam
A long, sturdy piece of squared timber or metal spanning an opening or part of
a building, usually to support the roof or floor above.
Figure 11: Beam
Brace
A reinforcing and/or stabilizing element of an architectural frame.
Figure 12: Brace
Bracket
A projection from a vertical surface that provides structural and/or visual
support for overhanging elements such as cornices, balconies, and eaves.
Figure 13: Bracket
Casement Window
A window frame that is hinged on one vertical side, and which swings open to
either the inside or the outside of the building. Casement windows often occur
in pairs.
Figure 14: Casement Window

Central Hallway
A passageway that cuts through the center of a building, from front to
back, and off of which rooms open to the sides.
Figure 15: Central Hallway

Column
A supporting pillar consisting of a base, a cylindrical shaft, and a capital
on top of the shaft. Columns may be plain or ornamental.

Figure 16: Column

Cornice
A crowning projection at a roof line, often with molding or other
classical detail.
Figure 17: Cornice

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Courtyard
An open space, usually open to the sky, enclosed by a building, often
with an arcade or colonnade.
Figure 18: Courtyard
Crenellation
A sequence of alternating raised and lowered wall sections at the top
of a high exterior wall or parapet. Crenellations were originally
employed for defensive purposes
Figure 19: Crenellation

Dentils
Small rectangular blocks that, when placed together in a row
abutting a molding, suggest a row of teeth. Figure 20: Dentils

Diagram
A symbolic representation of information using visualization
techniques Figure 21: Diagram

Door
A hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building, room, or
vehicle, or in the framework of a cupboard.
Figure 22: Door

Dormer Window
A perpendicular window located in a sloping roof; triangular walls join the
window to the roof. Dormer windows are sometimes crowned with
pediments, and they often light attic sleeping rooms; “dormer” derives from
“dormir,” French for “to sleep.” Figure 23: Dormer Window

Double-hung Sash Windows

A window with two sashes that move independently of each other.
Figure 24: Double-hung Sash Window
Downspout
A pipe to carry rainwater from a roof to a drain or to ground level

Figure 25: Downspout

Eaves
The projecting edge of a roof that overhangs an exterior wall to protect it from
the rain.

Figure 26: Eaves

Elevation Plan
An orthographic projection drawing that shows one side of the
house.

Exposed Rafters Figure 27: Elevation Plan

Rafters that are exposed to the outside of a building. Rafters are the inclined,
sloping framing members of a roof, and to which the roof covering is affixed.

Figure 28: Exposed Rafters

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Electrical Plan
sometimes called as electrical drawing or wiring diagram. It
is a type of technical drawing that delivers visual
representation and describes circuits and electrical systems.
Figure 29: Electrical Plan
Facade
An exterior wall, or face, of a building. The front facade of a building contains
the building’s main entrance, the rear facade is the building’s rear exterior
wall, and the side facades are a building’s side exterior walls.
Figure 30: Facade

Facia
A wooden board or other flat piece of material such as that covering the
ends of rafters.

Figure 31: Facia

Floor Plan
The arrangement of rooms in a building.

Figure 32: Floor Plan

Footing
Are an important part of foundation construction. They are typically made
of concrete with rebar reinforcement that has been poured into an
excavated trench. Figure 33: Footing

French Doors
Two adjacent doors that share the same door frame, and between which there
is no separating vertical member. French doors are often referred to as
“double doors.”
Figure 34: French Doors

Foundation Plan
A plane view of a structure. That is, it looks as if
it were projected onto a horizontal plane and
passed through the structure.
Figure 35: Foundation Plan

Grilles
Ventilation panels, often highly decorative.

Gutter Figure 36: Grilles

A shallow trough fixed beneath the edge of a roof for carrying off
rainwater.
Figure 37: Gutter
Hardware
The metal fittings of a building, such as locks, latches, hinges,
handles, and knobs.
Figure 38: Hardware
Hood Molding
A molding that projects above a door, window, or archway to throw off rain.
A hood molding is also referred to as a “drip molding.”

Figure 39: Hood Molding

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Joinery
Woodworking joints in carpentry.

Latticework Figure 40: Joinery

A wooden grid of boards overlaid atop an exterior surface.

Molding
Figure 41: Latticework
A decorative strip of wood.

Figure 42: Molding

Muntins
Dividing bars between panes of glass.

Oriel Figure 43: Muntins

A projecting window of an upper floor supported from below by a bracket.

Over-hanging Rafters Figure 44: Oriel

Rafters that extend beyond the eaves of a roof. Rafters are the inclined,
sloping framing members of a roof, to which the roof covering is affixed.

Figure 45: Over-hanging Rafteres

Panel
A smooth surface, usually rectangular (or sometimes circular) in shape and
framed by a molding, and often featuring decorative, sculptural carving.

Patio Figure 46: Panel

Like a terrace, a patio is an outdoor extension of a building, situated above
the ground level, and open to the sky. Colloquially, a patio is a more
informal space than a terrace.

Pavilion Figure 47: Patio

A small but prominent portion of a building that juts out from a
main building, either above its roof line, or to the side, and
which is identified by a unique (usually diminutive) height and
individual roof type. A pavilion may also stand alone, separate
from a larger building, or may be connected to a main building
by a terrace or path.
Figure 47: Pavilion

Pediment
A decorative triangular piece situated over a portico, door,
window, fireplace, etc. The space inside the triangular piece is
called the “tympanum,” and is often decorated. Figure 48: Pediment

Pilaster
A shallow, non-structural rectangular column, attached to, and projecting only
slightly from, a wall surface.
Figure 49: Pilaster

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Pillar
A structural support, like a column, but larger and more massive, and often without
ornamentation. Pillars can be round or square in section, and are most often made of
brick, stone, cement, or other masonry, although substantial wooden timbers can be
formed into pillars. Figure 50: Pillar

Portico
An entrance porch with columns or pilasters and a roof, and often crowned by a
triangular pediment.
Figure 51: Portico

Rafters
The inclined, sloping framing members of a roof, and to which the
roof covering is affixed.
Figure 52: Rafters
Roof
The structure forming the upper covering of a building.

Figure 53: Roof

Roof Framing Plan
Show the construction of the rafters used to span the building and
support the roof.
Figure 54: Roof framing Plan

Roof Ridge
The horizontal intersection of two roof slopes at the top of a roof.

Roofline Figure 55: Roof Ridge

The part of a building that rises above the building’s eaves. Rooflines
can be highly decorative, with balustrades, pediments, statuary, dormer
windows, cross gables, etc.

Figure 56: Roofline

Septic Vault
An underground chamber made of concrete, fiberglass, or plastic
through which domestic wastewater (sewage) flows for basic
treatment.
Figure 57: Septic Vault
Shutters
Pairs of solid or slatted window coverings, traditionally hinged to the
exterior of a building to either side of a window, used to block light or wind
from the interior of a building.
Figure 58: Shutters

Site Development Plan

Depicts the general layout and configuration of a site,
including building footprints, parking and street layout,
conceptual landscaping and lighting, site cross section
drawings, and building elevations.
Figure 59: Site Development Plan

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Stained Glass
Colored glass. Stained glass windows are fitted with pieces of colored glass,
which often depict a picture or scene.
Figure 60: Stained Glass

Stair
A set of steps leading from one floor of a building to another, typically inside
the building.
Figure 61: Stair
Terrace
An outdoor extension of a building situated above the ground level, and
open to the sky.

Tile Roof Figure 62: Terrace

A roof covered with tiles that are usually hollow and half-cylindrical in shape
and made from clay. Tile roofs are common in many parts of the world,
including the Mediterranean and the Southwestern United States.
Figure 63: Tile Roof
Truss
A rigid framework, as of wooden beams or metal bars, which supports a
structure, such as a roof.
Figure 64: Truss
Veranda
An open, roofed porch, usually enclosed on the outside by a railing or
balustrade, and often wrapping around two or more (or all the) sides of a
building.
Figure 65: Veranda
Window
An opening in the wall or roof of a building or vehicle that is fitted with glass or
other transparent material in a frame to admit light or air and allow people to see
out.

Window Sash
Figure 66: Window
The movable frames in a window in which windowpanes are set.

Wooden Shingles
Figure 67: Window Sash
Small, rectangular-shaped slats of wood that are nailed to an
exterior surface, overlapping one another from top to bottom.
Shingling is a traditional weather-proofing method for building.

Figure 68: Wooden Shingles

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C. ACTIVITY PROPER:

Directions: Arrange the rumbled letters to get the correct answer. Write
your answer in the space provided for below it.

LABNOCY ALBTUSDERA
CARDAE

1. ___________ 2. _________ 3. _______________

RUOCTRAYD NEDLIST ADIGARM

4. ____________ 5. ___________ 6. ___________

RABKCTE AICAF SELILGR

7. ___________ 8. _______ 9. _________

RADHRAWE TALCITWEROK SINTUNM

10. ____________ 11. _____________ 12. __________

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 NETMIDEP
IOLNVIPA
LENAP

13. _________ 14. ___________ 15. ___________

CHOOSE ME NOT!
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer in
the space provided for before each number.

1. Small, rectangular-shaped slats of wood that are nailed to an exterior surface,

overlapping one another from top to bottom. Shingling is a traditional weather-proofing
method for building
A) Wooden Shingles B) Window C) Door Ledge D) Panel
2. The movable frames in a window in which windowpanes are set.
A) Door Jam B) Terrace C) Patio D) Window Sash
3. An open, roofed porch, usually enclosed on the outside by a railing or balustrade, and
often wrapping around two or more (or all the) sides of a building.
A) Veranda B) Porch C) Balcony D) Pavilion
4. A roof covered with tiles that are usually hollow and half-cylindrical in shape and made
out of clay. Tile roofs are common in many parts of the world, including the
Mediterranean and the Southwestern United States.
A) Roof Ridge B) Shingles C) Tile Roof D) Facia
5. An outdoor extension of a building situated above the ground level, and open to the
sky.
A) Terrace B) Patio C) Courtyard D) Arcade
6. Colored glass. Stained glass windows are fitted with pieces of colored glass, which
often depict a picture or scene.
A) Tinted Glass B) Stained Glass C) Smoke Glass D) Clear Glass
7. Pairs of solid or slatted window coverings, traditionally hinged to the exterior of a
building to either side of a window, used to block light or wind from the interior of a
building.
A) Shutters B) Window Ledge C) Window Lock D) Window Seal
8. The part of a building that rises above the building’s eaves. It can be highly decorative,
with balustrades, pediments, statuary, dormer windows, cross gables, etc.
A) Balustrade B) Gutter C) Facia Board D) Rooflines
9. The horizontal intersection of two roof slopes at the top of a roof.
A) Roof Ridge B) Rafter C) Facia Board D) Rooflines
10. A shallow, non-structural rectangular column, attached to, and projecting only slightly
from, a wall surface.
A) Pilaster B) Pillar C) Column D) Beam

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 ANSWER KEY (ACTIVITY PROPER)

LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

1. ARCADE 6. DIAGRAM 11. LATTICEWORK
2. BALCONY 7. BRACKET 12. MUNTINS
3. BALUSTRADE 8. FACIA 13. PANEL
4. COURTYARD 9. GRILLES 14. PAVILION
5. DENTILS 10. HARDWARE 15. PEDIMENT

CHOOSE ME NOT!
1. A 6. B
2. D 7. A
3. A ` 8. D
4. C 9. A
5. A 10. A

REFERENCES

Arriola C.T, Bermas, D.B., Milambiling O.M. & Guevarra, Jr., V.O. (2013). Technology and
Livelihood Education 10. Pasig City, Philippines: Department of Education

Hornilla, C.M., Francisco, H.G., & Lazo, Jr., T.P. (n.d.). Theory of Technical Drafting,
Metric Edition Part

Lavarias, S. (2017). A Module: Preparing Computer-Aided Drawings.

Geddes & Grosset (2002). Webster’s Universal Dictionary and Thesaurus. Scotland:
David Dale House

Ma”Din Polytechnic College. (n.d.) Computer Aided Drafting Lab. Retrieved from
https://www.madinpoly.com/lm/401-20%
COMPUTER%20AIDED%DRAFTING%20LAB.pdf

Ronsairo, E.E. & Bagayana, J.M. (2020). TECHNICAL DRAFTING 10 Quarter 2 Module
7: AutoCAD Design Center (1st ed.). Department of Education.

(“To Create Annotation Scales and Assign Them to Display Configurations | AutoCAD
Architecture 2019 | Autodesk Knowledge Network,” 2018)
https://www.facebook.com/jorge.fontan.9. “10 Things to Consider When Building a House
· Fontan Architecture.” Fontan Architecture, 20 Apr. 2017, fontanarchitecture.com/things-
to-consider-when-building-a-house/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.

Google Search. (2011). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from Google.com website:
https://www.google.com/search

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C) SUMMATIVE EVALUATION:

PERFECT MATCH!
Directions: Match the basic architectural terms in column A with their
drawings in column B. Write the letter of your answer in the space provided
for before each number.
COLUMN A COLUMN B
_____ 1. Floor plan A.

_____ 2. Attic Window B.

_____ 3. Archway C.

_____ 4. Foundation Plan D.

_____ 5. Column E.

_____ 6. Elevation Plan F.

_____ 7. Cornice G.

_____ 8. Beam H.

_____ 9. Door I.

_____ 10. Downspout J.

_____ 11. Electrical Plan K.

_____ 12. Eaves L.

_____ 13. Footing M.

_____ 14. Window N.

_____ 15. Baluster O.

DRAW ME!
Performance Task (10pts.)
Directions: Explain why is an architectural description is so significant?

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