Building

Ornament
1. In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a
decoration used to embellish parts of a building or
object.

2. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture

and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from
the term; most ornament does not include human figures,
and if present they are small compared to the overall
scale.

• Architectural ornament can be carved from stone, wood

or precious metals, formed with plaster or clay, or
painted or impressed onto a surface as applied
ornament.
 Cornices
of
a Building
Where does the word come from?

• A way to remember this architectural detail is to know where the word

comes from—the etymology or origin of the word.
• Cornice comes from the Latin word coronics, meaning curved line. The
Latin is from the Greek word for a curved object, koronis.
 Definition:

• Uppermost division of a Classical

entablature. A cornice is basically a form
of horizontal decorating sculpture or
moulding, it generally lies on the roof,
doors, or windows.
• Cornices can provide great texture and
embellishment to your
building’s appearance.
• Any molded projection which crowns or finishes the part to which it is
affixed.
• The third or uppermost division of an entablature, resting on the frieze.
• An ornamental molding, usually of wood or plaster, running round the walls
of a room just below the ceiling; a crown molding; the molding forming the
top member of a door or window frame.
• The exterior trim of a structure at the meeting of the roof and wall; usually
consists of bed molding, soffit, fascia, and crown molding.
palazzo
• Crowning projecting molded horizontal top of a building or some part of a
building, such as a pedestal (where it is the cap), or a wall.
• In the latter case it is called a wall-cornice or cornicione (if very large and crowning
the main façade of e.g. a palazzo).
• It is an eaves-cornice if it occurs where a roof overhangs a wall and forms eaves
with a Classical molding
• one faced with e.g. terracotta or some other material is an encased cornice.
• On a pediment the cornices are differentiated as raking if on the sloping sides. A
block-cornice is a wall-cornice with very simple blocks instead of modillions
projecting from rudimentary bed-moldings.
 The third or uppermost division of an entablature, resting
on the frieze.
Crown-molding if at the junction of an internal wall and ceiling.
 The molding forming the top member of window and door
frame.
A cornice continuing around a corner or in a different direction is a
cornice return.
• Cornices has also be used to carve the year of erection
of a building.
Materials:

 Wood
 Metal
 Brick
 Concrete
 Terra cotta
 Modern materials
 Fiberglass
 Lightweight cements
 Materials:

 Wood frame commercial buildings from the 19th and early

20th centuries are likely to have cornices of wood or sheet metal. These
cornices were milled or formed into a variety of shapes such as brackets or
modillion blocks.
 Brick commercial buildings may have corbelled cornices rows of brick that
project from the wall in various bonding patterns.
 In the early 20th century, other materials became popular for cornices, including
cast concrete and terra cotta.
 Why cornices were provided?

• One of the main reasons why cornices were introduced was utilitarian
role i:e to ensure that the rainwater would not hit the walls of the building
as this over time would create discolouring of the stone buildings.
• This style of architecture was most common in Greece, where most of the
temples and significant buildings would have elaborately carved
cornices.
• The function of the cornice overhang is to protect the structure's walls.
 Cornices as the window
treatment usage:
• The term cornice may also be used to describe a
form of hard window treatment along the top
edge of a window.
• When used in this context, a cornice represents a
board (usually wood) placed above the window
to conceal the mechanism for opening and
closing drapes.
• If covered in a layer of cloth and given padding,
it is sometimes called a soft cornice rather than a
hard cornice.
 Cornice Maintenance and Repair:
• Like any architectural element, cornices can
deteriorate through lack of maintenance or
water infiltration.
• We should inspect our building cornices on a
regular basis to make sure the materials are in
good condition and do not have any water
penetration.
 Cornice Maintenance and Repair:
• A wood cornice are particularly prone to deterioration. They needs
regular scraping and painting
• A sheet metal cornice requires scraping and painting.
• Galvanized sheet metal has its own protection. It is, however, altered as soon as rust sets
in; it is important to prevent rust with a regular coat of paint.
• Wood and sheet metal cornices are typically attached to the building
with wood or metal anchors that can decay or rust if they are not maintained.
• Repair and replacedamaged or missing dentils and brackets
when necessary.
 Cornice Maintenance and Repair:
• The rear of a cornice is often directly attached to the roof material. You should
inspect the joints where these two materials come together on a regular basis.
• Cast concrete and terra cotta cornices are anchored into the masonry of the
building. It is especially important to keep water out of these types of cornices to
prevent them from rusting or detaching from your building.
• You should repair cast concrete and terra cotta cornices with materials to match.
Alternative materials such as fiberglass or fiberglass-reinforced concrete may be
appropriate for some buildings.