Construction

Front 1

adobe

Back 1

A moulded and sun-dried brick or block of clay usually containing chopped straw reinforcement, used for the walls of earth buildings. Common in Central and South America (e.g Lima cathedral), occasionally used in semi-arid

Front 2

aggregate

Back 2

Any granular material used as a main constituent of concrete, mortar or plaster. Can be coarse, fine or all-in. Natural or artificial. Rounded or angular.

Front 3

angle bead

Back 3

A thin line of metal trim for protection of the outer arris of a plaster corner against knocks. Large holes in metal provide bond and are used for nailing. They are plastered over, using the bead edge as a permanent screed rail.

Front 4

anodizing

Back 4

Providing a hard, noncorrosive, electrolytic, oxide film on the surface of a metal, particularly aluminum, by electrolytic action. Used for self-finsihed items.

Front 5

architrave

Back 5

Joinery trim which is panted to cover the small gap between a door frame and the wall finishing.

Front 6

ashlar

Back 6

Squared building stone. Used by the Egyptians in 3000 B.C.

Front 7

asphalt

Back 7

Mixture of bitumen and sand, clay or other inert mineral filler, e.g limestone. Used in built-up roofing systems as a waterproofing agent.

Front 8

auger

Back 8

A drilling tool shaped like a cork-screw for boring holes in wood.

Front 9

Axminster carpet

Back 9

Patterned carpet with cut wool pile woven into the backing.

Front 10

bagged joint

Back 10

A flush joint made by rubbing brickwork with sacking

Front 11

balloon frame

Back 11

A system of framing a wooden building; all vertical structural elements of the exterior bearing walls andpartitions consist of single studs which extend thefull height of the frame, from the top of the bottom plate to the roof plate; all floor joists are fastenedby nails to studs.

Front 12

baluster

Back 12

One of a number of short vertical members, often circular in section, used to support a stair handrail or a coping

Front 13

balustrade

Back 13

An entire railing system (as along the edge of a balcony) including a top rail and itsbalusters, and sometimes a bottom rail. Prevents people from falling.

Front 14

barge board

Back 14

A board which hangs from the projecting end of a roof, covering the gables.

Front 15

batten

Back 15

A small section, normally of timber, to which sheet materials, slates and roof tiles are fixed.

Front 16

bed joint

Back 16

A horizontal layer of mortar on which masonry units are laid.

Front 17

Bimetallic action

Back 17

A type of corrosion which takes place between two dissimilar metals that make prolonged contact with each other.

Front 18

bitumen

Back 18

A smooth, heavy material which becomes liquid when heated, made from petroleum and similar to pitch and tar. Used as a waterproof binder and in hot bonding compound.

Front 19

bitumen felt

Back 19

A roofing material manufactured by saturating a dry felt with asphalt and then coating the saturated felt with a harder asphalt mixed with a fine mineral, glass-fiber, asbestos, or organic stabilizer; available in the form of rolls.

Front 20

bottom chord

Back 20

The lower longitudinal member of a truss.