Doors are vital architectural elements that facilitate access, security, privacy, and insulation between spaces. Featuring a frame and a panel, doors come in various types such as swinging, sliding, pocket, revolving, Dutch, roll-up, and folding doors.
Windows are openings shaped with glass to allow for the entrance of light within a space as well as the opportunity for views. As part of a building, windows can be found in a wall, roof, or door and are often able to be open to provide air flow.
Columns are vertical structural elements designed to support and transfer loads from a building's upper components to its foundation. They provide stability and strength while adding visual appeal to a structure. Columns can be made from varied materials, such as wood, stone, steel, or concrete.
A wall is a vertical structure that encloses a space, defining an area of land. It can be either external or internal. As part of a building, walls carry loads and provide support to roofs, floors, and ceilings. Another purpose of walls are to ensure shelter, security, and soundproofing for users within a defined space.
In construction, floors constitute the horizontal surfaces within a structure that are essential for accessibility, dividing spaces, and supporting occupants and objects. Floors are typically constructed using a combination of materials, such as concrete, timber, or steel.
Roofs and ceilings define the upper boundaries of buildings, serving both protective and spatial roles. Roofs shield interiors from weather, offering shelter against sun, rain, snow, and wind, while also shaping a building’s silhouette. They can be flat, pitched, curved, or layered.
Spanning systems are the structural elements that allow buildings to stretch across open spaces, carrying loads safely from one side to another. They include beams, joists, trusses, and the connections that hold them together. These parts form the horizontal framework above rooms and below floors.
Masonry is the art of building using individual units like bricks, stones, or concrete blocks, held together by mortar. These materials offer both aesthetic and structural benefits. Variations in masonry include brickwork, stonework, and blockwork, each with its unique visual appeal and strength.
Stairs and vertical circulation describe the systems that allow people to move safely and efficiently between different levels of a building. More than just functional elements, they shape how people experience entry, transition, and flow through a space.
Building Services refers to the hidden but essential systems that make buildings safe, comfortable, and usable. They include the air ducts that circulate fresh air, the HVAC systems that provide heating and cooling, the plumbing and pipe fittings that supply clean water, and the vents for airflow.
Accessory structures are small, freestanding buildings that serve specific, often secondary, functions. They can range from bus stops providing shelter for passengers, sheds offering storage, pavilions serving as gathering places, to temporary structures for events or construction.
Site elements are the constructed features that shape the immediate surroundings of a building, guiding how people and vehicles move, enter, and interact with a property. They include curbs and edging that define boundaries, sidewalks and walkways that create safe pedestrian routes, and driveways.
