In architecture, a stoop is a porch with steps at the entrance of a building. Since stoops are typically found in front of houses or apartment buildings, they act as an informal public space. Stoops are a great example of architecture playing an important cultural role.

A spire is the ornamental tip of a tower. Though they are typically associated with Gothic architecture and other older styles, spires are still used in contemporary buildings, especially skyscrapers.

Solar gain is the amount of sunlight that enters a building or hits a material. It is an important consideration in architecture because sunlight brings in natural light, but it also heats the building. Minimizing solar gain is often necessary to improve the cooling of a building.

In architecture, a setback is when a building is recessed back. This could refer to a setback on street level for a lawn or plaza between the building and the sidewalk. A setback could also refer to when a portion of a building is setback from the level below it. Many NYC towers include setbacks as they grow taller.

A section is an important architectural drawing that allows us to cut through a building and see what it looks like inside. This drawing is important because it allows us a view what we could never have seen in real life and it allows us to understand the relationship between different programs.

In architecture, a screen is a façade element that is often partially transparent or porous. Screens can be a masonry wall of a special masonry unit, a rain screen system, or a similar screen-like system.

Romanesque architecture is a historic style popular for a range of time in medieval Europe. The style is similar to Roman and Byzantine architecture and features characteristics of both, including round arches, groin vaults, and plenty of art and sculpture.

A rib vault is a type of vault made up of crossed diagonal arches that look like ribs. Rib vaults are extremely popular structural ideas found throughout many styles.

Renaissance architecture was the design style of a period of European revival. Much of the style was inspired by Classical architecture. The characteristics of Renaissance architecture focused on proportions in the search for perfect beauty. They studied the human body in comparison to buildings and attempted to create a perfect work through integration of architecture, art, and sculpture.

Rectilinear designs are made up of mostly straight lines and right angles. It is often understood as the opposite of curvilinear which is also defined on this list.