Curvilinear architecture includes curved lines. It is often understood as the opposite of rectilinear which is also defined on this list.
Cruciform means taking the form of a cross. This is a common term in architecture because many buildings—especially cathedrals and churches—are designed with cruciform floor plans.
The Corinthian order is one of three classical orders in Ancient Greek and Roman architecture. It is the most elaborate of all three orders and was the last developed. The orders are easiest to distinguish by the ornamentation found in the column heads.
In architecture, a core is a vertical void in a building that can serve a few different purposes. A circulation core is the vertical grouping of an elevator, stair, or pair of the two. A core can also refer to a service core that is vertically continuous throughout the building. If you look at a series of floor plans of a building, you may be able to spot the core by finding the continuous program at the same spot on each floor—for example, the size and location of the stairs should generally stay the same for many levels.
Corbusian is an adjective used to describe architecture of the same style of Le Corbusier. Le Corbusier was the popular name for Swiss architect Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, one of the most famous architects to ever live. His modernist style was based on ideas of functionalism and some ideas that follow this logic are sometimes referred to as Corbusian.
A cornice is the finished edge of the roof where it meets the exterior wall, of varying sizes, sometime plain, but often decorative and marked by brackets, dentils, medalions or some other decorative feature.
A decorative use of brick atop the windows, walls or chimney or to create the shape of a bracket or dentil at the top of a building beneath the cornice.
The capping at the top of a wall for protection from weather elements.
In architecture, context refers to the area around an architectural project. It is an important idea to understand because many architects believe that their buildings should fit well into the context. “Context plans” is a site plan that shows the larger area—or context—surrounding a project.
Context can also refer to the conceptual related areas instead of a physical place. For example, someone might talk about a building’s relationship to historical context.
Contemporary architecture is one of the hardest styles of architecture to define. Unlike other movements like modernism, the 21st century does not have one particular style that is consistent with most new projects. Some examples of contemporary architecture are postmodern others are futurist, and still many others are a combination of different styles.
