Glossary

Architecture, in plain English

What is an elevation? What are construction drawings for? How does insulation differ from waterproofing? Explore the terms you may encounter when buying a plot, designing your home or following the progress of a building project.

At Escala Absoluta, we want you to understand every decision that shapes your project.

60 terms

A

Accessibility: The features that allow people to use a space safely and independently, including those with limited mobility. These include entrances, circulation routes, stairs, ramps and sanitary facilities.
Architectural design: The drawings and documents that define the layout and form of a building. They bring together the client's needs, the site, construction choices and applicable requirements.

B

BIM: Short for Building Information Modelling. A way of working with digital models that contain information about a building. It supports coordination between architecture and engineering disciplines and helps organise information throughout design and construction.
Bioclimatic architecture: An approach to design that responds to the climate, solar orientation and local conditions to improve comfort and reduce energy needs. It may use shading, natural ventilation and winter solar gains.
Building contract: An agreement under which a contractor carries out construction work for the client. It should define the included works, price, programme and responsibilities. The Portuguese term empreitada refers to this arrangement and the contracted works.
Building envelope: The elements separating the inside of a building from the outdoors or from spaces with different environmental conditions. These include walls, roofs, floors, doors and windows, all of which influence thermal performance.
Building rehabilitation: Work to an existing building to restore or improve its usability, safety and comfort. It may preserve elements of architectural value while adapting the building to new needs.
Building siting: The positioning of a building on its plot. It establishes the relationship with property boundaries, access routes, solar orientation and surrounding buildings.

C

Ceiling height: The vertical distance between the floor and the ceiling of a space. It affects the sense of spaciousness and should be considered alongside the room's use and applicable requirements.
Concept design: An early design stage that explores an architectural solution based on the client's needs, the site and the identified constraints. It provides a basis for discussing the layout, building form and position on the plot. In Portuguese project documentation, this is commonly called the estudo prévio.
Controlled mechanical ventilation: A system that uses mechanical equipment to renew indoor air. Some systems include heat recovery to reduce the energy losses associated with ventilation. In Portuguese, the term is ventilação mecânica controlada, abbreviated to VMC.
Cross ventilation: Natural air movement through openings in different parts of a building. Its effectiveness depends on the location of the openings, wind conditions and the available airflow path.

D

Design brief: A statement of the needs the project should address, including spaces, uses, relationships between rooms and the client's priorities. It is a starting point for designing a home around the people who will live in it.
Design coordination: Checking that the architectural design and engineering designs work together. It helps identify clashes, such as a ventilation duct crossing a structural beam, before construction begins.
Design statement: A written document explaining the proposal, the design choices and the reasoning behind them. It complements the drawings and helps readers understand the proposed solution. The Portuguese term is memória descritiva e justificativa.
Detailed design and construction documentation: The detailed development of the solutions needed to construct a building. It includes drawings and specifications that make the work clearer to price and build. In Portuguese project documentation, this is called the projeto de execução.
Developed design: A stage in which the architectural proposal is refined, bringing together the layout, dimensions and main construction choices. The precise scope of this stage depends on the agreed services. In Portuguese project documentation, this is commonly called the anteprojeto.
Development feasibility: An assessment of what can be built or altered on a property, considering planning policies, constraints and the site's characteristics. Plot size alone does not determine how much can be built.
Dimension and level annotations: Numerical information on a drawing that indicates sizes or heights. Examples include the width of a room or the height of a floor relative to a reference point. The Portuguese word cota can refer to either type of annotation.
Double glazing: Two panes of glass separated by a sealed cavity containing air or gas. Thermal and acoustic performance depend on the glazing specification, the frame and the installation.
Drainage: Systems that collect and direct water, including rainwater and water in the ground. Appropriate drainage helps prevent water from accumulating around a building.

E

Elevation: A drawing showing one face of a building viewed straight on. It illustrates the arrangement of the façade, doors, windows, materials and heights.
Engineering designs: Technical designs that complement the architecture, including structures, water supply, drainage, electrical installations and HVAC. The disciplines required depend on the project and applicable requirements. In Portuguese, these are collectively called projetos de especialidades.
External wall insulation: An insulation system applied to the outside of a building, commonly known in Portugal as capoto. ETICS stands for External Thermal Insulation Composite System. Its layers, from the insulation to the final finish, must work together as a complete system.
External works: Work to the outdoor areas of a property, including access routes, paths, paving, planted areas, walls and drainage. These elements connect the building to its site.

F

Façade: An external face of a building. Its walls, openings, finishes and other elements contribute to both its architectural character and the protection of the interior.
Finishes schedule: A document identifying the materials and finishes specified for each space or element. It may list floor finishes, wall coverings and ceiling finishes, for example.
Floor plan: A drawing showing the layout of a space through a horizontal section. It illustrates the relationship between rooms, walls, doors, windows and circulation routes.
Foundations: Structural elements that transfer the building's loads to the ground. The appropriate solution depends on the ground conditions and the structure being built.

G

Geotechnical investigation: An investigation of the soil and ground conditions beneath a site. It provides important information for the design of foundations, retaining structures and other elements in contact with the ground.
Guarding: A protective barrier at places where there is a risk of falling, such as stairs, balconies and terraces. Its design and materials need to combine safety with the architectural approach.

H

HVAC: Short for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. These systems help control indoor temperature and air quality. The Portuguese equivalent is AVAC.

M

Masonry: Construction using units such as bricks, blocks or stone, usually bonded with mortar. Depending on the design, masonry can form partition walls or loadbearing walls.
Massing: The three-dimensional form of a building, defined by its volumes, heights and proportions. It helps explain how the building occupies its site and relates to its surroundings.
Measured building survey: A record of the dimensions and features of an existing building. It provides a basis for designing alterations, extensions or refurbishment work.
Mezzanine: An intermediate floor occupying part of the height and area of a larger space. Its construction and planning implications need to be assessed as part of the project.

O

Opening and span: An opening is a gap in a wall, such as a doorway or window opening. In structural design, a span is the distance between supports. The Portuguese word vão can mean either, depending on the context.

P

Pergola: An outdoor structure with upright supports and overhead members that can support climbing plants or shading devices. Its design and any covering determine the protection it provides.
PIP: A Portuguese procedure for requesting a municipal assessment of whether a proposed development is feasible and what conditions apply. It can help clarify a site's potential before the project is developed, within the scope of the proposal actually assessed. The Portuguese name and abbreviation are retained because this is a specific local planning procedure.
Property type: A Portuguese housing classification indicating the number of bedrooms. A T3 has three bedrooms; the classification alone does not indicate the size of the home.

R

Reinforced concrete: A material combining concrete with steel reinforcement. It is used in structural elements such as foundations, columns, beams and slabs.
Render: An image produced from a digital model to visualise a proposed design. It helps communicate form, materials and lighting, although the completed building will depend on the products and solutions actually installed.
Roof: The upper part of a building that protects it from the weather. A roof may be pitched or flat, although a flat roof still requires falls to allow water to drain.
Rooflight: A glazed opening in a roof that brings natural light into the building. Depending on the design, it may also provide ventilation. Also commonly called a skylight.

S

Scale: The relationship between a measurement on a drawing and its actual size. At a scale of 1:100, one centimetre on the drawing represents one metre in reality, provided the drawing is displayed or printed at its intended size.
Schedule of quantities: A document listing the planned construction work and its measured quantities, such as square metres of flooring or metres of skirting. It supports the preparation and comparison of quotations; prices are additional information. In Portuguese, it is commonly called a mapa de quantidades or mapa de medições.
Section: A drawing showing a building as if it had been sliced through vertically. It helps explain heights, stairs, floor levels and the relationship between internal spaces and the ground outside.
Slab: A generally flat structural element that can form a floor or roof. It transfers loads to its supporting elements according to the structural design.
Solar orientation: The position of a building and its spaces in relation to the sun's path. It influences daylight, solar heat gains and shading requirements throughout the year.
Solar shading: The control of direct sunlight using elements such as overhangs, external blinds, pergolas or planting. It helps reduce overheating and improve visual comfort.
Sound insulation: Measures that reduce the transmission of noise between spaces or between the outdoors and indoors. Performance depends on the complete construction and its junctions, rather than on a single material.
Specification: A document setting out the technical requirements for construction work, materials and workmanship. It clarifies the expected quality and helps contractors price the same requirements. In Portuguese project documentation, this is referred to as the caderno de encargos.
Suspended ceiling: A ceiling installed below the structural floor or roof above. It can incorporate lighting, conceal services and contribute to acoustic or thermal performance, depending on its construction.

T

Thermal bridge: A part of a building where heat passes through more readily than through the surrounding areas. It can increase heat loss and contribute to cold surfaces and condensation.
Thermal insulation: Materials and construction solutions that reduce heat transfer through a building. They improve comfort and help reduce heating and cooling needs.
Thermal mass: The ability of building materials to absorb, store and release heat over time. Used alongside insulation, shading and ventilation, it can help moderate changes in indoor temperature.
Threshold: The element at the base of a doorway, forming the transition between spaces. At external doors, its design needs to bring together accessibility, weather resistance and drainage.
Topographical survey: A representation of a site's physical features, including levels, landform and existing elements. It supports decisions about building siting, access and earthworks. On its own, it does not establish legal property boundaries.

W

Waterproofing: Materials and construction details that prevent unwanted water penetration. Waterproofing is particularly important on roofs and terraces, in wet areas and where building elements are in contact with the ground.
Window and glazed door frames: The profiles that form the frame of a window or glazed door. Together with the glazing, fittings and installation, they influence insulation, weather resistance and durability.

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