Thread by @culturaltutor

A guide to the vocabulary of classical architecture:

The parts of a column:

The entablature is what rests on top of a column.

Here are its different parts:

And here are the Classical Orders

An "order" refers to the design, shape, and proportion of a column and its entablature:

Flutes

The decorative notches running along the length of some columns

Volutes

The distinctive swirls of Ionic capitals

Pediment

The triangular gable which rests on the entablature

(You also get them above doors and windows)

Tympanum

The inside part of the pediment, often decorated with sculptures and paintings

Portico

An porch supported by columns

Colonnade

Any series of columns, whether part of a building or standalone

Intercolumniation

The spacing between columns, defined as a multiple of the columns' diameter. Proportion is vital in classical architecture.

Such pycnostyle (1.5 diameters) or diastyle (3 diameters).

Crepidoma

The platform on which the main structure rests. Each layer is smaller than the one below, thus forming steps.

The lower layers are called stereobates. The highest is called the stylobate.

The number of columns in the portico of a classical building has its own name.

Tetrastyle (4) e.g. north facade of the White House
Hexastyle (6) e.g. Temple of Concord (below)
Octastyle (8) e.g. the Parthenon
Decastyle (10) e.g. University College London

Cella: the internal, main area of a temple

Pronaos: the entrance part

Pilaster

A purely decorative column which is in "two dimensions" so to speak

Dentils

Those small decorative supports that look like teeth running along the bottom of a cornice

Superimposed Order

When two or more orders are placed above one another in a building

Attic Story

An additional element between the entablature and the pediment (if there is one at all) usually used for decorative purposes

Aedicule

A small recess with its own columns and pediment.

Acroterion

Decorative element at the corners or top of a pediment

Triglyphs are the three-banded clusters along the frieze in a Doric order.

And metopes are the empty spaces between, usually used for sculptures and decoration.

That's probably enough for now.

This has covered some of the fundamentals of classical (and therefore also of neoclassical) architecture.

Look out for these elements in future.

Knowing what things are called is the first step to understanding them better.

Indeed, in a very simple way, being able to point out a pediment rather than "that triangular bit" allows you to engage much more deeply with a building.

And it brings architecture to life.