C as in Czarchitect

CA ⟨si: eɪ⟩
document Construction administration; the fifth and final phase of standardized projects where the architect resolves issues that arise in the building process.

Came ⟨keɪm⟩
element A metal strip that holds glass in place, typically found in ornamental pane arrangements and stained glassworks; a bent metal muntin.

Camera obscura ⟨'kæməɹə ɑb'skjʊɹə⟩
place A room with a single, very small window whose view of the outside projects on the otherwise dark walls, similar to the workings of a pinhole camera.

Campanile ⟨kæmpə'nileɪ⟩
element A freestanding bell tower.

Canon ⟨'kænɪn⟩
concept A group of people or works caught in an endless cycle of being taught, each time more importantly than the last because, well, look at how many people have learned them already — they're now the basis for discourses that have been reframed around them and their works.

document Persons and places generally thought to be good.

Cantilever ⟨'kæntɪlivəɹ⟩
enforcement A projection into space supported at only one end; a measure of how cool a building is.

Carbon neutral ⟨'kɑɹbən 'nu:tʃɹəl⟩
concept Planting a bunch of trees to offset otherwise unsustainable practices.

Carrel ⟨'kæɹəl⟩
equipment A semi-enclosed desk often found in libraries.

Cartouche ⟨kɑɹ'tuʃ⟩
embellishment An oval ornament.

Caryatid ⟨keri'ætɪd⟩
embellishment Perpetuating the boy's club of architecture by objectifying women as columns.

Casing ⟨'keɪsɪŋ⟩
embellishment Trim found around doors, windows or other openings.

Catenary ⟨'kætənɛɹi⟩
enforcement Of an arch, having a parabola-like form, as a string attached at both ends dips under gravity's influence.

Cathexis ⟨kə'θɛksɪs⟩
concept The almost monomaniacal investment of personal expression into an object.

Cavity wall ⟨'kævɪti wɔl⟩
enforcement A masonry partition with an air gap between its wythes.

CD ⟨si: di:⟩
document Construction documentation; the fourth phase of standardized projects where the architect coordinates and details the last building elements necessary for a contractor to build.

document Concept design (rarely, often just Concept); the zeroth phase of standardized projects where the architect works with the client to understand what exactly the building needs or wants to be.

Ceiling ⟨'si:lɪŋ⟩
element The upper plane of a room.

concept A theoretical maximum; a numeral deadline.

Ceiling fan ⟨'si:lɪŋ fæn⟩
equipment

- Editor

Cellar ⟨'sɛləɹ⟩
place An underground building level typically used for storage whose ceiling (per some zoning codes) is not more than four feet above grade.

Cenotaph ⟨'sɛnətæf⟩
place A memorial to the deceased that does not house their remains.

Chair rail ⟨tʃɛɹ ɹeɪl⟩
measure A strip of moulding at furniture height; the upper terminal of wainscoting.

Chaise longue ⟨ʃeɪs lɔŋ⟩
equipment What are you doing sitting down? You should be horizontal now.*

* Wet Leg.

Chaise lounge ⟨ʃeɪs laʊndʒ⟩
equipment An elongated chair for reclining; a bastardized combination of the French 'chair' and the English 'relax' (a letter swap away from the French 'long').

Chalet ⟨ʃæ'leɪ⟩
place A house in the mountains with large eaves.

Chalkline ⟨'tʃɔklaɪn⟩
material + method Marks outlining the partition locations on site to verify wall locations on a floor prior to building them.

Chamfer ⟨'tʃæmfəɹ⟩
action To ease a corner with a straight angle cut.

Change order ⟨tʃeɪndʒ  'ɔɹdəɹ⟩
document A request for additional funds made by the contractor during construction, typically due to unforeseen conditions or changes to the design as bid.

Character ⟨'kæɹɪktəɹ⟩
concept The amalgamation of a building's unique qualities and components that make it appreciable in its own right; what ugly or peculiar buildings often have a lot of.

Charrette ⟨ʃə'ɹɛt⟩
action A short, group design meeting.

Chigi ⟨tɕigi⟩
embellishment Forked finials that follow the slope of the roof.

Chimney ⟨'tʃɪmni:⟩
element A vertical shaft that takes smoke out of a building.

person One who takes frequent cigarette breaks from studio.

Chinoiserie ⟨ʃɪn'waːzɛʁi⟩
category A colonial European aesthetic derived from their perception of Chinese (or often just vaguely East Asian) aesthetics.

Cincture ⟨'sɪŋktʃəɹ⟩
embellishment The band at the base of a column immediately below the shaft.

Circulation ⟨səɹkju:'leɪʃən⟩
consideration Movement through space.

City ⟨'sɪti⟩
place When a lot of people build a lot of buildings in not a lot of space and then a lot of things happen there.

Cladding ⟨klæ'dɪŋ⟩
material + method Non-structural elements applied to the exterior of a building.

Classical ⟨klæsɪ'kʌl⟩
category Refined and established, typically in historic traditions or pedagogies.

consideration Of a method or course of study, having built an understanding through precedents and proportions.

Client ⟨klaɪɛnt⟩
person Without them, every project would be as cool as those crazy unbuilt ones.

Cloister ⟨'klɔɪstəɹ⟩
element An arcade around a courtyard.

Close in ⟨kloʊs ɪn⟩
action To complete mechanical, electrical, plumbing and other work that will be hidden inside walls for code review.

CNC ⟨si: ɛn si:⟩
material + method Computer numerical control; of a router (a machine that cuts and shapes materials placed in it), computer-controlled for precision work.

Coffer ⟨'kɑfəɹ⟩
embellishment A recessed panel often found in fancy ceilings.

Cogging ⟨'kɑgɪŋ⟩
embellishment A row of bricks placed at a diagonal to create texture and shadow on a wall.

Collage ⟨kə'lɑʒ⟩
rep tech An image composed from pieces of other images.

Colonnade ⟨kɑlə'neɪd⟩
element A series of columns; a very large banister.

Column ⟨'koləm⟩
enforcement A pillar that typically supports structure above.

Columbarium ⟨kol'əmbɛɹiəm⟩
place A building in which the cremated remains of the deceased are stored.

Comforting ⟨'kʌmfəɹtɪŋ⟩
concept Familiar and ambiguous; not interesting, but also not boring or confusing.

Commons ⟨kɑməns⟩
place A centrally-located shared space, typically one with resources or amenities.

Complexity ⟨kʌm'plɛksɪti⟩
concept I tasked myself with rereading this duo (see Contradiction), but never made time during this entry, so there will be no clean, straightforward, articulate, interesting, designed, excluding, simple, direct or clear definition.

Concept ⟨'kɑnsɛpt⟩
concept* The big idea behind a project; according to some, what makes architecture 'architecture' and not just a building.

* I know, I know.

Concrete ⟨kɑŋ'kɹi:t⟩
material + method A versatile material made by bonding an aggregate (such as sand or gravel) with cement (or other sticky substances like asphalt), typically poured into moulds to cure.

category Not abstract; real.

Confluence ⟨kɑn'flu:ɛns⟩
concept When many things come together without necessarily juxtaposing or reinforcing each other.

Confusing ⟨kən'fju:zɪŋ⟩
concept Unfamiliar and ambiguous; not interesting, but also not boring or comforting.

Congestion ⟨'kəndʒɛstdʒən⟩
concept A phenomenon of occupant density in space that provides the rich heterogeneity of city life and the likes.

Contemporary ⟨kən'tɛmpoɹɛɹi:⟩
category Pertaining to the current era (until it no longer does, as how Modern is no longer modern); in architecture, exhibiting qualities that comprise the early 21st-century zeitgeist (e.g. parametric, neoneoclassical, eidetic, green).

Content ⟨'kɑntɛnt⟩
concept What goes in a form, or what a form goes around, or maybe the two don't really have anything to do with each other.

document A consumable creation; this.

Contractor ⟨'kɑntɹæktəɹ⟩
person Who actually builds the building.

Contradiction ⟨kɑntɹə'dɪkʃən⟩
concept A stolen string of adjectives (see Complexity) makes for an obvious unity — proclaim the duality!*

* Scott Brown's husband.

Construct ⟨kən'stɹʌkt⟩
action Build.

⟨'kɑnstɹʌkt⟩
concept A devised way of thinking; creating a category.

Coping ⟨'koʊpɪŋ⟩
element The cap piece at the top of a wall, typically to prevent water infiltration.

action The Fascisms of Difference in the Post-truth University or The Gonzo Ethnography of Academic Authority.*

* Zaera-Polo.

Corbel ⟨'koɹbəl⟩
embellishment A support that projects from a wall; a solid bracket.

material + method To stack materials (such as masonry) with a slight offset to achieve a cantilever or an arch.

Corbusian ⟨'koɹbu:ziən⟩
category Relating to the work or ideology of Le Corbusier; having the basic points of: pilotis, ribbon window, occupiable roof, free plan and facade.

Corian ⟨'koɹiən⟩
material + method A solid surface material (i.e. an acrylic compound) typically used to create seamless countertops.

Corner problem ⟨'koɹnəɹ 'pɹɑblɛm⟩
consideration A common difficulty found when resolving a two-dimensional design (of a facade, say) at the moments it turns into the third dimension.

concept An addiction to where planes meet at an angle.

e.g. Hadid has a problem with corners; Libeskind has a corner problem.

Cornice ⟨'kɔɹnɪs⟩
embellishment The uppermost part of an entablature above the architrave and frieze; moulding along the top of a surface (e.g. where a wall turns to a roof/ceiling, a fascia to a soffit, a window to a header: see Pelmet).

Cottage ⟨'kɔtɪdʒ⟩
place A small, cozy house typically with a garden.

equipment Of a double-hung window, having uneven sashes so that the lower sash is taller than the upper sash.

Counter height ⟨'kaʊntəɹ haɪt⟩
measure Approximately 36 inches / 100 cm.

Countryside ⟨'kʌntɹisaɪd⟩
place Open, rural areas beside, between and opposed to urban developments; the future.*

* Koolhaas.

Courtyard ⟨'kɔɹtjaɹd⟩
place An exterior space on the interior of a building; an open space with walls around it.

category A building arranged around an open, central space.

Craftsmanship ⟨'kɹæftsmɛnsʃɪp⟩
concept The joy and technical proficiency of doing something by hand; the joy of taking in something done by hand.

Crenel ⟨'krɛnəl⟩
embellishment An indentation in a parapet like those found on Medieval castles.

Crenellated ⟨'krɛnəleɪtɪd⟩
category Zig-zagged like a castle parapet; of a wall, having regular voids (crenels) along its top for defense or aesthetics.

Crit ⟨kɹɪt⟩
action A typically academic review of a design project where the designer presents and defends their work before a professor and the professor's assembled colleagues.

Critic ⟨'kɹɪtɪk⟩
person Someone who assesses a building or other work through any number of lenses in order to determine its successes and shortcomings.

Criticism ⟨'kɹɪtɪsɪsm⟩
document Part of the thinking architecture trinity with History and Theory.

Critique ⟨'kɹɪti:k⟩
document Criticism from within; empathic deconstruction, rather than the often othering approach of criticizing.

Crown moulding ⟨kɹaʊn 'moʊldɪŋ⟩
embellishment Decorative trim along the top of a wall where it meets a ceiling; see Cornice.

Cruciform ⟨'kɹusɪfɔɹm⟩
category Bearing the shape of a cross; the typical form of a plan of a church.

Curate ⟨kjʊ'ɹeɪt⟩
action To selectively collect a group of existing things, often with a theme or standard in mind.

Curtain wall ⟨'kɛɹtɪn wɔl⟩
element A non-structural exterior partition often made of glass panels.

Czarchitect ⟨'tzɑɹkɪtɛkt⟩
person A type of architect who — unlike the starchitect who builds by popular demand — demands the populous to build.