F as in Formal

Facade ⟨fə'sɑd⟩
element Frances admired what could be seen of the nearby buildings. Their street faces smiled, but their public presences—at least from this viewpoint—formed a front impenetrable to the foreigner's eyes. Cute neighborhood, thought Frances, but where the F is it?

Facadectomy ⟨fəsɑ'dɛktəmi:⟩
concept As Frances neared giving up, one of the buildings spoke. Its face was no different than its neighbours'; something inside it had changed. I can preserve the character, it said, but I will not preserve this defunct way, your lost. You're lost.

Faceplate ⟨'feɪspleɪt⟩
equipment Although they masked the unfinished elements inside, the fronts still outlined whatever systems informed their placement. Their style could match any character, but Frances could follow their function, not just their form.

Faciality ⟨feɪʃi'ælɪti:⟩
concept When Frances looked around again, the neighborhood was significantly more recognizeable. The buildings were no longer blank walls in a landscape, but facades whose windows—previously just black holes—looked back and projected possibilities.

Facility ⟨fə'sɪləteɪt⟩
place I want to get home, Frances said, but I'm having a hard time finding my way. The building could help make it easier. It didn't necessarily want Frances to leave, but it had all the necessary tools and talents to guide the process.

e.g. After receiving the building's help, Frances felt almost ready to set out, but first a trip to the facilities. Frances didn't want to have to stop again along the way.

Factory ⟨'fæktɔɹi⟩
place A building whose primary purspose to house and streamline production.

FAIA ⟨ɛf eɪ aɪ eɪ⟩
person Fellow of the American Institute of Architects; a post-nominal given to due-payers of significance.

False ⟨fɑls⟩
category Of a ceiling (or occasionally floor), dropped (or elevated) from the structural slab to accommodate and hide MEP systems.

Fanlight ⟨fænlaɪt⟩
element A half-circle window above a door.

FAR ⟨ɛf eɪ ɑɹ⟩
measure Floor area ratio; the amount of allowable interior space based on the overall lot size as determined by local zoning regulations.

Fascia ⟨'fæʃə⟩
element Across the facades, Frances read horizontal bands. Some were at the ridgeline, along the exposed edges of eaves. Others marched above openings, forming architraves and providing space for signage. Frances, whereabouts restablished, traversed.

Fascism ⟨'fæʃɪsm⟩
category Taking the third path at an intersection, Frances came to an area where the buildings lacked fascia. The buildings with fascia were better, Frances thought, this other kind should not be allowed to exist. Desperate and despotic, Frances went back.

Fastigium ⟨fæs'tɪdʒiəm⟩
embellishment See pediment.

Faucet ⟨'fɑsɪt⟩
equipment An spout for clean water at a sink.

Femerell ⟨'fɛməɹəl⟩
equipment An overhead outlet for smoke; a vent in a roof.

Fenestral ⟨'fɛnəstɹəl⟩
element A window whose glazing is paper.

Fenestration ⟨fɛnə'stɹeɪʃən⟩
element A hole in a wall; a window.

Feng Shui ⟨fəŋ ʂuǐ⟩
consideration Things came back together, harmoniously making sense in space, everything as one. Frances, relying on the mountains and wrapped by the river, felt the energy of life, which could show the path to understanding what the F was going on.

Ferme ornée ⟨'fɛʁme ɔʁ'ne⟩
place This is literally an ornamental farm, Frances thought, strolling along as though in a garden estate, stumbling upon architectural follies. This path was for fancy, not function.

Ferrocement ⟨'fɛɹoʊsəmɛnt⟩
material + method Frances meditated on this duality; on how to make unusual forms function. It helps when parts work together, like how steel and concrete are structurally and thermally complementary.

Festoon ⟨'fɛstu:n⟩
embellishment Garlands hung from the buildings, and Frances saw the fun in it all. Definitive voyages could be exhausting, so why not take time to stop and smell the stone-carved flowers?

FF&E ⟨ɛf ɛf ɛn i:⟩
document Furniture, fixtures and equipment; as Frances walked farther, stores along the street displayed tables & chairs, faucets & lights, really any impermanent object one might specify to put in a building. A shopping list grew in Frances' mind.

Fillet ⟨'fɪlɪt⟩
material + method Frances came to a junction. It sounded like a regular street corner, but it meant more. Sealant ran along the buildings where their vertical surfaces sat on horizontal surfaces, but they did not stop the leaks between the junction's contexts.

rep tech When Frances looked another way, the streets eased together, as if they were drawn with a variable radius at the corner. The curbs, too, had softened edges. Maybe, Frances thought, this junction was all about how to form corners, whether waterproofing or simply rounding.

embellishment But then Frances noticed thin, flat bands of moulding: between column flutes, within more complex moulding groups, separating different materials. These weren't corners at all, Frances realized, but emphasized moments where two surfaces appeared to come together.

Finial ⟨'fɪniəl⟩
embellishment Looking up, Frances saw stories where something shorter would be expected. This is turning into a tall tale, Frances thought, how will it end? At last, at the very top, small decorative spires finished the masses below into the air.

Finish ⟨'fɪnɪʃ⟩
material + method The surface was smooth with an eggshell sheen and no visible blemishes. Frances ran a hand along it, savoring the quality of a material designed to be exposed. Then Frances climbed onto it, and took a nap. What better spot to F off than here?

Five-over-One ⟨faɪv 'oʊvəɹ wʌn⟩
place A mid-rise multi-family building whose upper levels are wood-framed and sit on a non-residential, concrete podium.

Fixture ⟨'fɪkstʃəɹ⟩
equipment An object, typically related to lighting or plumbing, that is installed in a building.

Flashing ⟨'flæʃɪŋ⟩
element A strip of waterproof material (conventionally metal, but often a rubber, plastic or paper product) installed at interior roof corners, around openings or in any other location where water penetration is likely.

Flatpack ⟨'flætpæk⟩
material + method Comprised of panels and sticks when in a packaged, dissembled state.

e.g. Although flat-packed furniture from stores like Ikea is probably thrown out more than unbuilt, returning it to its native state allows for the flatpacking of a home ahead of a move.

Flemish bond ⟨'flɛmɪʃ bɑnd⟩
material + method A brick pattern of alternating stretchers (long side) and headers (short side) along each course as well as stacked vertically.

Fleuron ⟨'flœʁɔn⟩
embellishment An ornament in the shape of a flower; sometimes a synonym for finial.

Flight ⟨flʌɪt⟩
element A continuous set of steps between two floors or landings.

Flip ⟨flɪp⟩
action To purchase real estate and make improvements to it with the intent to resell it for profit.

e.g. The gentrifier flipped a house
To rent or whate'er they could.
The geriatric flipped out:
There went their neighborhood.

Floriated ⟨'flɔɹietɪd⟩
embellishment Having ornamental flower motifs.

Flue ⟨flu:⟩
equipment A passage for exhaust air to leave a building, often found in chimneys or above boilers.

Flute ⟨flut⟩
embellishment A channel (typically one of many) that runs along the length of a column.

Flying buttress ⟨'flaɪjɪŋ 'bʌtɹɛs⟩
enforcement An external structure (typically half an arch) that redirects a building's lateral loads to the ground.

Flying eave ⟨'flaɪjɪŋ i:v⟩
embellishment An upturned edge or corner on a roof that redirects rainwater and brings in more daylight.

Foamcore ⟨'foʊmkɔɹ⟩
material + method A sheet product made up of paper-clad polystyrene, typically used to make models.

Folly ⟨'fɑli⟩
place A decorative structure with no purpose other than to look nice within its landscape.

Footing ⟨'fʊtɪŋ⟩
enforcement A type of foundation upon which load-bearing walls and columns sit.

Form ⟨fɔɹm⟩
consideration The appearance a creative work takes, which may follow function,* beauty,** profit,*** itself,**** or something else entirely.

* Sullivan.

** Niemeyer.

*** Rogers.

**** Johnson.

Form-finding ⟨fɔɹm 'faɪndɪŋ⟩
action The process of developing or discovering how an idea manifests, particularly in regards to its appearance; of an exercise, allowing easy iterations of massing, etc.

e.g. Following many monotonous definitions, Frances began a form-finding trip through F. It ultimately led back to the original found-form, but the experiment nevertheless firmed up the intent and possible expressions of Glossary.

Formal ⟨'fɔɹməl⟩
category Focussed primarily on a creation's appearance, especially in the development of novel appearances, often without regard to other factors such as the creation's context.

Formermüdung ⟨'fɔʁmɛmy:dʊŋ⟩
concept Literally form-fatigue; how people grow tired of particular styles as they become more common.*

* Göller.

Formwork ⟨'fɔɹmwɛɹk⟩
material + method A mold in which concrete is cast.

Forum ⟨'fɔɹəm⟩
place A public gathering space where people exchange ideas; funny things happen on the way there.

Foundation ⟨faʊn'deɪʃən⟩
enforcement A structural base; where building loads are distributed to the ground.

place An institution that preserves the legacy of an architect or ideology.

Fountainhead ⟨'faʊntɪnhɛd⟩
document The source of ideas.

e.g. The architect designed an original work of genius after reading The Fountainhead.

Foyer ⟨'fɔɪjeɪ⟩
place An entryway to a public building; where hotel guests wait to be shown to their room.

⟨'fɔɪjɛɹ⟩
place An entry in a private building; where house guests wait to be shown to another room.

Frank Lloyd Wright ⟨fɹæŋk lɔɪd ɹaɪt⟩
person Truly one of the starchitects.

French ⟨fɹɛntʃ⟩
element Of a door, a double door that is fully lited (i.e. made up of glass panes); of a drain, a permeable subterranean tube in a gravel trench.

Fresco ⟨'fɹɛskoʊ⟩
embellishment A painting technique where pigment is incorporated into plaster as it dries on a wall.

Fret ⟨fɹɛt⟩
embellishment A horizontal band of a line-based ornamental pattern such as a meander.

Frieze ⟨fɹi:z⟩
embellishment A horizontal band of sculpture- or paint-based ornament; the middle part of an entablature above the architrave and below the cornice.

Frigidarium ⟨fɹɪdʒɪ'dɛɹiəm⟩
place A large bathing pool of cold water.

Frontispiece ⟨'fɹʌntɪspi:s⟩
embellishment The primary facade of a building, compositionally speaking.

Fronton ⟨'fɹʌntɔn⟩
embellishment See pediment.

Frozen music ⟨'fɹoʊzɛn 'mju:zɪk⟩
concept See architecture;* alternately, let it go.**

* Goethe.

** Menzel.

Frustum ⟨'fɹʌstəm⟩
measure A truncated pyramid, cone or other tapered solid.

FtF ⟨flɔɹ tu: flɔɹ⟩
measure Floor-to-floor; the distance between one level of a building and the next; not to be confused with ceiling height.

Fukiishi ⟨ɸɯki:ɕi⟩
material + method Literally roofing stone; an ancient masonry technique typically used for burial mounds.

Fuller ⟨'fʌləɹ⟩
person One of the few architects generally thought to be cool.

Function ⟨'fʌŋ(k)ʃɪn⟩
consideration A specified performance; an operational evaluation; see utilitas, program.

Furniture ⟨'fʌɹnɪtʃɛɹ⟩
equipment Movable objects that define space in a room.

Furring ⟨'fʌɹɪŋ⟩
material + method Additional framing that thickens, strengthens or stabilizes a wall or ceiling.

Fusuma ⟨ɸɯsɯma⟩
element A sliding panel as part of a configurable wall system.