D as in Duck

Dacha ⟨'datɕə⟩
place A second, country house of a primarily city dweller.

Dada ⟨'dɑdɑ⟩
category Nonsense, artistically considered.

Dado ⟨'deɪdoʊ⟩
material + method A groove used to join boards in carpentry.

embellishment The lower portion of a wall between the base and chair rail; where wainscoting might be.

Dais ⟨'deɪəs⟩
place A raised platform at the end of a space where someone of importance might sit or stand.

Dashboard ⟨'dæʃbɔɹd⟩
measure A display of informational gauges; a non-interactive interface.

Datum ⟨'deɪtəm⟩
measure A line or plane that is carried through a project to inform design decisions and tie elements together; a set reference from which all elevation markers are taken.

Daub ⟨dɔb⟩
material + method Plaster crudely applied to a wall that typically has been wattled.

DD ⟨di: di:⟩
document Design development; the third phase of standardized projects where the architect resolves and specifies a sufficient amount of the building for a contractor to price.

Dead cat space ⟨dɛd kæt speɪs⟩
place An un- or poorly resolved area in a building whose inaccessibility and awkwardness makes it only of use for felines wishing to die in peace.

Debauchery ⟨də'bɑtʃəɹi⟩
concept It comes after farce, which comes after tragedy.*

* Foster.

Deconstruction ⟨di:kən'stɹʌkʃən⟩
concept Defining this would be an oxymoron.*

* Derrida.

Deconstructivism ⟨di:kən'stɹʌktɪvɪzəm⟩
category A chaotic and highly formal style of the Postmodern era; see Constructivism and Deconstruction.

Decorated shed ⟨'dɛkəɹeɪtɪd ʃɛd⟩
category As opposed to Duck, a building whose form does not inherently represent its function, and must instead represent its use through signage or other tacked-on means.*

* Izenour, Scott Brown & husband.

Delirious ⟨də'liɹi:əs⟩
concept A monotony of variations where the variety then enforces the initial monotony, creating a disorienting and sublime effect;* how one might feel after defining roughly 200 words about architecture from an ever-growing list for no good reason.

* Koolhaas.

Demo ⟨'dɛmoʊ⟩
action To remove or demolish; a thing contractors enjoy doing so much that they have already demo'd the last syllable of this word.

Dentil ⟨'dɛntɪl⟩
embellishment A tooth-like block repeated along a cornice.

Derivative ⟨də'ɹɪvətɪv⟩
concept Coming from something else; unoriginal.

measure A mathematical function's rate of change.

Dérive ⟨de'ʁiv⟩
action A spontaneous method of wandering through and inhabiting a city and its social circles.*

* Debord.

Design ⟨dɪ'zaɪn⟩
action A creative process informed by external factors.

Design intent ⟨dɪ'zaɪn ɪn'tɛnt⟩
concept What the architect hopes to achieve but has not necessarily documented.

Desk crit ⟨dɛsk krɪt⟩
action An informal design review of draft materials.

Detail ⟨'diteɪl⟩
embellishment A small moment of construction (e.g. a transition, joint, or reveal) that the architect has privileged over others.

place Where god is;* where the devil is.

* Mies van der Rohe.

rep tech To draw through a particular area at a higher level of specificity.

Develop ⟨dɛ'vɛləp⟩
action To build up a project's complexity; to upbuild a complex of projects.

Developer ⟨dɛ'vɛləpəɹ⟩
person Someone who has land and intends to build on it.

Developer-chic ⟨dɛ'vɛləpəɹ ʃi:k⟩
category A contemporary style of relatively cheap, boxy, cladding-driven architecture.*

* Wagner.

Di xue ⟨daɪ zu? / ti ɕue?⟩
embellishment A number of prior architectural dictionaries (including Oxford's) define this transliteration inexplicably as Moon-gate, which in Mandarin is yue liang men ⟨yè liàŋ mén⟩. I have been unable to determine what character combination led to this misdefinition, probably because my Chinese never exceeded primary school level.

Diagnostic ⟨daɪjɪg'nɔstɪk⟩
consideration A proposed area for design intervention based on an identified problem or set of conditions.

Diagram ⟨'daɪəɡɹæm⟩
rep tech A representation of concepts and information that makes sense of its constituent components within a system.

action To represent an idea in a way that explains it readily.

Diagrid ⟨'daɪəɡɹɪd⟩
enforcement A lattice-like, diagonal array.

Dialectic ⟨daɪə'lɛktɪk⟩
concept I keep going back and forth on how to define this, which should eventually get me to something truer than my current ideas.

Dichotomy ⟨daɪ'kɔtəmi⟩
concept As opposed to a spectrum, which accepts multiple positions and positions between them, a two-sided, oppositional model.

e.g. The relationship between dichotomies and spectra is subject to debate, with one side arguing they are dichotomous, and a variety of other sides claiming that oversimplifies the situation.

Dimetric ⟨daɪ'mɛtɹɪk⟩
rep tech Of a drawing, a form of axonometric projection where two of the three sides of a cube are the same length.

Dip ⟨dɪp⟩
action To submerge in a vat of chemicals for purposes such as stripping paint, restoring metal, priming and finishing.

Discipline ⟨'dɪsɪplɪn⟩
category A body of knowledge and practice when employed as a system.

concept When preceded by a definite article, architecture's version of film's 'The Industry.'

Discourse ⟨'dɪskɔɹs⟩
concept The large-scale exchange of ideas.

Distyle in antis ⟨'daɪstaɪl ɪn 'æntɪs⟩
element A temple-front configuration consisting of two columns located between the exposed ends of two exterior walls (see Anta).

Diurnal ⟨daɪ'ɛɹnəl⟩
measure Occuring during the day, cycling daily.

e.g. Climates with a high diurnal swing see drastic temperature changes between the daylight hours and nighttime.

Dog-leg ⟨'dɔglɛg⟩
element Of a flight of stairs, turning at a right angle at a midway landing.

place A rear exterior space along one side of a rowhouse that allows light penetration deeper into the floorplate.

Dolmen ⟨'dɑlmɛn⟩
enforcement A set of tall, upright boulders that support a flat, tabletop boulder.

Dome ⟨doʊm⟩
element The top half of a sphere (or any variation with similar geometry), often used on roofs or as a building envelope.

Door ⟨dɔɹ⟩
element A two-sided portal with an open state (passage) and a closed state (wall) that is capable of containing complex architectural theories when in between its two states (a jar).

1: What a lovely door.

2: I guess. It's just a door.

1: Not if you consider it aesthetically (beautiful woodwork, sublime proportions), dialectically (open and enlightened, closed and mythical), or as a cultural product of capitalism.

2: But that's still…a door, no?

Dormer ⟨'dɔɹməɹ⟩
element A protrusion from a sloped roof, typically for the purposes of adding a window or increasing head height inside.

Double-hung ⟨'dʌbəl hʌŋ⟩
equipment Of a window, having two sashes that are both operable.

Downspout ⟨'daʊnspaʊt⟩
equipment A vertical pipe that connects to a gutter system and brings the system's collected water to grade.

Dromos ⟨'dɹɑmɑs⟩
place A walkway leading to the entrance of a subterranean structure.

Duchamp door ⟨dy'ʃɑmp dɔɹ⟩
element An open corner with two perpendicular frames that a single swing door can pivot between, effectively opening one door as the other is closed (but both are the same door).

Duck ⟨dʌk⟩
category As opposed to Decorated Shed, a building whose form inherently represents its function and requires no additional signage to be understood.*

* Izenour, Scott Brown & husband.

Duckerated shed ⟨'dʌkəɹeɪtɪd ʃɛd⟩
category As opposed to both Decorated Shed and Duck, a building whose form inherently represents its function, but that also represents its use through signage or other tacked-on means.

Duct ⟨'dʌkt⟩
equipment A large tube used to move hot, cold, fresh or stale air through a building.

Duomo ⟨'dwɔ:mo⟩
place A cathedral-like building, typically in Italy, and not necessarily with a dome.

Dutch door ⟨dʌtʃ dɔɹ⟩
element A door with a separated top half, allowing it to close completely, open all the way or effectively become a window.

Dutch gable ⟨dʌtʃ 'geɪbəl⟩
element A hip roof with two gables near its peak, making for a Pizza Hut-like form.

embellishment A pediment whose edges have been rounded, making for a baby bottle nipple-like form.

Dymaxion ⟨daɪ'mæksi:ən⟩
category A portmanteau of dynamic, maximum and tension;* of a design, streamlined in a rigorous techno-futurist manner.

* Fuller.