G as in Girder

Gabion ⟨'ɡeɪbiən⟩
enforcement Of a wall, made of metal cages that have been filled with rocks.

Gable ⟨'ɡeɪbəl⟩
element The (typically) triangular portion of a wall directly below a roof.

Gablet ⟨'ɡeɪblɛt⟩
element A roof style similar to a hip roof with two small gables protuding along the ridgeline at either end (see Dutch gable); a very small gable.

Gadroon ⟨ɡə'dɹun⟩
embellishment An oval or teardrop shaped moulding that resembles fluting or rounded dentils.

Gait ⟨ɡeɪt⟩
measure The rhythm of taking steps.

Galley ⟨'ɡæli⟩
place A kitchen with a central aisle flanked by two counters, as one might find on a ship.

Gambrel ⟨'gæmbɹəl⟩
element A sloped roof that becomes more sloped, as one might find on a barn; a section of a mansard roof.

Gangi ⟨ɡanɡi⟩
place A streetside arcade walkway that can be shuttered to keep snow out.

Gantry ⟨'ɡæntɹi⟩
material + method A beam on wheeled columns that can be used to lift and move objects by means of a pulley that can slide along its length.

Garbhagriha ⟨'ɡarbəɡri:ɦa⟩
place The innermost sanctum of a temple where a representation of the dedicated god resides, typically with one entrance and a false ceiling below the shikhara; the womb chamber.

Garçonnière ⟨'ɡaʁsɔnjɛʁ⟩
place A residential room for a single male; a bachelor pad.

Gargoyle ⟨'ɡaɹɡɔɪl⟩
embellishment A hollow grotesque that spouts rainwater away from a building.

Garret ⟨'ɡɛɹɪt⟩
place An inhabitable but unfinished attic.

Garrison ⟨'ɡɛɹɪsən⟩
category A two-storey house whose upper floor projects a small distance out from the ground floor along the front of the building.

place A military encampment.

Garth ⟨ɡɑɹθ⟩
place A courtyard surrounded by a cloister.

Gasket ⟨'ɡæskɪt⟩
equipment A typically rubber ring placed between two surfaces to create a seal.

Gate ⟨ɡeɪt⟩
element A point of access through a barrier.

Gaze ⟨ɡeɪz⟩
concept A look that imparts the gazer's subjecthood onto the gazed, objectifies or fits into a societal structure.

Gazebo ⟨ɡə'zi:boʊ⟩
place An often octangular covered porch found in parks and yards.

Gedächtnisbild ⟨ɡə'dɛɕtnɪsbɪld⟩
concept Literally memory-image; the picture of something that resides in its viewer's mind after viewing—the pleasure of which comes from the incomplete nature of its recollection.*

* Brücke

Geison ⟨'ɡeɪsən⟩
embellishment A band below an eave or around a pediment; a horizontal or raking projection between an architrave, tympanum or sima.

Genkan ⟨ɡeŋkan⟩
place A small space by a residential front door, typically a step below the living floor; a transition from exterior (shoes on) to interior (shoes off).

Gentefication ⟨'xentefɪkeɪʃən⟩
concept A portmanteau of the Spanish gente (people) and gentrification; when upwardly mobile children move back to the neighborhood they grew up in and have since economically grown out of.

Gentle density ⟨'dʒɛntəl 'dɛnsɪti⟩
concept Increasing the number of households in a single-family neighborhood without changing its 'character'; the construction of townhomes, n-plexes, and condos.

Geodesic ⟨dʒioʊ'dɛsɪk / -'disɪk⟩
enforcement Of a dome, made up of triangular faces.

e.g. Vertices of a geodesic dome are typically 6-pronged, located in the center of a segmented hexagon, but nodal vertices are 5-pronged. When there's a geodesic dome, look for the pentagon!

Geotech ⟨'dʒioʊtɛk⟩
person Geotechnical engineer; a consultant who specializes in soil mechanics and water drainage.

Gerberette ⟨ʒɛʁbɛʁ'ɛt⟩
enforcement A cantilevering pin connection between a column and a beam.

e.g. The gerberettes on the Centre Pompidou resemble pterodactyl skulls.

Gesamtkunstwerk ⟨ɡə'zamtkʊnstvɛʁk⟩
concept Total work of art; a building or other creative endeavor whose scope engulfs everything it touches, resulting in an encompassing, multi-media aesthetic experience.

Gesso ⟨'dʒɛso⟩
material + method Expensive primer.

Gestalt ⟨ɡə'ʃtɔlt⟩
concept A whole that is more than the sum of its parts.

GFA ⟨dʒi ɛf eɪ⟩
measure Gross floor area; the amount of two-dimensional space covered by a building's footprint, including unoccupiable space such as the inside of walls.

Gibbs surround ⟨ɡɪbs sə'ɹaʊnd⟩
embellishment A rusticated doorframe, typically with quoin-like blocking along the jambs and a keystone & pediment above the header.

Ginnel ⟨'gɪnəl⟩
place A narrow alley between houses.

Girder ⟨'ɡəɹdəɹ⟩
enforcement A large, deep beam that supports or reinforces other beams.

e.g. It's easy to tell a joist from a girder: one wrote Ulysses and the other, Faust.

Glacis ⟨'ɡlæsi⟩
place A slope at the foot of a building, typically a fortress.

Glazing ⟨'ɡleɪzɪŋ⟩
material + method A window and other installation of glass (i.e. glass plus labor).

Global style ⟨'ɡloʊbəl 'staɪəl⟩
category The technologically advanced aesthetic found in the work of Foster, Piano, and Rogers;* iteration of the International Style farther along multinational capitalism.

* Foster (but not the same Foster).

Gloriette ⟨'ɡlɔɹiɛt⟩
place A raised pavilion in a garden.

Glyptotheca ⟨'ɡlɪptoʊtɛkə⟩
place A space for sculptures.

Goldberg ⟨'ɡoʊldbəɹɡ⟩
person One of the few architects generally thought to be yankee hotel foxtrot.

Googie ⟨'ɡuɡi⟩
category A swooping, spindly, sci-fi-ish style centered around mid-century car culture and space age aesthetics.

Gopura ⟨'ɡoʊpərə⟩
element An ornate temple-complex entrance with a steeply stepped roof.

Gormenghast ⟨'ɡɔɹmən.ɡɑst⟩
place/category An immense, mannered, decaying, isolated castle-kingdom; a rote ritual within Gothic structures.

Gothic ⟨'ɡɑθɪk⟩
category A medieval style typified by its pointed arches, structural embellishment, and verticality; dark, mysterious, macabre, eerie.

Grad school ⟨ɡɹæd sku:l⟩
place Where one might go to seek better definitions—of both one's discipline and one's trajectory.

Grade ⟨ɡɹeɪd⟩
measure Ground level, accounting for its slope; a measure of quality or application.

e.g. The building systems professor appreciated how the exterior-grade paint on the siding matched the color of the waterproofing installed below grade, and gave the mock-up an A grade.

Grand tour ⟨ɡɹænd tɔ:ɹ⟩
event An extended trip to see multiple historic architectural sites back to back, typically around the Mediterranean.

Greeble ⟨'ɡɹi:bli⟩
embellishment An articulation on a surface with the sole purpose of adding visual interest and textural variety, typically used in my model-making.

Green ⟨ɡɹi:n⟩
concept Sustainable, eco-friendly.

Greenhouse ⟨'ɡɹi:nhaʊs⟩
place A glass enclosure exposed to the sun, becoming humid and supportive of plant life.

consideration Of atmospheric gases retaining solar radiation, becoming hot and unsupportive of much life.

Greenwash ⟨'ɡɹi:nwɑʃ⟩
action To use copious vegetation or ecological language in order to portray a project as sustainable regardless of its actual environmental impact.

Grid ⟨ɡɹɪd⟩
concept An array of dots or perpendicular lines on which architectural elements might be arranged; what art looks like when it turns its back on nature.*

* Krauss.

Gridshell ⟨'ɡɹɪdʃɛl⟩
enforcement A doubly curved lattice whose formal qualities give it structural stability.

Grille ⟨ɡɹɪl⟩
equipment A slatted opening that allows air to pass through while blocking most objects and vision.

Groin ⟨ɡɹɔɪn⟩
enforcement The interior seam where two vaults meet.

Grotesque ⟨ɡɹoʊ'tɛsk⟩
embellishment A small, ornamental, typically monstrous stone statue that sticks off a building's facade.

Groundscraper ⟨'ɡɹaʊndskɹeɪpəɹ⟩
category A horizontal skyscraper; a building that takes the form of a long bar.

Grout ⟨ɡɹaʊt⟩
material + method A sandy mixture laid between bricks to hold them in place.

Gruen transfer ⟨ɡʁy:n 'tɹænsfɛɹ⟩
concept The moment when consumers enter a shopping mall or store and, surrounded by an intentionally confusing layout, lose track of their original intentions, making them more susceptible to making impulse buys.*

* Wikipedia

Guilloche ⟨ɡɪ'loʊʃ⟩
embellishment An ornamental motif of radially arrayed rivets or interwoven ribbons.

Guldasta ⟨ɡʊldəstɑ⟩
embellishment A decorative finial with a floral capital.

Gutter ⟨'ɡʌtəɹ⟩
equipment A channel along an eave that redirects water from pouring directly over the edge.

GWB ⟨'dʒɪpsəm wɑl bɔɹd⟩
material + method Gypsum wallboard; a sheathing material comprised of a powdery mineral sandwiched between sheets of paper.

Gynaeceum ⟨dʒaɪnə'si:əm⟩
place As opposed to an andron, the portion of a building designated for women.