Illustrated Architecture Dictionary

Arch


A curved or pointed structural member which is supported at the sides or ends

Arches vary in shape from the horizontal flat arch to acutely pointed arches

An arch sometimes consists of wedge-shaped blocks called voussoirs

Baskethandle (elliptical) arches are found in Italianate, Beaux Arts Classical styles

A compound arch is an arch formed by concentric arches set within one another

Florentine arches have voussoirs longer at the crown than at the springing (the point where an arch rises from its supports)

Ogee/Venetian arch is a molding formed by two curves, the upper concave and the lower convex, so forming an S-shaped curve

Round arches are found especially in Italianate, Italian Renaissance Revival, Richardsonian Romanesque styles

Pointed (Gothic) arches are found in Gothic Revival style

A segmental arch is a circular arch in which the inner circle ("intrados") is less than a semicircle

Syrian arches are found in Richardsonian Romanesque, Shingle, styles

Splayed arch: An arch opening which has a larger radius in front than at the back

Tudor arches (flattened Gothic) arches are found in Tudor Revival, Gothic Revival styles

See also: Coliseum - Roman Arches


Examples from Buffalo architecture:

Other examples:



Photos and their arrangement © 2003
Chuck LaChiusa
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