150 Weird Words That Only Architects Use by Rory Stott
For most students of architecture, the first few years of learning involve a demanding crash course in architectural jargon. From learning terms as obscure as “gestalt” to redefining your understanding of ideas as simple as “space,” learning the architectural lexicon is one of the most mind-bending processes involved in becoming a designer.
It’s important to remember that this isn’t a list of words you should immediately stop using; simply be aware of who you’re talking to, and be sure that if you do use any of these words they are necessary and appropriate in the context you use them.
This list is by no means exhaustive; with over 750 comments across our original article and three Facebook posts, we had to cap it somewhere! Included here are the words that were mentioned most often and which we had encountered ourselves. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here is our readers’ list of 150 weird words that only architects use:
Architecture-specific jargon:
Simple words given new meaning by architects:
Fabric (urban or building)
Legibility (of something other than writing)
Dimension (meaning a characteristic of something)
Proud (“the countertop is proud of the cabinet”)
Obscure words that architects overuse (or misuse):
Interstitial / Interstice
Tectonics (and architectonics)
Holistic (sometimes even wholistic)
Unusual terms or phrases that architects love:
Play with (light, space, materials)
How the ____ is received by the ____
Strange concepts within architecture:
gummygunk
vaporwave
yousharknotpass
pixelskylines
prguitarman
dailybridgerton
kianamaiart
