Design Speak lets you in on a some industry lingo so that you will sound oh-so-smart. From abbreviations to acronyms to phrases to trendy words, we’ll do our best to cover it, and we’ll do it in language you’ll understand.

B

broken pediment

(pronounced BROH-kehn PE-deh-mehnt)

Just because a pediment is broken, it doesn’t mean that it needs to be fixed. In other words, a broken pediment isn’t the same as a broken column or chair leg – it was actually designed this way. A pediment is the triangular area above a cornice that forms a gable of a low-pitched roof (if used architecturally) or provides a place for ornament (if used on furniture or decorative accessories). A broken pediment then occurs when the top two symmetrical pieces of the triangular space do not meet at a point – hence, broken by a gap. Just like in a pediment, the space in a broken pediment is often decorated with a relief, sculptural figure, or finial. Interior items that often feature this of classic architectural design include headboards, clocks, china cabinets, secretaries, and mirrors.

See also: cornice, finial, relief

brush fringe

(pronounced bruhsh frihnj)

This one’s pretty simple: an ornamental trim made up of thin yarns.

BUG

(pronounced bug)

The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America [IESNA] introduced TM-15 -11 "BUG" (Backlight, Uplight and Glare) classification of outdoor lighting fixtures to ensure that only well-shielded fixtures are used. No uplight for area and street lighting is allowed in any zone. The Model Lighting Ordinance (otherwise known as the MLO) uses BUG.

See also: Model Lighting Ordinance

build out

(pronounced BIHLD owt)

Build out is just another way to say interior construction. It’s the term used by commercial real estate brokers, property managers, and design folk involved with tenant development projects. A “build out” includes both extensive construction and minor improvements of the interior of a space, including finished walls, ceiling, flooring, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc.

Building Common Area

(pronounced BIHL-ding KAH-mehn EHR-ee-uh)

This is one of those commercial real estate / facility management / property management terms that you will encounter when practicing either corporate design or tenant development. Its accuracy is important because it affects the rate a tenant will pay to lease space in a building. The Building Common Area is the “fully enclosed space within a building that benefits all occupants of that building but which does not accommodate a tenant's personnel, furniture, fixtures or equipment.” Sometimes it might include auxiliary spaces like loading docks, central electrical and HVAC area, or the building operations office. A typical, safe example is the entry lobby of an office building.

building core

(pronounced BIHL-ding kor)

The core of anything – whether it be an apple, a nuclear reactor or a magnetic field – is its "guts," and this is no different. Think about what makes up the core of a multi-storey building: fire stairs, elevators, mechanical shafts, smoke towers, janitorial closets, plumbing apparatus, restrooms, etc. This vertical space cuts through a towering building, offering essential utilities and services to every floor. Since every tenant in a building uses and, thus, benefits from a building core, the cost of maintaining the core is rolled into their lease. In the construction industry, some manufacturers have gotten very clever and now offer prefabricated building cores to speed the process of construction, cutting overall costs. Pretty cool, huh?

building envelope

(pronounced BIHL-ding AHN-veh-lohp)

Is this perhaps stationery made of stucco? Uh… no. The building envelope is pretty much what it sounds like – that which surrounds (or envelopes) the building. Just like the skin on a person is a human envelope and a shell on an egg is a chicken envelope (OK, we’re stretching it here), the exterior of a structure is a building envelope. As a whole, it acts as insulation, separating its inhabitants from the elements. Building envelope components are the foundation, roof, exterior walls, doors, and windows. These integrated pieces all work together to keep out wind, moisture, dust, and harsh temperatures. If the envelope is not well insulated, then it will hemorrhage conditioned air, as is evident through infrared thermography images. Not only is this expensive for the structure’s owners, but it can be detrimental to the building’s systems and the structure itself, as well as uncomfortable to the building’s users.

One last thing: In relationship to zoning and urban planning issues, you may also see this term used to describe the maximum space - three-dimensional: width, depth, and height - on a piece of property that a structure can occupy.

building evaluation

(pronounced BIHL-ding ih-val-yu-AY-shun)

See post-occupancy evaluation / POE.

Building Information Modeling / BIM

(pronounced BIHL-ding in-fer-MAY-shehn MAH-del-ing)

BIM is the future, baby. Think Minority Report, Artificial Intelligence: AI, and all those other science fiction movies that have ready access to and handily swap huge amounts of data as easily as they can pour themselves a cup of coffee. Going way beyond the most advanced CAD software, BIM software takes into account a myriad of data – such as site specifics and geography, material specifications and details, spatial relationships, etc. – a to aid not only in the design and production of building plans, but also in its actual construction and long-term maintenance. Because this concept is so new and complex, we are actually going to refer you to Wikipedia’s ongoing definition for more in-depth coverage.

building performance evaluation

(pronounced BIHL-ding pehr-FOR-mehnts ih-val-yu-AY-shun)

See post-occupancy evaluation / POE.

building standard

(pronounced BIHL-ding STAN-derd)

It pretty much means what it says: a standard that is applied throughout a building or throughout a group of buildings. A standard of what? Well, almost anything…

• grades / types of finishes/ product: carpet, wallcovering, paint, colors, tile, window treatments, ceiling tile, etc.
• specifications on building operation systems / items: exit signs, sprinkler heads, door hardware, security keypads, smoke detectors, etc.
• regional safety code requirements: seismic construction, fire protection, structural definitions, etc.

Many times designers and architects must choose within a set of building standards set before them. Although choices may be limited, the purpose is to assure the overall continuity of a building, suppress costs and limit inventory for ease of ongoing maintenance. It makes sense, but it doesn’t make it any less annoying sometimes…

building-in-use assessment

(pronounced BIHL-ding-ihn-yoos ah-SES-mehnt)

See post-occupancy evaluation / POE.

built environment

(pronounced bilt in-VI-rehn-mehnt)

This phrase has become increasingly popular in the last decade. It is a convenient, comprehensive way in which to refer to all man-made environs that supply the means for human activity: residences, commercial buildings / developments, roads and other transportation corridors, pipelines and utilities, etc. In other words, it encompasses any structure that is not natural to the Earth. As interior designers, we work on the built environment, but others who do as well include architects, contractors, engineers, industrial designers, traffic engineers, urban planners, zoning authorities, etc.

burnout

(pronounced BERN-owt)

Though designers often experience the kind of burnout that comes with too much work and too little time, we’re actually referring to the kind of burnout that you find on fabrics. Instead of using an actual flame to burn out a pattern, acid destroys and removes certain types of fiber on a compound fiber fabric while leaving others in tact. This type of manufacturing process is often used on thick pile fabrics like velvet as it allows the pattern to stand out clearly. Burnout is also referred to fabric etching in the crafting industry and devoré in the fashion industry.

busbar

(pronounced BUHS-bar)

Also known simply as a bus, a busbar is rigid, heavyweight strip of metal (copper or aluminum) that connects the circuit breakers or fuses in a panel box to the incoming power.

See also: circuit breaker, panel box