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.

N

N.I.C.

(pronounced as the letters, N-I-C)

An acronym for the term “Not In Contract.” You will see this abbreviation all over construction drawings and contract documents to designate an area of a project that is not in the scope of work, i.e. it’s not being accounted and paid for within the particular project. This term alerts contractors that they do not need to bid on or concern themselves with building out the designated area. A few reasons why an area might be designated as N.I.C.:
  1. it is not owned by the client;
  2. it has been built out or renovated already;
  3. the client doesn’t currently need the space and is delaying finish out;
  4. the client doesn’t have the funding at the moment and plans to build out later.

natural latex

(pronounced NA-chuh-rehl LAY-tecks)

Though synthetic latex is more common and resilient, a small percentage of the population is highly allergic to it. For this reason, some manufacturers fabricate alternative products containing natural latex. Since quality sleep is crucial to one’s quality of life, the fact that some mattress manufacturers offer a natural latex option is extremely important. The natural latex is mildew- and mold-resistant, and because it is not created with any toxic substances, it doesn’t emit the fumes that will irritate and sicken those with chemical sensitivities.

nesting tables

(pronounced NEH-sting TAY-buhlz)

When we think of nesting tables, we think of those traditional Russian dolls called matryoshka. You know – they are the beautifully painted wooden figures that keep popping out of each other because every time you open one a smaller one is nested within. Nesting tables use the same concept in that a variety of sizes of the same style table are produced as to nest together. In this way, when you need them, you bring them out, and when you don’t, you tuck them back in place. In today’s marketplace, you can find nesting tables in every style, and some of the more contemporary ones are even designed to stack for additional versatility.

net price

(pronounced net prIs)

See list price.

Net Square Footage

(pronounced net skwair FU-tij)

Put simply, this is considered the amount of space required for the occupants to function in the space – i.e., space for offices, cubicles, conferencing, storage, etc. It does not include the area needed to get from space to space, otherwise called circulating. See the other definitions below to put it all into perspective.

See also: Usable Square Footage, Circulation Factor, Building Common Area

net-zero-energy

(pronounced net-ZIHR-oh EH-nehr-jee)

This hyphenated adjective is in use more now than ever before as it describes something – usually a home or building – that is able to produce at least as much energy as it consumes. Who wouldn’t want that?

newel post

(pronounced NOO-ehl pohst or NYOO-ehl pohst)

This term refers to the post at the foot of a straight stairway or one at a landing, but it can also mean the upright post about which the steps of a circular staircase wind. Some contemporary newel posts don’t necessary look like traditional ones, and many historical newel posts serve as base for a decorative light fixture or statue.

See also: torchère

niche

(pronounced neesh OR nitch)

Toh-may-toh, toh-mah-toh. Say this word the first way and you sound pretentious; say it the other, and you sound like a hick. You can’t win. Not to say that it isn’t a good word, though! It’s so appropriate when you need to speak of a wall recess in which a statue or other type of feature / object can be placed and admired. A niche can be small or large, extremely shallow or fairly deep, inside or outside, directly in a wall or forming part of a ceiling. See why you need to know this word?? Oh, and maybe you can carve out your niche by creating a niche market in the design industry. (Just wanted to show you two other ways you can drop this bomb.)

nosing

(pronounced NOH-zing)

Wine and whiskey aficionados are known for nosing samples before sipping and savoring, and everyone loves nosing around in other people’s business. In our case, however, nosing designates a physical items and not an action, and it’s one of the components of something that each of us encounters all the time: stairs. A nosing is the edge of a stair tread (or step) that projects over the riser (the vertical part). Since navigating stairs can be difficult for some, there are codes regulating the size, shape, and construction of nosing in public spaces. In applications with low lighting conditions, luminescent material – and even actual strips of lights – can be used on top of or as part of the nosing in order to delineate the edge of the step. Nosing can be squared off or rounded, made of the same material as the tread, or consist of something completely different, such as wood, rubber, metal, terrazzo, etc.

You should also know that the term nosing can also be used merely to describe the projecting edge of a molding or a similar rounded projection and have nothing whatsoever to do with stairs. Go figure.

NRC

(just say the letters to pronounce)

An abbreviation for Noise Reduction Coefficient, which is a way of measuring the amount of sound energy absorbed or reflected by a particular material or element, or – more specifically – the surface of that element. The higher the NRC number, the better the acoustic performance. Something with an NRC of 1 indicates perfect absorption, while a material with an NRC of 0 indicates total reflection. For example, terazzo – a hard surface – would have a lower NRC rating than shag carpet.

NTS

(pronounced like the initials: en-tee-ess)

This acronym means “Not to Scale”. You will see this designation on floor plans, elevations, sections and details when the drawing creator wants to make certain that his or her intended audience – a contractor, builder, vendor, client or colleague – understands that the particular drawing or sketch is not representative of true dimensions in any measurable way. In other words, 1/4” or 1/8” doesn’t equal 1-foot and so on.