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Green Building Glossary This glossary was taken from Clarke and Tim's book, "Building Green". Obviously, it is specific to that book and by no means exhaustive. It includes many general building terms as well as those particular to the "green" building world. If there's something that you're looking for and couldn't find, email us at: and we'll add it. Use your browser's "find" feature to search for a specific word. 2 X - standard width of structural lumber, which is actually 1 1/2 inches wide across the grain - parallel to the growth rings of a tree, i.e., from bark to bark active solar design - planning for the storage of solar energy collected in one place to be used in another; examples: photovoltaic electricity and hydronic floor heating adobe – air- or sun-dried blocks made from a mixture of clay, sand, water, and sometimes straw aggregate - sand and stone particles of different sizes that combine with a binder to create the structural strength of concrete, cob, mortars, and plasters alis - paint made using various combinations of water, wheat paste, colored clays, finely chopped straw, mica and other additives; often used to cover earth plasters along the grain - perpendicular to the growth rings of a tree, i.e., from the roots toward the sky altitude angle - the number of degrees that an obstacle, or the sun at a given time, is above horizontal, i.e., unobstructed ground level applied skin - protective coating applied to a building surface; example: plaster azimuth angle - the number of degrees that an obstacle, or the sun at a given time, is east or west of south bale needle - thin, long, strong piece of metal or wood used to thread string or wire through straw bales barge rafter/truss - rafter or truss assembly at the outer edge of a gable that completes the roof overhang beam - horizontal structural member berm - to surround parts of a building with earth blackwater - water that contains potential toxins (such as synthetic chemicals or human feces) as it leaves a building through a drain bottle block - glass unit installed in cordwood or cob walls made of bottles surrounded by reflective metal box beam - assembled beam often made from 2x lumber and plywood to create added width or to achieve necessary strength without using large timbers breathable wall - wall system designed to allow air exchange through its volume buck - structural window or doorframe casein paint – water-resistant paint containing lime putty or clay and milk protein as a binder; often used over earth plasters cellulose - the primary constituent of the cell walls of most plants; in building, the term usually refers to recycled newspaper insulation, though straw and wood are both also forms of cellulose cement plaster - mix containing Portland cement, hydrated lime, and sand; often called “stucco “ chinking compound - flexible material that fills gaps between logs in log wall construction; can also be used over mortar in cordwood walls to seal shrinkage gaps clay - soil component that is water absorbent, becomes plastic and sticks to itself when wet, and hardens when dried; originates from feldspathic rock, such as granite clay-slip straw - loose straw coated with a clay slurry (clay particles suspended in water); also called "straw clay," "light straw clay," and "leichtlehmbau" cleat - 1. a piece of wood or metal used to strengthen or support the surface to which it’s attached, 2. a device used to secure rope cob - mixture of clay, sand, straw, and water—the clay and some or all of the sand usually comes from the site or locally harvested subsoils; sometimes called "monolithic adobe" cobber's thumb - tool used to weave straw between courses of cob to enhance structural strength collar tie - horizontal beam in a triangular truss assembly column - vertical structural member composite block - hollow cavity block made of crystallized wood chips bound with Portland cement; can replace conventional concrete block in many applications composite lumber - extruded lumber made primarily from recycled wood and recycled plastic compression - squeezing force condensation - liquid water that results when air becomes saturated with water vapor conduction - the transfer of heat from molecule to molecule through a material control joint - break in a plaster coat that prevents cracks from spreading convection - the transfer of heat by physically moving molecules from one place to another convective loop - a heating cycle often fueled by direct solar energy in which a liquid or gas confined within a closed system is heated in a collector and rises into a storage area, consequently allowing cooler liquid or gas to flow into the collector to be heated corbel - literally means “bracket;” in construction, “corbel” means to create a structural contour by offsetting progressive courses of a material corbel cob - specially made cobs reinforced with extra straw used to create corbelled shapes cordwood – air-dried logs cut to length (and sometimes split) that are laid with mortar to build walls cripples - small columns in stick-framing, used between bottom plate and window sill or header and top plate dead loads - static, permanent forces on a building deadman - object, such as a small log, buried in a cob wall to be used as a structural connection for window/door bucks or roof framing dew point - temperature at which a sample of air at a given relative humidity will produce condensation drainage box - outer edge of a living roof that holds materials in place but allows water to escape drainage plane - seamless or overlapping membrane designed to redirect water away from vulnerable building materials drip edge - shape or groove that breaks the flow of water, causing it to fall away from a building earth plaster - clay-based mixes possibly containing sand, chopped straw, and a variety of other materials earthbag construction - a variant of rammed earth construction wherein durable bags are filled with earth, laid in courses, and tamped into place Earthship - building system using tires as permanent forms for rammed earth, passive solar design, rain catchment, and other integrated systems to create low-impact, energy-efficient structures eave - projecting overhang created by roof rafters embodied energy - amount of energy required to extract, process, transport, and install a given building element EPDM - synthetic rubber evaporative cooling - cooling strategy based on the fact that evaporating liquids take heat from the surrounding air expansion joint - control joint fascia - trim board attached to rafter tails; also attached to sides of rafters on the gable ends of roofs flashing - sheet material used to cover building joints to prevent water entry floor on grade - floor whose entire volume is supported directly by the ground footer - foundation form - structural enclosure used to shape a building material foundation - that part of a building that transfers loads to the ground foundation drain – assembly, usually including a perforated pipe, installed to direct water away from the foundation of a building frame - box holding a window or door that isn’t designed to carry structural loads freeze/thaw cycles - water in contact with a building (under the foundation; in a material such as cob or concrete; in pipes; or nestled in cracks in plaster or a roofing material, for example) will expand and contract in response to fluctuations in temperature above and below 0ºC (32ºF) frost heave - lifting of building due to expansion of freezing water under the foundation frost line - depth in the ground below which water will not freeze; distance from surface varies depending on climate gable end - sides of a building with a gable roof where the wall reaches all the way to the ridge glazing - glass used in doors and windows grade - elevation of the ground around a building grade stake - stake set in the ground to mark a given elevation gravel trench - trench dug below the frost line and filled with gravel to serve as a building foundation greywater - water that contains no potential toxins, (such as synthetic chemicals or human feces) as it leaves a building through a drain hawk - hand-held platform that holds plaster for application hay - dried, hollow stems of grass plants without seed removed header - lintel attached to the main structural framing system of a building heat island effect - phenomenon by which cities have higher air temperatures than surrounding rural lands; caused by the replacement of plants that transpire water (therefore lowering surrounding temperatures) with concrete and asphalt, which are thermal masses that collect solar heat (therefore raising surrounding air temperatures) humus - layer of organic material on top of subsoil, also called topsoil hydroelectricity - electricity generated by falling water hydronic floor heating - heating system in which a heated liquid is passed through tubing embedded in or under flooring material; also called radiant floor heating hygroscopic wall - wall system using materials that can take on and give off some amount of water vapor in response to humidity changes infill - non-structural material filling volume in a wall insulated glass - glass unit made up of at least two panes separated by a sealed space filled with air or other gasses insulation - material used to resist the movement of heat integrated skin - protective coating integral to a building material; example: stone jack - stick-framing studs set under headers jamb - the side member of a door or window frame jig - a device for guiding a tool or holding a material in a specific position while being worked joist - floor beam key - plaster or mortar that wraps around a building element creating a mechanical connection king - stick-framing studs set next to jacks and attached to headers ladder truss framing - framing system used to make wide cavities for loose infill insulation; so named because the framed “columns” look something like ladders lateral load - transient load approaching a building at an angle lath - wooden strips or metal mesh that provide a surface for plaster to grip ledger - horizontal member attached to a vertical surface to create a ledge on which other horizontal members can rest level - of equal elevation lime cycle - limestone (CaCO3) is burned to form quicklime (CaO), water is added to form lime putty (Ca(OH2)), which is mixed with sand to form plaster, which is spread onto walls and slowly absorbs CO2 to become limestone (CaCO3) once again. lime plaster - mix containing lime putty, sand, and sometimes a fiber such as chopped straw lime wash - watered-down lime putty sometimes with color added, used as a sealer for earth- and lime-plastered surfaces lintel - beam spanning a window or door opening live loads - transient forces on a building living roof - multilayered roof skin consisting of a waterproof membrane, insulation, drainage layer, growing medium, and plants load-bearing - material installed to carry loads loads - forces on a building mass-enhanced R-value - potential of thermal mass wall and roof materials in very specific climatic situations to exhibit a higher effective insulation value than steady state R-value lab tests would indicate modified post-and-beam - framing system wherein post and beams are constructed (usually out of dimensional lumber and plywood-type materials rather than milled from single logs); this is done to create a wider wall profile to accommodate straw bales or other infill wall systems requiring added width modified stick-frame - approach to stick-framing that greatly reduces
the amount of materials used by avoiding sheet materials such as
plywood and drywall and by placing structural members only where
needed to carry loads mortar - any of a variety of mixes that bind stacked units in a structure; adobe can be laid with a mud mortar, cordwood can be laid with a cob or Portland cement-based mortar, etc. mortise and tenon joinery - technique for connecting materials wherein one member has a projecting piece called a tenon that fits into a cavity called a mortise on a second member mud - general term used for any building material that is installed wet and dries hard, such as mortar, concrete, or cob paddle mixer - metal shaft with integrated paddles that attaches to an electric drill and can be used to help mix cob and plasters passive solar design - the conscious placement of a building and associated materials so that the sun’s direct energy is manipulated to affect the temperature inside the building pattern - configuration of physical elements that encourage a repeated series of events pattern language - an interconnected group of patterns that come together to create a place, such as a building perlite - a volcanic glass that can be expanded through heating to produce a light, airy material used, among things, as infill insulation photovoltaics - the direct production of electrical current from solar radiant energy pier – water-resistant column built on top of a foundation and designed to lift vulnerable materials away from insects and water plaster - mixture of a fine aggregate, a binder, and water to create a seamless building skin applied wet that dries to a hard, protective coating plaster stop - barrier that serves as the edge of a section of plaster plate - top or bottom horizontal wall member, usually in a stick-framed wall plumb - perfectly vertical point load - load concentrated in a small area pointing - the process of cleaning, filling gaps in, and compressing fresh, partially cured mortar Portland cement - mineral binder used in concrete and plaster mixes; made by burning limestone, clays, shales, or other ingredients containing alumina and silica post - column post-and-beam - general term for skeletal framing system using strong members that allow for wide spans between posts purlin - permanent horizontal bracing between rafters that also provides a surface for attaching the roof skin quick lime - calcium carbonate (CaCO3), often in the form of limestone, which has been burned to form calcium oxide (CaO) radiation - the transfer of heat through space by means of electromagnetic energy rafter - sloped structural roof member rain catchment - collection of rainwater in cisterns for domestic or other use rain chain - chain that replaces a gutter downspout in directing
roof water away from a building raised floor - framed floor platform lifted off the ground on piers or stem walls rammed earth - earth mix packed between forms to build walls, sometimes requiring addition of water and/or Portland cement reactivated solar - solar energy stored in a physical form, such as petroleum or wood, then burned to release the energy for use rebar - steel bar used to increase tensile strength of concrete relative humidity - ratio of the amount of water vapor in a sample of air to the greatest amount of vapor that sample of air could hold at the same temperature reveal - the area in a window or door opening between the buck or frame and the trim or wall surface ridge beam - beam at top of roof to which rafters are attached rigid insulation - general term for a group of rigid sheet materials used as insulation. (All rigid insulation used in this book is extruded polystyrene.) rough opening - structurally reinforced hole created in the structural framing of a wall to accommodate a window or door R-value - measure of the resistance to heat flow of a given thickness of a material; the higher the number, the better the resistance sand - finely ground rock particles (.05 to 2 mm) that do not absorb water and are a component of most soils; sand is the correct size to serve as structural aggregate in cob and plaster shake test - simple test for roughly determining the composition of a soil sample shear - force that causes two parts of a body to slide past each other in a parallel direction shingles - small units laid in overlapping courses to cover a roof; can be made of a variety of materials, including asphalt impregnated felt, recycled plastic, slate, concrete, and clay sill - bottom member of a door or window frame skeletal structure - building approach that distributes loads by placing strong structural members at strategic points throughout the volume of a building skin - interior and exterior surface of a building, including walls, roof, windows, doors, etc. slaking - process by which water is added to quick lime (CaO) to produce lime putty (Ca (OH)2) and, as a side effect, produces a large amount of heat specific heat - the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance one degree Celsius; a material with a high specific heat is said to be a good “thermal mass” spirit level - tool that establishes how level or plumb a surface is by means of an air bubble suspended in liquid spud - a flat-headed, sharpened tool used to debark logs and trim cob walls stem wall – water-resistant wall built on top of a foundation and designed to lift vulnerable wall materials away from insects and water stick-frame - skeletal framing system using thin columns spaced closely together stop - a surface against which a hinged door or window closes straw - dried, hollow stems of grass plants with seed removed, usually left over after cereal grain harvesting structural insulated panel (SIP) - a structural unit made up of an insulative core sandwiched between two thin rigid outer layers stucco - plaster containing Portland cement stud - thin column used in stick-framing subsoil - soil directly under the humus or topsoil superadobe - a building technique pioneered by architect Nader Khalili in which long fabric tubes are pumped full of damp earth and coiled into domes swale - valley created as part of site work to slow water run-off for absorption by land and to redirect excess away from the building tarpaper - heavy paper impregnated with tar used as a drainage plane on walls and roofs tension - pulling force termite barrier - obstruction that forces termites out into the open where their tunnels will be seen thermal bridge/break - component with considerably less resistance to heat movement than surrounding materials; example: wooden stud in an insulated stick-framed wall thermal mass - material chosen for its ability to store quantities of heat thermosiphon - the natural, convective movement of a gas or liquid due to differences in temperature timber frame - skeletal framing system using wood post and beams connected with wooden joinery toe-up - area between finished floor and top of stem wall where vulnerable wall materials begin top plate - thin beams at the top of stick-framed walls; can also be used in cordwood and possibly cob as a surface for attaching roof members and creating a more even distribution of roof loads torsion - twisting force transit - device consisting of a leveled scope on a tripod used to measure relative elevations trim - component of building skin used to seal joints trombe wall - passive solar design strategy that uses a glass-covered interior mass wall set close to the building exterior and facing the winter sun—as the air in the space between wall and glass heats up, it rises and passes through holes in the top of the wall (thermosiphon), which causes cooler air to be pulled into the space through holes in the bottom of the wall, creating a heating cycle called a “convective loop” truss - assembly of members, often arranged in triangles, that form a rigid framework to support a roof, bridge, or similar structure uplift - force caused by wind pulling up on protruding sections of a building, usually the roof urbanite - recycled concrete used to replaced natural stone in stacked stone walls vapor barrier - material placed in an attempt to stop the movement of water vapor into areas of a building where it could cause damage vermiculite - a hydrous silicate mineral (mica) that can be expanded
through heating to produce a light, airy material used, among things,
as infill insulation wind power - electricity created by wind spinning a turbine that in turn spins the rotor of a generator wattle and daub - interwoven sticks covered with clay-rich plaster, often containing straw, used to infill space between post-and-beam structures wooden tie strip - thin strips of wood placed on each side of a
straw bale wall and tied together to connect the bales to each other
and, in an infill bale wall, to the skeletal structure of the building
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© Clarke Snell, 2005
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