Archispeak : an illustrated guide to architectural design terms / Tom Porter.

"Widely used in architectural circles in the heat of discussion, the recurrent use of particular words and terms has evolved a language of design jargon. Commonly found in architectural literature and journalism, in critical design debate and especially in student project reviews, archispeak can seem insular and perplexing to others and - particularly to the new architectural student - often incomprehensible." "There is a need to translate architectural design concepts into spoken and written commentary - each word in use embodying a precise and universally accepted architectural meaning. If we explore the vocabulary of this language we gain insight to design good practice and to a collaborative understanding of what constitutes a refined architecture. This unique illustrated guide will help students understand the nuances of this specialized language and help them in communicating their own design ideas."--BOOK JACKET.