Architectural Columns, Pillars, and Supports: Types and Definitions

Columns

• Architectural Columns: An elongated vertical piece, typically circular, that supports the structure's weight and may have decorative purposes.
• Isolated or Exempt Column: A column separated from a wall or other vertical building element.
• Attached Column: A column juxtaposed with a wall or other building element.
• Embedded Column: A column partially embedded in a wall or other part of the construction.

Column Types by Stem

• Smooth Column: A column without stretch marks or decorations.
• Ribbed or Fluted Column: A column with ornamental striations and grooves along its length.
• Fasciculated Column: A column comprised of a series of thin stems, grouped as a bundle.
• Clustered Column: A column with several stems sharing a common capital and base.

Special Column Types

• Solomonic Column: A column with a twisted spiral shaft.
• Twin or Paired Columns: Two parallel shafts forming a single support, double or sharing a capital.

Other Architectural Supports

• Pillar: A free-standing vertical load-bearing element with a polygonal section, not subject to an architectural order.
• Pilaster: A vertical element attached to the wall with a square section, serving structural or ornamental purposes.
• Buttress: A vertical construction attached to the wall to reinforce or counteract the thrust of a vault or arch.
• Flying Buttress: An arch located on the outside of a building that transfers the thrust of a vault or deck to a buttress or abutment.
• Bracket: An architectural element, often with multiple frames, protruding from the wall to support a cantilever or strengthen an angle.
• Cantilever: A projecting architectural element supported only at one end.
• Pendant: A spherical triangle-shaped element (concave-convex with curved sides) used to transition from a square base to a circular top.
• Horn: A dome-shaped semiconductor element used to transition from a square base to an octagonal top.