Best Civil Engineering Dictionary For Architects, Mason, Engineers and Contractor

Civil Engineering Dictionary – Best Civil Engineering Dictionary and Definitions site For Site Engineers, Structural Engineers, Architects, Mason, Civil Engineers, Planner, Drafter and Contractor.

This glossary defines some of the common terminology related to civil engineering in particular, and construction in general. More information on each concept is provided in the links.

Best Civil Engineering Dictionary

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

A Dictionary (glossary) of Construction, Surveying and Civil Engineering | Check our civil engineering abbreviations dictionary here.

Civil Engineering Related Words Starting With A

Access	A clear approach to a plot or a building.
Act	The Act of the Local Body/Authority concerned.
Addition and / or Alteration	A change from one occupancy to another, or a structural change including an addition to the area or change in height or the removal of part of building, or any change to the structure, such as the construction or removal or cutting into of any wall or part of a wall, partition, column, beam, joist, floor including a mezzanine floor or other support, or a change to or closing of any required means of access ingress or egress or a change to fixtures or equipment” as provided in these Bye-Laws.
Advertising Sign	Any surface or structure with characters, letters or illustrations applied thereto and displayed in any manner whatsoever outdoors for the purpose of advertising or giving information or to attract the public to any place, person, public performance, article, or merchandise, and which surface or structure is attached to, forms part of, or is connected with any building, or is fixed to a tree or to the ground or to any pole, screen, fence or hoarding or displayed in space, or in or over any water body included in the jurisdiction of the Authority.
Air-conditioning	The process of treating air so as to control simultaneously its temperature, humidity, purity, distribution and air movement and pressure to meet the requirements of the conditioned space.
Amenity	Amenity includes roads, street, open spaces, parks, recreational grounds, play grounds, gardens, water supply, electric supply, street lighting, sewerage, drainage, public works and other utilities, services and conveniences.
Application	An application made in such form as may be prescribed by the Authority from time to time.
Approved	As approved / sanctioned by the Authority under applicable Bye-Laws.
Architect	A person holding a graduate degree in Bachelor of Architecture from any institute recognized by the Council of Architecture (COA) and has his/her name entered in the register of COA for the time being, with a valid COA Registration number. (Please see Appendix “E”- Qualification and Competence of Technical Personnel for Preparation of Schemes for Building Permit and Supervision).
Architect / Professional on record	An architect/Competent professional who is brought on record to represent his/her client for a construction project, to act on their behalf regarding building permits and process of construction. He / She may be registered with the Authority for the cause.
Area	In relation to a building means the superficies of a horizontal section thereof made at the plinth level inclusive of the external walls and of such portions of the party walls as belong to the building
Authority	The Authority which has been created by a statute and which, for the purpose of administering the Code/Part, may authorize a committee or an official or an agency to act on its behalf; hereinafter called the ‘Authority’. Authority can be any Urban Local Body/Urban Development Authority/Industrial Development Authority or any other authority as notified by the State Government as the case may be.

Civil Engineering Related Words Starting With B

Balcony	A horizontal projection, cantilevered or otherwise including a parapet” handrail, balustrade, to serve as a passage or sit out place.
Barsati	A habitable room/rooms on the roof of the building with or without toilet / kitchen.
Basement or Cellar	The lower storey of a building, below or partly below the ground level, with one or more than one levels.
Building Envelope	The horizontal spatial limits up to which a building may be permitted to be constructed on a plot.
Building Line	The line upto which the plinth of building adjoining a street or an extension of a street or on a future street may lawfully extend and includes the lines prescribed, if any, in any scheme and/or development plan. The building line may change from time-to-time as decided by the Authority.

Civil Engineering Related Words Starting With B

Cabin	A non-residential enclosure constructed of non-load bearing partitions.
Carpet Area	The net usable floor area of an apartment, excluding the area covered by the external walls, area under service shafts, exclusive balcony or verandah and exclusive open terrace area, but includes the area covered by the internal partition walls of the apartment.
Chajja	A sloping or horizontal structural overhang provided over openings on external walls for protection from the weather.
Chimney	A construction by means of which a flue is formed for the purpose of carrying products of combustion to the open air and includes a chimneystack and flue pipe.
Construction	Any erection of a structure or a building, including any addition or extension thereto either vertically or horizontally, but does not include, any reconstruction, repair and renovation of an existing structure or building, or, construction, maintenance and cleansing of drains and drainage works and of public latrines, urinals and similar conveniences, or, the construction and maintenance of works meant for providing supply of water for public, or, the construction or maintenance, extension, management for supply and distribution of electricity to the public; or provision for similar facilities for publicity.
Conversion	The change from one occupancy to other occupancy or any change in building structure or part thereof resulting in a change of space and use requiring additional occupancy certificate.
Cornice	Cornice means a sloping or horizontal structural overhang usually provided over openings or external walls to provide protection from sun and rain.
Courtyard	A space permanently open to sky, enclosed fully or partially by buildings and may be at ground level or any other level within or adjacent to a building.

Civil Engineering Related Words Starting With D

Damp Proof Course	A course consisting of some appropriate water proofing material provided to prevent penetration of dampness or moisture.
Density	The residential density expressed in terms of the number of dwelling units per hectare.
Development	‘Development’ with grammatical variations means the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations, in, or over, or under land or water, on the making of any material change, in any building or land, or in the use of any building, land, and includes re-development and layout and subdivision of any land and ‘to develop’ shall be construed accordingly.
Drain	A conduit or channel for the carriage of storm water, sewage, waste water or other waterborne wastes in a building drainage system.
Drainage system	A system or a line of pipes, with their fittings and accessories, such as manholes, inspection chambers, traps, gullies, floor traps used for drainage of building or yards appurtenant to the buildings within the same cartilage; and includes an open channel for conveying surface water or a system for the removal of any waste water.
Dwelling	A building or a portion thereof which is designed or used wholly or principally for residential purposes for one family.

Civil Engineering Related Words Starting With E

Empanelled Architect	A person empanelled by the Authority as per rules under the bye-laws as an authorized person to sanction building plans of residential buildings upto 15 m. in height and for plot sizes upto 500 sqm, forming part of any approved lay-out plan.
Encroachment	Encroachment means an act to enter into the possession or rights either of permanent or temporary nature on a land or built up property of local body or state/ central Government.
Enclosed Staircase	Enclosed Staircase means a staircase separated by fire resistant walls and doors from the rest of the building.
Existing Building	A building or structure existing authorisedly with the approval of the Authority before the commencement of these Bye-Laws.
Existing Use	Use of a building or structure existing authorisedly with the approval of the Authority before the commencement of these Bye-Laws.
External Wall	An outer wall of a building not being a party wall even though adjoining to a wall of another building and also means a wall abutting on an interior open space of any building.

Civil Engineering Related Words Starting With F

Floor	The lower surface in a storey on which one normally walks in a building, and does not include a mezzanine floor. The floor at ground level with direct access to a street or open space shall be called the ground floor; the floor above it shall be termed as floor- 1, with the next higher floor being termed as floor- 2, and so on upwards.
Floor Area Ratio (FAR)	The quotient obtained by dividing the combined covered area (plinth area) of all floors, excepting areas specifically exempted under these regulations, by the total area of the plot
Fire and/or Emergency Alarm System	Fire alarm system comprises of components for manually or automatically detecting a fire, initiating an alarm of fire and initiating other actions as appropriate.
Fire Lift	Fire Lift Means a special lift designed for the use of fire service personnel in the event of fire or other emergency.
Fire Proof Door	Fire Proof Door means a door or shutter fitted to a wall opening, and constructed and erected with the requirement to check the transmission of heat and fire for a period.
Fire Pump	Fire Pump means a machine, driven by external power for transmitting energy to fluids by coupling the pump to a suitable engine or motor, which may have varying outputs/capacity but shall be capable of having a pressure of 3.2 kg/cm2 at the topmost level of multi-storey or high rise building.
Fire Pump-Booster Fire Pump	Fire Pump-Booster Fire Pump means a mechanical/electrical device that boots up the water pressure at the top level of a multi-storeyed / high-rise building and which is capable of a pressure of 3.2 kg/cm2 at the nearest point.
Fire Separation	Fire Separation means the distance in meters measured from any other building on the site or from another site, or from the opposite side of a street or other public space to the building.
Fire Service Inlet	Fire Service Inlet means a connection provided at the base of a building for pumping up water through in built fire-fighting arrangements by fire service pumps in accordance; with the recommendation of the Chief Fire Officer.
Fire Tower	Fire Tower means an enclosed staircase that can only be approached from the various floors through landings or lobbies separated from both the floor area and the staircase by fire resistant doors and open to the outer air.
Fire Resisting Building	Fire Resisting Building means a building in which material, which has, appropriate degree of fire resistance is used.
Footing	A foundation unit constructed in brickwork, stone masonry or concrete under the base of a wall or column for the purpose of distributing the load over a larger area.
Foundation	A substructure supporting an arrangement of columns or walls in a row or rows transmitting the loads to the soil.
Front Air Plane	The plane contained between the ground in front of the building and the straight lines drawn downwards and outwards from the line of intersection of the outer surface of any front wall of the building with the roof perpendicular to that line, and at an angle of 63-1/2 degrees to the horizontal

Civil Engineering Related Words Starting With G

Gallery	An intermediate floor or platform projecting from a wall of an auditorium or a hall providing extra floor area, and/additional seating accommodation and includes the structures provided for seating in stadia.
Garage (Private)	A building or a portion thereof designed and used for the parking of vehicle.
Garage (Public)	A building or portion thereof, designed other than as a private garage, operated for gain, designed and/or used for repairing, servicing, using, selling or storing or parking motor driven or other vehicles.
Ground Floor	Ground Floor shall mean storey, which has its floor surface nearest to the ground around the building.
Group Housing	Group Housing means a building unit constructed or to be constructed with one or more floors having more than two dwelling units having common service facilities where land is owned jointly (as in the case of co-operative societies or the public agencies, such as local authorities or housing boards, etc) and the construction is undertaken by one Agency.

Civil Engineering Related Words Starting With G

platform	“platform” means any structure which is placed on or covers or projects over any street or any open drain and includes balconies or other extension of buildings projecting at any height over such street or drain;
Preservation	“Preservation” means and includes maintaining the fabric of a place in its existing state and retarding deterioration
private drain	“private drain” means any drain which is not a municipal drain;
private street	“private street” means any street, road, lane, gully, alley, passage or square which is not a public street, and includes any passage securing access to four or more premises belonging to the same or different owners, but does not include a passage provided in effecting a partition of any masonry building amongst joint owners where such passage is less than two metres and fifty centimetres wide

Civil Engineering Related Words Starting With R

Reconstruction	“Reconstruction” means and includes returning a place as nearly as possible to a known earlier state and distinguished by the introduction of materials (new or old) into the fabric. This shall not include either recreation or conjectural reconstruction.
Restoration	“Restoration” means and includes returning the existing fabric of a place to a known earlier state by removing accretions or by reassembling existing components without introducing new materials.