Architrave
In classical architecture, the architrave is the lowest section of the horizontal entablature. It acts as a lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the vertical columns. It is generally topped with a frieze and cornice. The architrave varies corresponding to the distinguishing features of the main architectural orders – Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.
Architraves can also be found in building interiors. Here, an architrave is a moulding that sits above a door, window or other opening, where the architrave extends across the top of the side mouldings to the opening.
However, in the modern construction industry, the term architrave it is frequently used to refer to any horizontal or vertical moulding that forms the surround to a door, window or other opening, the purpose of which is to conceal the joints between the wall or ceiling and the timber casings that form the opening.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Acroterion.
- Barrel vault.
- Bas-relief.
- Classical orders in architecture.
- Colonnade.
- Corbel.
- Cornice.
- Cornice coving and architrave definitions.
- Door terminology.
- Elements of classical columns.
- English architectural stylistic periods.
- Entablature.
- Fillet.
- Frieze.
- Lintel.
- Loggia.
- Moulding.
- Pediment.
- Pedestal.
- Pendentive dome.
- Pilaster.
- Soffit.
- Trompe l’oeil.
- Tympanum.
- Window frame.
[edit] External references
- DIY Data - Architrave
IHBC NewsBlog
Latest IHBC Issue of Context features Roofing
Articles range from slate to pitched roofs, and carbon impact to solar generation to roofscapes.
Three reasons not to demolish Edinburgh’s Argyle House
Should 'Edinburgh's ugliest building' be saved?
IHBC’s 2025 Parliamentary Briefing...from Crafts in Crisis to Rubbish Retrofit
IHBC launches research-led ‘5 Commitments to Help Heritage Skills in Conservation’
How RDSAP 10.2 impacts EPC assessments in traditional buildings
Energy performance certificates (EPCs) tell us how energy efficient our buildings are, but the way these certificates are generated has changed.
700-year-old church tower suspended 45ft
The London church is part of a 'never seen before feat of engineering'.
The historic Old War Office (OWO) has undergone a remarkable transformation
The Grade II* listed neo-Baroque landmark in central London is an example of adaptive reuse in architecture, where heritage meets modern sophistication.
West Midlands Heritage Careers Fair 2025
Join the West Midlands Historic Buildings Trust on 13 October 2025, from 10.00am.
Former carpark and shopping centre to be transformed into new homes
Transformation to be a UK first.
Canada is losing its churches…
Can communities afford to let that happen?
131 derelict buildings recorded in Dublin city
It has increased 80% in the past four years.