Fenestration
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Fenestration (from ‘fenêtre’ – French for window) is a term used to describe the arrangement, quality, quantity or aesthetic characteristics of the totality of windows on a building’s façade.
This is as opposed to the term 'glazing' which refers specifically to the glass components of a building's façade or internal surfaces, or 'window' which refers to individual units of glazing.
Usage of the term fenestration may include the following:
- The number of bricks to be used for the facade will depend on the fenestration (the more windows there are the fewer bricks will be needed).
- The architect decreed that the fenestration should conform to strict rules of rectilinear geometry and alignment.
- The client insisted on Gothic-style fenestration.
- The fenestration formed part of a regular, alternating rhythm of solid and void which lent the façade a dynamic quality.
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