Architecture Glossary P

Stuck for the meaning to some architecture terminology? Have you read something you don’t quite understand?

Browse our Architecture Glossary and learn more about your future home improvements:

Party wall – a wall shared by the owners of two adjoining buildings that separates the properties
Party wall surveyor – someone who specialises in resolving disputes between the owners of the party wall
Photo real –
Plan drawer – someone who creates 2D or 3D representations of a building, including its size shape and proportions
Planed all round – wood that’s ready to use as it’s planed, not rough or sawn
Planning consultant – people that offer advice relating to the planning, development and environmental issues which surround a project
Planning officer – people who generally work for local planning authorities and are involved in managing a wide range of developments, from private dwellings to large infrastructure projects
Plumber – someone who fits and maintains systems used for potable (drinkable) water, sewage and drainage systems
Point cloud – a set of data points in space, generally produced by a 3D scanner, which can represent the surface of an object
PPC aluminium – aluminium that’s polyester power coated, so it has a bright, shiny and durable finish
Preliminaries – may appear in tender documents and provide a description of the project and the requirements for execution, so the contractor can asses the cost
Principle contractor – they are appointed by the client to take control over the construction phase of a building, including planning and managing health and safety
Principle designer – a designer appointed by the client to take control over the pre-construction phase of any project
Project manager – someone in charge of the planning and execution of a project
Provisional sum – an allowance, usually estimated by the cost consultant, for a specific element of the project, but it isn’t accurate enough for the tenderers to actually price