What is the wedge-shaped stone at the top center of an arch called?
AnswerKeystone
The keystone is placed last and locks the other stones of the arch in position.
Arts · Facts & stats
Architect facts & stats
8 fact-checked facts about architecture, each with the reason behind it. 4 more are in today's round and join this page after it closes.
The basics
What is a drawing that shows a building's rooms as seen from above called?
AnswerA floor plan
A floor plan shows the layout of walls, doors and rooms as if cut horizontally and seen from above.
Going deeper
Flying buttresses are a hallmark of which architectural style?
AnswerGothic
Flying buttresses carried roof loads outward, letting Gothic cathedrals have tall walls and big windows.
Which ancient Roman building has a huge concrete dome with an open hole, or oculus, at the top?
AnswerThe Pantheon
Rome's Pantheon dome is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.
The Taj Mahal stands in which Indian city?
AnswerAgra
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the white marble mausoleum in Agra in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Frank Lloyd Wright's house Fallingwater is built over what natural feature?
AnswerA waterfall
Fallingwater, in Pennsylvania, sits directly above a waterfall on Bear Run creek.
Expert level
Who engineered the great dome of Florence Cathedral, completed in 1436?
AnswerFilippo Brunelleschi
Brunelleschi used a double shell and herringbone brickwork to build the dome without full wooden centering.
Jørn Utzon, the architect of the Sydney Opera House, came from which country?
AnswerDenmark
Danish architect Jørn Utzon won the 1957 design competition for the Sydney Opera House.
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