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Identifying feature

Exposed structure

A building's frame, beams, trusses (triangles of linked beams), pipes or ducts left visible instead of hidden behind walls or ceilings. It is a defining feature of High-tech architecture.

a sign of these styles

A-frame house, United States: an example of A-Frame A-Frame c. 1950–1975 A roof that is the whole house: one dramatic triangle with glass gable ends and a loft under the peak. Narkomfin Building, Moscow, Russia: an example of Constructivism Constructivism c. 1920–1932 Soviet buildings of stacked cubes and cylinders, with glazed stair towers, corner windows, cantilevered blocks and no ornament. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain: an example of Deconstructivism Deconstructivism c. 1985–present Fragmented, colliding volumes and tilted planes: controlled architectural chaos. Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan: an example of Japanese Traditional Japanese Traditional c. 700–present Timber frames, deep sheltering eaves, sliding paper screens, and verandas, all sized to the tatami mat. TWA Flight Center, New York: an example of Neo-Futurism Neo-Futurism c. 1990–present Sculptural techno-optimism: sweeping white shells, skeletal ribs, and winglike canopies. Centre Pompidou, Paris, France: an example of Structuralism / High-Tech Structuralism / High-Tech c. 1960–1990 The building turned inside out: exposed frames, ducts and elevators on the outside, painted in bright colors. Bosco Verticale, Milan, Italy: an example of Sustainable / Green Sustainable / Green c. 1990–present Performance made visible: planted roofs and walls, sun-shading fins, solar panels, and exposed timber structure.

also seen on

Ancient ChineseBrutalismContemporary ModernCritical RegionalismGoogieInternational StyleMid-Century ModernParametricism

often seen with

Flat roof A roof that is level or nearly level, often edged by a low wall called a parapet. Cantilever A beam, floor or part of a building that projects beyond its support and is anchored at only one end. Curtain wall An outer wall of glass and metal panels hung on a building's steel or concrete frame, carrying only its own… Piloti Columns, called pilotis, that raise a building one floor above the ground and leave the ground level open. Deep eave overhang Roof edges, called eaves, that extend well beyond the walls. Modular repetition A facade built from one identical unit, such as a window and its frame, repeated in a regular grid. Corner window A window that wraps around a building's corner with no post at the corner. Ribbon window A continuous horizontal row of windows across a facade, separated only by thin mullions (upright bars).