Glossary
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A
A/C
An abbreviation for air conditioner or air conditioning.
A/C Condenser
The outside fan unit of the air conditioning system. It removes the heat from the Freon gas and “turns” the gas back into a liquid, pumping the liquid back to the coil.
Access and Mobility AS 1428.1
This is an Australian Standard in place to ensure all areas that are accessible to disabled people are constructed in such a way that they are “Disabled friendly”.
Activity Based Working (ABW) ABW
provides employess with a choice of workplace settings dependant on their activity.
Aerator
Round screened screw-on tip of a sink spout – mixes water and air for a smooth flow.
Aggregate
Sharp clean stone that is mixed with sand and cement. A major component of concrete.
Allowance(s) (sometimes referred to as a PC Sum) (an abbreviation for Provisional Cost Sum or Prime Cost Sum)
Sum of money set aside in the construction contract for items which have not been selected and specified in the construction contract. For example, selection of tile as flooring may require an allowance for screed bed material, or an electrical allowance which sets aside an amount of money to be spent on electrical fixtures. Sometimes a PC Sum needs to be allowed when it is not possible to obtain an accurate quote due to insufficient information In this case work is costed based on an ‘educated guess’ with any shortfall or over-spending made up via a Variation or credit.
Anchor Bolts
Bolts to secure an item to concrete or masonry floor or wall.
AS
Abbreviation for Australian Standards
Astragal
Moulding, attached to one of a pair of swinging double doors, against which the other door strikes
Authority Approvals
Approval for works to proceed legally by any necessary authority i.e. local council, private certifiers or any other person in authority required to do so if the nature of the works means approval is required.
B
Back Charge
Billings for work performed or costs incurred by one party that, in accordance with the agreement, should have been performed or incurred by the party billed. Owners bill back charges to general contractors, and general contractor’s bill back charges to subcontractors. Examples of back charges include charges for cleanup work or to repair damage incurred by another subcontractor, e.g. a basin that has been chipped or broken window.
Backfill
Replacement of excavated earth into a trench around or against a basement /crawl space foundation wall.
Ballast
Transformer that steps up the voltage in a florescent lamp.
Balusters
Vertical members in a railing used between a top rail and bottom rail or the stair treads. Sometimes referred to as ‘pickets’ or ‘spindles’.
Balustrade
Rail, posts and vertical balusters along the edge of a stairway or elevated walkway.
Batten
Narrow strips of wood, metal or plastic used to cover joints or as decorative vertical members over plywood or other panels, also used to pack out surfaces for linings to be affixed to.
BCA
Abbreviation for Building Code of Australia.
Beam
Structural member transversely supporting a load. A structural member carrying building loads (weight) from one support to another. Sometimes called a “girder”.
Bi-fold Door
Doors that are hinged in the middle for opening in a smaller area than standard swing doors. Often used for closet doors.
Blue Print(s)
An old method of copying used for architectural drawings. Usually used to describe the drawing of a structure which is prepared by an architect or designer for the purpose of design and planning, estimating, securing permits and actual construction.
Boardroom Chair
Broadly speaking it is a medium to high back swivel only chair with arms, no height adjustment so after the meeting chairs are not looking untidy all sitting at different heights.
Bookcase
A set of shelves, sitting on the floor either fixed to a wall or free-standing, used for holding books, these units have no doors.
Brick Lintel
Metal angle iron that brick rests on, especially above a window, door, or other opening.
Brick Tie
Small, corrugated metal nailed to wall sheeting or studs. They are inserted into the grout mortar joint of the veneer brick, holding the veneer wall to the sheeted wall behind it.
Bulkhead
A lower or higher level ceiling to the main ceiling plane used either to encase services or provide a decorative feature, usually but not always constructed of plaster board and steel framing.
Butt Joint
Junction where the ends of two timbers meet, and also where sheets of gyprock meet on the 1200mm edge. To place materials end-to-end or end-to-edge without overlapping.
C
Cable port / outlet
A small plastic ring that fits in a hole in a desk top to allow cables to pass through, usually 64mm or 80mm
Carpet Backing
Holds the pile fabric in place.
Casement
Frames of wood or metal enclosing part (or all) of a window sash. May be opened by means of hinges affixed to the vertical edges.
Casement Window
Window with hinges on one of the vertical sides and swings open like a normal door.
Casing Bead
Aluminium or plastic trim moulding installed around a door, window opening or ceiling junction.
Cat 5e
An Abbreviation for Category 5 enhanced. It is data cabling generally used for phone and IT, will not reach gigabyte speed.
Cat 6
An Abbreviation for Category 6. It is data cabling generally used for phone and IT, can reach gigabyte speed if installed using the correct methods, generally speaking installation is approx. 30% dearer than its cat 5e counterpart.
Caulking
Flexible material used to seal a gap between two surfaces.
Cbd
Abbreviation for Cupboard, also an abbreviation for “Central Business District”
CC
Abbreviation for Construction Certificate (with reference to a council submission)
CCA (Copper Chrome Arsenate)
(often used in treated pine) Pesticide that is forced into wood under high pressure to protect it from termites, other wood boring insects and decay caused by fungus.
Ceiling Joist
One of a series of parallel framing members used to support ceiling loads and supported in turn by larger beams, girders or bearing walls. Also called “roof joists”.
Ceiling Tiles
Panels generally mineral fibre that sit into a ceiling grid system to close the ceiling, most common size fits a 1200 x 600 grid
Cement
Grey powder that is the “glue” in concrete. Portland cement. Also a generic term for any adhesive.
Ceramic Tile
Man-made or machine-made clay tile used to finish a floor or wall. Generally used in bathtub and shower enclosures and kitchen splashbacks.
Chair Rail
Interior trim material installed about 900 – 1200mm above finished floor level horizontally.
Chalk Line
Line made by snapping a taut string or cord dusted with chalk. Used for alignment purposes.
Chip Board
Manufactured wood panel made out of wood chips and glue. Often used as a substitute for plywood in the exterior wall and roof sheathing.
Circuit
Path of electrical flow from a power source through an outlet and back to ground.
Circuit Breaker
Device which looks like a switch and is usually located inside electrical breaker panel or circuit breaker box. Designed to (1) shut of the power to portions or all of the area; and (2) to limit the amount of power flowing through a circuit (measured in amperes).
Compactus
Broadly speaking it is a rolling bookcase storage unit where by steel bookcases move left to right to expose access to files etc… They normally come with a range of accessories and normally will require approval from a structural engineer prior to installation due to the weight they impose on the building structure.
Concrete
Mixture of Portland cement, sand, gravel and water. Used to make garage and basement floors, sidewalks, patios, foundation walls, etc. Commonly reinforced with steel rods (rebar) or wire screening (mesh).
CondensingUnit
Outdoor component of a cooling system. Includes a compressor and condensing coil designed to give off heat.
Conduit [electrical]
Pipe in which wire is installed, usually PVC but sometimes metal.
Consultant
An expert who charges a fee for providing advice or services in a particular field to service a client.
Control Joint
Tooled, straight grooves made on concrete floors to “control” where the concrete should crack.
Convection
Currents created by heating air, which rises and pulls cooler air behind it.
Credenza
A floor mounted cabinet normally 720mm high with either hinged or sliding doors.
Cupboard
A floor mounted cabinet normally at least 900mm high with either hinged or sliding doors.
D
“D” end Desk
A Desk with a “D” shaped end.
DA
Abbreviation for Development Application (with reference to a council submission).
DA/CC
Abbreviation for Development Application and Construction Certificate (with reference to a council submission).
Dacron
Dacron is a Trademark label for a polyester insulation used in partition walls, S2 is a standard rating used in a normal partition wall.
Dado
Groove cut into a board or panel intended to receive the edge of a connecting board or panel.
Dead Bolt
Exterior security lock installed on exterior entry doors that can be activated only with a key or thumb-turn. Unlike a latch, which has a bevelled tongue, dead bolts have square ends.
Dedicated Circuit
Electrical circuit that serves only one appliance (i.e.: hot water service).
Desk
A table with a broad flat top set at height of approximately 720mm, sometimes with drawers attached.
Desk top
The top only of a desk, usually this way when fixed to a workstation screen for support
Desk top fixing bracket A bracket
used in workstation construction that fixes the desk top to the screen.
DGPO
Abbreviation for Double General Power Outlet (Double Power Point).
Distribution Board or DB
Electrical box that distributes electric power entering a building to each branch circuit (each plug and switch) and composed of circuit breakers.
Door jamb
Surrounding case into which and out of which a door closes and opens.
Door Stop
Style that the door will rest upon when it’s in a closed position, also the terminology for the stop mounted at floor level that the door opens on to.
Double Glazing
Window or door in which two panes of glass are used with a sealed air space between, for acoustic and thermal insulation.