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parapet

 
Dictionary: par·a·pet   (păr'ə-pĭt, -pĕt') pronunciation
n.
  1. A low protective wall or railing along the edge of a raised structure such as a roof or balcony.
  2. An earthen or stone embankment protecting soldiers from enemy fire. See synonyms at bulwark.

[French, from Italian parapetto : parare, to shield; see parasol + petto, chest (from Latin pectus).]


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n. a protective wall or earth defense along the top of a trench or other place of concealment for troops.

parapeted adj.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Architecture: parapet
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1. A low guarding wall at any point of sudden drop, as at the edge of a terrace, roof, battlement, balcony, etc.
2. A defense wall.
3. In an exterior wall, fire wall, or party wall, the part entirely above the roof.



[Co]

An outer wall protecting soldiers moving along a walkway around the top of a fort or town defences.

Word Tutor: parapet
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A wall or elevation of earth or stone to protect soldiers. Also: a low wall or railing to protect the edge of a roof, bridge, or platform.

pronunciation The law requires a parapet on roofs used for recreation.

Wikipedia: Parapet
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A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a fire wall or party wall.[1]

Contents

Building parapets

Sloping roof of King's College Chapel, Cambridge showing elaborate parapets.

The word comes ultimately from the Italian parapetto (parare = to cover/defend and petto =breast). The German term Brustwehr has the same significance.

Parapets may be plain, embattled, perforated or panelled, which are not mutually exclusive terms.

  • Plain parapets are upward extensions of the wall, sometimes with a coping at the top and corbel below.
  • Embattled parapets may be panelled, but are pierced, if not purely as stylistic device, for the discharge of defensive projectiles.
  • Perforated parapets are pierced in various designs such as circles, trefoils, quatrefoils.
  • Panelled parapets are ornamented by a series of panels, either oblong or square, and more or less enriched, but not perforated. These are common in the Decorated and Perpendicular periods.

Parapet roofs

A pub with a parapet hiding the sloping roof

Parapets surrounding roofs are extremely common in London. This dates from the Building Act of 1707 which banned projecting wooden eaves in the cities of Westminster and London as a fire risk. Instead an 18-inch brick parapet was required, with the roof set behind. This was continued in many Georgian houses, as it gave the appearance of a flat roof which accorded with the desire for classical proportions.

Fire Wall parapets

Many firewalls are required to have a parapet, a portion of the wall extending above the roof. The parapet is required to be as fire resistant as the lower wall. It is required to extend at least 30" above the roof. If the roof slopes at a rate of 2 in 12 or greater (16.7-percent slope), the parapet shall extend to the same height as any portion of the roof within a fire separation distance where protection of wall openings is required, but in no case shall the height be less than 30 inches (762mm)[2]. Exterior walls that require to be fire protected are often required to have a parapet, but there are exceptions. *note* If the roofing material is combustible, it must stop 18" minimum from the top of the wall.[3]

Bridge parapets

Parapets on bridges and other highway structures (such as retaining walls) prevent users from falling off where there is a drop. They may also be meant to restrict views, to prevent rubbish passing below, and to act as noise barriers.

Bridge parapets may be made from any material, but structural steel, aluminium, timber and reinforced concrete are common. They may be of solid or framed construction.

In European standards, parapets are defined as a sub-category of "vehicle restraint systems" or "pedestrian restraint systems".

See also

References

  1. ^ Ching, Francis D. K. (1995). A Visual Dictionary of Architecture. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, ISBN 0-442-02462-2. p. 266
  2. ^ "NC Building State Building Code: Building Code", page 90.,January,2009
  3. ^ Jefferis,Smith,Spence:"Commercial Materials & Construction Detailing", page 145.Thompson,December,2007

External links


Translations: Parapet
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - rækværk, brystværn

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    undgå risici
  • put one's head above the parapet    tage risici

Nederlands (Dutch)
borstwering, balustrade

Français (French)
n. - (Archit, Mil) parapet

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    éviter de prendre des risques
  • put one's head above the parapet    (fig) prendre des risques

Deutsch (German)
n. - Brüstung, Brustwehr

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    Risiko vermeiden
  • put one's head above the parapet    ein Risiko eingehen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (οικοδ.) θωράκιο, παραπέτο, στηθαίο

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    δεν εκτίθεμαι σε κινδύνους
  • put one's head above the parapet    εκτίθεμαι σε κινδύνους

Italiano (Italian)
parapetto

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    mettersi dietro le quinte
  • put one's head above the parapet    farsi avanti

Português (Portuguese)
n. - parapeito (m)

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    manter-se longe de perigos
  • put one's head above the parapet    expor-se a perigos

Русский (Russian)
парапет, бруствер

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    вмешиваться, рисковать
  • put one's head above the parapet    не вмешиваться, не рисковать

Español (Spanish)
n. - parapeto, pretil

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    evitar el riesgo, mantenerse a buen recaudo
  • put one's head above the parapet    asumir el riesgo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - balustrad, räcke, bröstvärn

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
栏杆, 胸墙, 扶手

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    躲在护墙下
  • put one's head above the parapet    头伸出在护墙以上

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 欄杆, 胸牆, 扶手

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    躲在護牆下
  • put one's head above the parapet    頭伸出在護牆以上

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 난간, 흉벽, 흉장

idioms:

  • keep one's head below the parapet    위험을 감수하다
  • put one's head above the parapet    위험을 피하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 手すり, 胸壁

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) متراس, , حاجزز السقف أو الجسر أو الشرفه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮סוללת-עפר, תל-חזה, חומת-מגן, מעקה‬


 
 
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