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UNDERSTAND YOUR BUILDING PROJECT

Construction dictionary

Does ‘ring beam’ sound like something at the gym? Does ‘footing’ make you think of footwear? Look up a word from your project and discover what it means, in plain language.

Muestras de ladrillo, hormigón, madera y acero sobre una mesa de obra; imagen ilustrativa
2,147 construction and renovation terms9 specialtiesEasy-to-understand definitions

Building terms, clearly explained.

2,147 terms found

Foundations and structures

Soil cohesion

Cohesión del suelo

Shear-strength component represented by the intercept of an adopted soil failure envelope.

Foundations and structures

Soil compaction

Compactación del terreno

Mechanical densification of soil by reducing voids, mainly by removing air between particles.

Foundations and structures

Soil compressibility

Compresibilidad del terreno

Tendency of soil to decrease in volume when the applied pressure increases.

Foundations and structures

Soil consolidation

Consolidación del terreno

Progressive reduction in saturated soil volume as excess pore-water pressures dissipate.

Foundations and structures

Soil liquefaction

Licuefacción del suelo

Major strength loss in saturated soils as pore pressures rise during cyclic loading.

Foundations and structures

Soil porosity

Porosidad del suelo

Fraction of the total soil volume occupied by voids between its particles.

Foundations and structures

Soil shear strength

Resistencia al corte del suelo

Ability of soil to resist relative sliding between portions of its mass.

Foundations and structures

Soil unit weight

Peso específico del suelo

Weight of soil per unit volume, used to evaluate loads and ground pressures.

Foundations and structures

Soil-structure interaction

Interacción suelo-estructura

Mutual influence between ground deformation and the response of the supported structure.

Insulation and damp

Solar absorptance

Absortancia solar

Fraction of incident solar radiation absorbed by a surface and mainly converted into thermal energy.

Electrical and HVAC systems

Solar cable

Cable solar

Cable designed for photovoltaic connections and the exposure conditions typical of those installations.

Electrical and HVAC systems

Solar charge controller

Regulador de carga solar

Device managing energy from solar panels that is used to charge a battery.

Insulation and damp

Solar control

Control solar

Measures regulating incoming solar radiation to manage daylight and thermal loads in the building.

Electrical and HVAC systems

Solar drainback system

Sistema solar drainback

Installation draining collectors into a tank when circulation through the solar circuit stops.

Insulation and damp

Solar factor

Factor solar

Fraction of incident solar energy entering through glazing, directly and through secondary heat transfer.

Insulation and damp

Solar heat gain

Ganancia solar

Thermal energy added to a building by solar radiation reaching its enclosure surfaces.

Electrical and HVAC systems

Solar irradiance

Irradiancia solar

Power of solar radiation reaching a surface per unit of its area.

Insulation and damp

Solar reflectance

Reflectancia solar

Fraction of solar radiation that a surface reflects rather than absorbing or transmitting.

Insulation and damp

Solar reflectance index

Índice de reflectancia solar

Indicator combining reflectance and emissivity to compare solar heating of surfaces under defined conditions.

Insulation and damp

Solar shading overhang

Voladizo de protección solar

Projecting element above an opening casting shade according to the position of the sun.

Electrical and HVAC systems

Solar thermal fraction

Fracción solar térmica

Share of heat demand met by the solar installation over a specified period.

Electrical and HVAC systems

Solar thermal primary circuit

Circuito primario solar térmico

Circuit carrying heat from solar collectors to a heat exchanger or storage tank.

Insulation and damp

Solar-control glass

Vidrio de control solar

Glass whose composition or coating limits solar energy passing through the building’s glazing.

Masonry and materials

Solid brick

Ladrillo macizo

Brick with a limited proportion of voids under its technical classification.

Joinery and finishes

Solid wood

Madera maciza

Naturally cut timber, rather than wood reconstructed from particles or fibres.

Joinery and finishes

Solid wood flooring

Tarima maciza

Flooring of wooden boards made from one continuous piece through their full thickness.

Joinery and finishes

Solid-core door

Puerta de núcleo macizo

Door that fills most of the leaf interior with solid material.

Joinery and finishes

Solvent

Disolvente

Liquid substance dissolving certain components within a paint or adhesive product formulation.

Insulation and damp

Sound absorption

Absorción acústica

Conversion of some sound energy into other forms, reducing the sound reflected from surfaces.

Insulation and damp

Sound absorption coefficient

Coeficiente de absorción acústica

Ratio of sound energy absorbed by a surface to incident energy under specified testing conditions.

Insulation and damp

Sound insulation

Aislamiento acústico

Measures reducing the transmission of noise between spaces or from the outside environment.

Insulation and damp

Sound reduction index

Índice de reducción sonora

Quantity describing an element’s ability to reduce transmitted sound at each measured frequency band.

Masonry and materials

Spall packing

Ripiado

Filling spaces between rubble stones with small stones compatible with the masonry.

Insulation and damp

Spandrel wall

Antepecho

Facade section below a window opening and above the level of the internal floor.

Joinery and finishes

Spatterdash coat

Salpicado de agarre

Discontinuous sprayed mortar layer creating roughness to receive a subsequent render covering.

Joinery and finishes

SPC flooring

Pavimento SPC

Vinyl flooring with a rigid core composed mainly of polymer and mineral fillers.

Insulation and damp

Specific heat capacity

Calor específico

Energy needed to raise the temperature of a unit mass of material by one degree.

Work and tools

Specification document

Pliego de condiciones

Document recording the technical requirements and criteria for carrying out the work.

Electrical and HVAC systems

Split system

Sistema split

Climate control with separate units connected to one another through refrigerant pipes.

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Technical references consulted

Definitions written in plain language using technical reference documentation.