architecture. 
floors will often be of a less height than that 
of twice the breadth, as all the rooms in the 
same story have a communication with one 
another, the whole of the doors in that 
story will have one common height. 
The apertures of exterior doors placed in 
blank arcades are regulated by the im- 
posts, the top of the aperture being gene- 
rally made level with the springing of the 
arch ; or if the door has dressings which in- 
clude a cornice, the top of the cornice ought 
to be on the same level with the springing 
of the arch. With regard to the situation of 
the principal entrance, it is evident that the 
door should be in the middle, as it is not 
only more symmetrical, but will communi- 
cate more easily with all the parts of the 
building. In principal rooms doors of com- 
munication should at least be two feet dis- 
tant from the walls if possible, that furniture 
may be placed close to the door-side of the 
room. The most common method of adorn- 
ing doors is with an architrave surrounding 
the sides of the aperture, or with the archi- 
trave surmounted with a cornice forming an 
architrave cornice, or with the architrave 
frize and cornice forming a complete entab- 
lature. Sometimes the ends of the cornice 
are supported with consoles, placed one on 
each side of the architrave ; and each con- 
sole is most commonly attached to the head 
of a pilaster; sometimes the surrounding 
architrave is flanked with pilasters of the 
orders, or of some other analogical form. 
In this case, the projections of their bases 
and capitals are always within that of the 
architrave : the architrave over the capitals 
of the pilasters is the same as that of the 
head of the door, and the parts exactly of 
the same height, and projections profiling 
upon the sides of the surrounding architrave. 
Sometimes, either with or without these 
dressings, the door is also adorned with one 
of the five orders, or with columns support- 
ing a regular entablature, frequently sur- 
mounted with a pediment. Doors are also 
sometimes adorned with rustics, which may 
either be smooth, hatched, frosted, or ver- 
miculated ; but their outline must be sharp. 
The rustics are disposed in contiguity with 
each other, or are repeated by equal inter- 
vals : as to the shafts of columns the rustic 
cinctures may either be cylindrical or witli 
rectangular faces. In doors with rectangu- 
lar apertures and rusticated heads, the rus- 
tics are drawn from the vertex of an equila- 
teral triangle within the aperture. The en- 
trance doors of grand houses are often 
adorned with porticos, frequently in the 
manner of Grecian' temples ; sometimes the 
plan of the portico may be circular, which 
should never have less than three inter- 
columniations, as the entablature would ap- 
pear to overhang its base, in such a degree 
as to offend the eye of a beholder. 
Windows. A window is an aperture in 
a wall for the admission of light. The size 
of windows depends on the climate, the 
•ispect, the cuhature, the proportion, the 
destination, and the thickness of the walls 
of the place to be lighted ; as also on the 
number and distribution of windows in 
that place. It is not very easy, even with 
these data, to determine, with mathemati- 
cal exactness, the necessary quantity of 
light ; but in private houses, were beauty 
and proportion are required, the width of 
windows depends on the height of the prin- 
cipal story ; otherwise the apertures will he 
disproportionate figures of themselves, and 
also to the whole facade in which they are 
placed. 
The apertures of window's should not 
only he of shapely figures, and proportioned 
to the building, but the piers also should, in 
some measure, be regulated by the breadth 
of the apertures; at least, certain propor- 
tionable limits of this breadth ought to he 
assigned [to that of the piers, so as not to 
offend the eye by their being too clumsy 
or too small, and at the same time permit a 
less or greater quantity of light, for a 
greater or less depth of rooms. As to the 
size of the piers, considerable latitude may 
he taken ; but in genera), they should not 
he of less breadth than the apertures, nor 
more than twice that breadth. In a small 
building, with only three rooms and three 
windows in the length, the piers will neces- 
sarily be large. 
In buildings with a great number of win- 
dows in the length, where there are at 
least three windows in one or more princi- 
pal rooms ; and where there are no breaks, 
the breadth of the piers may he from once 
the breadth of the window, to once and a 
half that breadth ; but if there are columns, 
pilasters, or breaks, the breadth of the 
pier may be from once to twice that of the 
apertures, according as the breadth of the 
pilasters or columns may require, so as to 
leave a proper repose of wall upon the 
sides. 
The sills of windows should he from three 
feet to three feet six inches distant from 
the level of the floor, forming a parapet for 
leaning upon : these limits are the natural 
heights of the breasts of windows; but it 
