Style guide for Architectural Record
Compiled December 2010 by Josh Garrett-Davis and Sara Marcus, updated 4/2011
Abbreviations The United States of America can be shortened only to the United
States. As a noun, the name should not be abbreviated as either the U.S.A. or the
U.S.; the initials, however, may be used adjectivally (the U.S. economy). St. Louis, but
Fort Worth. Spell out state names in running text; use longer (AP-style) state
abbreviations in captions and project credits; use postal abbreviations for contact
addresses.
Academic degrees Follow Merriam-Websters for degrees: BA, MA, PhD, etc. But:
M.Arch., B.Arch.
Acronyms Acronyms of five or more letters are rendered in small caps. Typographical
oddities in the names of architecture firms and the like, however, are to be preserved.
Apostrophes Follow Chicago rules for adding apostrophes to form possessives. n.b. (per
Chicago 7.19): For proper nouns that are plural in form, add an apostrophe: Cambridge
Seven Associates offices.
Architecture movements and schools Almost always cap when referring to a specific
school of architecture. Some are listed in the Word List. There is some gray area,
especially with terms like Modern and Minimalist. Use your best judgment for these
cases. (This is an exception to Chicago 16, 8.78.)
Architectural Record (title) Render the title in small caps: ARCHITECTURAL RECORD. Or,
for sake of brevity, RECORD. For fishbacks: [RECORD, January 1988, pages 2732].
Exceptions to the small-caps rule can be made for display type. There is a paragraph style
in InCopy for small caps, to get the right size.
Bad Breaks Avoid these breaks: 16//million, high-den-//sity (two hyphens on one line),
rein-//force (potential misreading)
Bullets and Slugs No bullet/slug at the end of sidebars.
Captions Directionals follow these formats: Photo below right. Top, middle, bottom,
opposite, above, below. Note the bell tower, right of center in photo bottom right. If two
numbered photos share a caption, comma and space between numbers: 2., 3.: Blah blah
blah.
Colons Capitalize a full sentence following a colon.
Commas ARCHITECTURAL RECORD uses the serial comma.
Credits/Sources
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For Building Types Study articles and other building reviews, the Credits should come in
this order (not every category is used in every story): Project, Architect, Architect for
Renovation, Architect of Record, Engineers, Consultants, General Contractor, Client,
Size, Cost, Completion Date. Then Sources should be in the same font as Credits but
inside the blue box. The parenthetical info for Engineers should be in adjective form
(e.g., mechanical, structural), but the parenthetical form for Consultants should be a
noun (e.g., lighting, photovoltaics, acoustics).
Dashes Use en dashes to indicate ranges of numbers (see Numbers for more on this) and
open compounds (New Yorkbased firm).
Drawings and legends In drawings, if phrases are needed, use them without periods. Use
all lower case (escept proper names). Avoid phrases requiring commas. In legends, use
uppercase for first letter after a numberi.e., 1. Gymnasium. Place numbers on
drawings in a logical order for the reader, either top to bottom or from the entrance in a
linear way to the most distant item. Label only the most essential spaces. In annotations
on architectural diagrams, if there are multiple classrooms, each denoted by a 5, the
legend should read 5. Classroom.
Firm names: One firm is an it or the architect. Two firms are a they or the
architects. If the firm name is not in English cap as if it were, contra Chicago 16 (11.8);
e.g., Huygen Installatie Adviseurs). In running text and most display type, drop the Inc.,
LLP, Corp., etc, from a company name. Retain in project credits, but without the
preceding comma: Designing architect: The Taliesin Partnership LLP.
Folios In the lines running across the top of pages that specify the location of a given
project, list city and, if the city is not on the dateline list, state or country.
Geography U.K., not England. New York City, not Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, etc.
(Boroughs can be used for additional information, but a New York Citybased firm, John
Spur of New York City (not the Bronx, New York). In display text, use NYC with no
periods. Foreign street names follow this style: on the rue de Svres in Pariss 6th
arrondissement.
Headline capitalization In article headlines, follow the rules for headline capitalization
in Chicago 8.157: Lowercase all prepositions unless used adjectivally or adverbially (e.g.,
Designers Step Up). Sentence cap for headlines on letters to the editor. Headline cap all
article titles (including News) in the table of contents.
Numbers (also see special numbers section below)
Note that Architectural Record errs on the side of over-clarity with regard to dimensions.
This can create sometimes seemingly almost redundant phrases, such as 14-foot-high
ceilings or 80-foot-tall tower, but being over-obvious is preferable to being unclear.
95 degrees Fahrenheit, but 95F for display text and Products section.
10-by-15-inch tiles, but 10 x 15" in display text and Products section.
No space between number and fraction in 13.
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Decimals less than 1 take a zero: 0.32.
Ranges of years: 199598, 200005, 200108, 19992001
The 1980s, the 80s (after first reference to decade in full)
A 10-feet-wide-by-7-feet-high piece of concrete (if the distinction makes a difference)
number one (not #1)
For page numbers in references: pages 8087 (not 807, not pp. 8087). Never p. or pp.
If pages are not sequential, say page 88 et seq.
Phone numbers: 212/512-3456 x301; +44/171/777-8765
Online material: References to online materials take periods at the end: For expanded
video coverage of this project, visit our web or iPad edition. Or visit our website.
Photo credits:
Where one photographer has supplied all the photos used in the story, the credit should
read Jeff Goldberg/Esto photos (no closing period). Use except as noted when
other photographers are involved. For example, Jeff Goldberg/Esto photos, except as
noted; courtesy Joe Blow (left and below) or Courtesy Joe Blow (2, 3) (space between
numbers, as in captions).
Images supplied by nonprofessionals need not be credited, though Courtesy Mildred
Schmertz Architects could be used. The appropriate credit for an architect-supplied
photo with a named photographer is Courtesy Foster + Partners/Nigel Young. The
work of professional modelmakers and renderers may also be credited: Mildred
Schmertz, renderer. Courtesy Joe Blow (no ). No closing period. Italicize names of
publications.
Prefixes/suffixes
Follow the rules in Chicago 16, 7.85, with the following exception. For the suffix -like,
follow the rule in Chicago 15: Close up, except in the case of proper nouns, words ending
in a double l, words of three or more syllables, or to avoid a cumbersome appearance.
Products section Use postal abbreviations for states. Use % instead of percent. Use
straight quotes for dimensions instead of spelling out. Abbreviate temperatures (95F).
Projects section Consultants credits: structural, acoustical, etc.
Proper names No space between initials used as first or middle names (C.J. Hughes,
etc.). Try to keep initials and surnames together on the same line. For names with van,
de, al, etc., Always lowercase the particle, even when the first name isnt there,
unless we know the person prefers otherwise (or its at the beginning of a sentence or the
beginning of a line or element in a sidebar).
Spacing of typographic elements
One space between each point in an ellipsis: . . .
One space between single and double quotation marks: She wouldnt stop singing
Fernando, he grumbled.
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Table of contents Items have a period at the end. All headlines take headline
capitalization. For geography, use just city name if the city is on a dateline list, otherwise
list city plus state or country.
Trademarks We do not use TM or R designations, but if youre referring to a
trademarked product, use the capitalized spelling. If you cant verify that its the
trademarked product, use the generic term (drywall for Sheetrock, etc.).
Universities In features such as Design Vanguard and The Emerging Architect, where
universities and degrees are being listed, give city (and country, if not on dateline list) for
all but the most obvious foreign universities: Tsinghua University, Beijing. Do not
repeat geographical information contained in the institutions name. No geographical
information for U.S. universities unless necessary for disambiguation (e.g., Miami
University, Ohio). For U.S. universities with more than one campus: University of
California, Berkeley. Cut as needed to fit.
URLs: okay to drop the http://
Word List
New York City (in running text); New York, NY (in addresses)
on-site, off-site (even following a verb: The components were assembled on-site.)
Ultra-high-performance building
Numbers
1. Spell out one through nine.
2. Spell out first through ninth.
3. Spell out numbers that start sentences.
4. Use numerals with millions, billions, and trillions and percentages.
5. When two or more like things are quantified in a sentence, paragraph, or series of paragraphs,
the largest number governs whether the number is spelled out or written numerically.
6. All measurements, including time, take numerals.
7. super and subscript numbers should be in 6 points, in 8 point text.
Combined, the two collections hold 6,500 books.
Who will be the first architect born in the 21st century?
Twenty-five trusses supported the roof.
A five-story house
faced with 44,444 ceramic tiles
6 million square feet, 6 million-square-foot complex
1 percent increase
$230 million budget
$50,000 advance
The mansion had six bathrooms and 16 bedrooms.
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In total, the six volumes had 32 chapters.
measurements
In carbon data, no space between # and %
5 point super and subscript for squared in CO2, FT2, M2
35-acre resort
the trench is 5 feet deep; 5-foot-deep trench
an 8-by-12-foot foyer, but OK to use 4 x 8 boards in Product Briefs
6-inch-by-6-foot light strip
2-inch nail*
3.8 meters
6 degrees Fahrenheit
2-D, 3-D
dates/times
April 19, 1999
The building opened July 4, 1999, to ebullient praise.
1999, 99 (note placement/shape of apostrophe)
199095 (en dash indicates range)
Construction began in December 1999.
the 1980s (first reference), the 80s
in his sixties
A.D. 233 / 2,000 B.C.
4 P.M., 4:30 P.M., 7 oclock in the morning
*Use fractions with imperial measurements and decimal points with metric
measurements. Generally speaking, square meters should be converted to square feet, but
its okay to retain metric measurements if they are integral to the description of an object.
For example, its easier to conceptualize a 2-millimeter-thick lining than a .07874-inchthick lining.
Word List
Merriam Websters Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition
Dictionary of Architecture & Construction, Second Edition
A
above ground, above grade
Abstract Expressionism
acoustic, acoustical (exception to Web. 11, see the architectural dictionary or just follow
your ear)
aesthetic
aquaculture
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adaptive reuse (originally adaptive use, misuse has changed the term)
administration, the Clinton Administration
aesthetic
age TK (not aged)
air-condition (v.), air conditioner (n.), air-conditioning (n. and adj.)
aka
Al Qaeda
American Formalism
anime
archaeology
armchair
armrest
art brut
Art Deco
Art Nouveau
Arts and Crafts
art world (n.), art-world (adj.)
audiovisual
B
backup
backrest
below ground, below grade
biblical
biomemetic, biomimicry
biophilia
blackwater
black-and-white (photograph)
blond (as in wood, blonde is used only for the noun referring to a blond woman)
bookend (v.), bookended
brownfield
brushstroke
Brutalist
B side
by-product
C
caf (with accent)
card-key
carrel
cast-in-place concrete
catalogue
center-set
Central Europe
chair rail
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charrette
circa (spell out in running text, but abbreviate as ca. in display copy)
coedit/coeditor/co-edition
cold war
Color Field
Combine (Rauschenberg)
commander in chief
commedia dellarte
Conceptual art, Conceptualism, Conceptualist
Congress (not the Congress)
Constructivism (in strict, i.e., Russian, sense); constructivism (generic)
the Continent, Continental
co-organize
Cor-Ten steel
cross section
Cubism
TK-cum-TK or TK TKcumTK TK (starting March 2011)
curtain wall
custom-built (adj. before or after verb)
custom-made (adj. before or after verb)
D
Dada, Dadaism
database
day care, day-care center
Day-Glo
deadbolt
design-build
dialogue
disk
distance learning (n.), distance-learning opportunities
DJ
dot-com (adj. and noun)
downlight
drainboard
drywall
E
Earth art
Eastern Europe
editor in chief
e-mail
e-waste
ensure (unless referring to a companys insuring someone in the case of loss)
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evapotranspirate
Expressionism
F
foot-candles
facade (no accent)
fast track, fast-track construction (one does not fast-track something)
fiber optics (n.), fiber-optic network
fiberglass
fine-tune
fire wall 63%
firsthand
fit-out
flammable, nonflammable
flip-top
floodlight
floor plan
floorcovering
fluorescent
fluoropolymer
fold-out
Formica
freestanding
frostproof
fume hood
fund-raising (n. and adj.)
Futurism
fly ash
G
gauge
geothermal
Gothic (as an architectural style)
graywater
the Great Recession
greenfield
groundbreaking (n. and adj.)
Ground Zero
H
handmade
handrail
headrest
health care (n.), health-care facility
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heat island
high-rise (n. and adj.)
high-tech (adj.)
home builder
homeowner
home page
HVAC
I
I-beams (exception to M-W, because of our sans-serif font)
Impressionism
industrial revolution
infill
Internet
intranet
ip or ip wood (hyph ip-wood as an adj.)
J
job site
K
kW (kilowatt), kBtu
L
lamppost
landside
Land art
LEED-certified (adj.)
life cycle, life-cycle cost
life span
lifelong
lifetime
lightweight
lightshelves
light well
likelier (not more likely)
love seat
low-E
Lower Manhattan
low-rise (n. and adj.)
light well (contra Greensource, per McGraw Hill Dictionary of Architecture &
Construction)
M
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make-up air
man-made
master-plan (verb), master-planned (adj.) (contra Greensource)
metal halide lamps (no hyphen)
microturbines
mid-rise (n.), mid-rise (adj.) (per M-W)
Minimalism
mixed use
mock-up (n. and v.)
Modern, Modernism (capped if referring to specific architectural style; use best judgment
for borderline cases)
molding
multifamily, multilevel, multiuse
mW (milliwatt)
N
Neoclassical
Neorealist
New Wave
O
offset
onboard (contra Greensource, per M-W, when meaning something carried or occurring
aboard a vehicle)
on-site, off-site (even following a noun: The components were assembled on-site)
online
P
particleboard (contra Greensource, per M-W, McGraw Hill Dictionary of Architecture &
Construction)
photovoltaic
Plexiglas
polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
porte cochere
portland cement
Postmodernism, Postmodern (for architectural style)
precast
prefab (after prefabricated has been spelled out)
prestressed
pretensioned
principal in charge
R
racetrack
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rainscreen
real estate (n.), real estate development
resilient
retardant
retro, retrofit
reuse
Rococo (for specific architectural style)
Romantic (for specific architectural style)
roofline
roundtable (unless youre really discussing a round table)
rowhouse
rustproof
S
schoolroom
Sheetrock
side chair
sightline
single-family home
Situationist (for art movement)
skylit
smart growth
space frame
stainless steel (n.), stainless steel railing
stormwater
style (not necessary to hyphenate as an adverbial form, e.g., built Frank
Lloyd Wright style)
Styrofoam
Surrealism
T
Teflon
terra-cotta (n. and adj.)
threshold
toplit
torchre
townhouse
tradeshow
U
ultraviolet
underwater
under way (adv., two words almost always)
up front (v.), up-front (adj.)
uplight, uplit
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U.S. Green Building Council (spell out on first mention, with (USGBC) introduced for
future use)
V
veranda
visitor center
W
wallcovering
way-finding (n. and adj.)
watertight
water-source heat
watt
web, website, World Wide Web (per Chicago Manual of Style 16)
Wheat-board
window seat
windowsill (contra Greensource, per M-W)
window wall
windowpane
wood grain
workflow
work surface
workforce
workplace
workspace
workstation
worldwide
wraparound
Y
year-round
Place Names in Text
1. U.S. dateline cities stand alone (without respective state-name abbreviation) in running
text, on the table of contents, and in project and building-type study headings (see list
below).
2. Many international city names may stand alone if there is no chance of confusion. Use
your best judgment when deciding if the country needs to be mentioned.
3. State abbreviations should be set off with commas. Use postal abbreviations in sources
but spell out the city and state in text.
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4. Spell out United States as a noun and use U.S. as adjective.
Dateline cities in the U.S.
Akron
Albuquerque
Anaheim
Anchorage
Aspen
Atlanta
Atlantic City
Baltimore
Berkeley
Boise
Boston
Brooklyn
Buffalo
Charlotte
Chattanooga
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Colorado Springs
Dallas
Dayton
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
Please note:
Fort Worth
Grand Rapids
Hartford
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Knoxville
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Louisville
Los Angeles
Memphis
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Nashville
Newark
New Haven
New Orleans
New York City
Oakland
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Orlando
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Providence
Raleigh
Reno
Richmond
St. Augustine
St. Louis
St. Paul
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
Savannah
Seattle
Spokane
Tacoma
Tampa
Toledo
Topeka
Tucson
Tulsa
Washington, D.C.
Wichita Falls is in Texas.
Kansas City can be in Kansas or Missouri.
There is a Miami, Ohio.
There is a Charleston, W.Va., and a Charleston, S.C.
There is a Portland, Ore., and a Portland, Maine.
Cambridge can refer to the university community in Massachusetts or to the one in England. Be sure to make it
clear which one youre referring to.
International dateline cities
Below are somebut by no means allinternational city names that almost always stand
alone.
Algiers
Amsterdam
Athens
Baghdad
Bangkok
Barcelona
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Beijing
Berlin
Bilbao
Bonn
Braslia
Brussels
Budapest
Buenos Aires
Cairo
Calcutta
Cape Town
Caracas
Cologne
Copenhagen
Dubai
Dublin
Dsseldorf
Edinburgh
Florence
Frankfurt
Geneva
Glasgow
Guatemala City
the Hague
Hamburg
Havana
Helsinki
Hong Kong
Istanbul
Jerusalem
Johannesburg
Kuala Lumpur
Kuwait
Lisbon
London
Luxembourg
Madrid
Manila
Melbourne
Mexico City
Milan
Monaco
Montreal
Moscow
Mumbai
Munich
Naples
New Delhi
Oslo
Ottawa
Panama
Paris
Prague
Quebec
Rio de Janeiro
Rome
Rotterdam
So Paulo
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Seoul
Shanghai
Singapore
Stockholm
Sydney
Tehran
Tel Aviv
Tokyo
Toronto
Tunis
Vatican City
Venice
Vienna
Warsaw
Zurich
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