**Traditional Turrets in Architecture**
– Turret defined as a small tower projecting vertically from a building’s wall.
– Originally used for defensive purposes in military fortification.
– Later utilized for decorative purposes, especially in the Scottish baronial style.
– Designs include circular tops with crenellations or pointed roofs.
– Turrets may contain staircases and are not always taller than the building.
– Turrets traditionally supported by corbels.
– Historical importance in providing a defensive position.
**Turret Size and Structure Support**
– Turrets project from the edge of a building, distinct from towers that extend to the ground.
– Size of turrets limited due to additional stresses on the building’s structure.
– Typically supported by corbels.
– Buildings may feature both towers and turrets, with turrets being smaller.
**Modern Gun Turrets**
– Modern gun turrets serve as weapon mounts for projectile-firing weapons.
– House crew or mechanisms for aiming and firing.
– Found on warships, combat vehicles, military aircraft, and land fortifications.
– Offer some level of armor or protection.
– Enable aiming and firing in various directions.
**Gallery of Turrets**
– Examples of turrets in various architectural settings:
– Châtelet of the Château d’Angers in France, 13th century.
– Hôtel Fumé in Poitiers, France, 15th-16th centuries.
– Bastion terrace on Belém Tower in Lisboa, Portugal, by Francisco de Arruda, c.1514-1519.
– Hôtel de Berbis in Dijon, France, 1552-1558.
– Maria Ioanidi House on Bulevardul Dacia in Bucharest, by Ion D. Berindey, 1911.
**Related Architectural Concepts**
– Bartizan: Overhanging wall-mounted turret common in French and Spanish fortifications.
– Bay window and oriel window: Architectural features akin to turrets.
– Turret (Hadrian’s Wall): Specific turret related to the historic Hadrian’s Wall.
– Architecture portal: Resource for architectural elements information.
– Various styles of turrets across regions and historical periods.
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (August 2018) |
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification. As their military use faded, turrets were used for decorative purposes, as in the Scottish baronial style.
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A turret can have a circular top with crenellations as seen in the picture at right, a pointed roof, or other kind of apex. It might contain a staircase if it projects higher than the building; however, a turret is not necessarily higher than the rest of the building; in this case, it is typically part of a room, that can be simply walked into – see the turret of Chateau de Chaumont on the collection of turrets, which also illustrates a turret on a modern skyscraper.
A building may have both towers and turrets; towers might be smaller or higher, but turrets instead project from the edge of a building rather than continue to the ground. The size of a turret is therefore limited, since it puts additional stresses on the structure of the building. Turrets were traditionally supported by a corbel.
In modern times, a gun turret is a weapon mount that houses the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon, allowing the weapon to be aimed and fired in some degree of azimuth and elevation. It can be found on warships, combat vehicles, military aircraft, and land fortifications, and usually offers some degree of armour or protection.
Definition from ChatGPT:
Turret (architecture):
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building. Turrets are often used for decorative purposes and can be found on castles, churches, and other types of buildings. They may also serve a functional purpose, such as providing a lookout point or housing a staircase. Turrets are typically cylindrical or polygonal in shape and can vary in size and design.