the.com/balustrade
the architectural bodyguard standing between you and a very educational fall.
means A railing supported by a row of short pillars (balusters), running along the edge of a staircase, balcony, or terrace to stop you toppling over.
from From the French 'balustrade,' which leaned on Italian 'balaustro,' a baluster — and here's the lovely part: 'balaustro' comes from 'balaustra,' the flower of the wild pomegranate. The little turned posts swell and curve at the base like that half-open blossom, so the whole railing is named after a flower. The Greek ancestor 'balaustion' simply meant the pomegranate flower itself.
- name origin
- Named for the pomegranate flower's swelling shape.
- single column
- One post alone is a baluster, not balustrade.
- safety code
- Modern ones must stop a four-inch sphere passing.
- Renaissance debut
- Popularized after balconies in 15th-century Italy.
- false balusters
- Often hollow, faking stone strength with thin plaster.
pont des arts balustrade — paris footbridge where 700,000 padlocks were installed by couples until removal in 2015
taj mahal marble balustrades — agra, india - intricate marble railings with semi-precious stone inlay surrounding the mausoleum