See Also: pier(encyclopedia)
pier(dictionary)
pier(dictionary)
Pier(finance)
Pier(money)
pier-head(dictionary)
Spinelli, Pier(medicine)
Pier - Sailing(gambling)
pier (as used in expressions)(encyclopedia)
Bournemouth-Pier Beach(tourism)

pier (sh)




In building construction, a vertical load-bearing member such as an intermediate support for adjacent ends of two bays or spans.

Bulkier than a column but smaller than a wall, a pier can support an arch or beam. The lower portion of a pier may be widened to better distribute the downward pressure of a massive overlying structure. In Romanesque and Gothic architecture, a feature of the nave arcade is the compound pier, which is cross-shaped in cross section, with shafts placed in the recesses.