An oriel window is a form of
bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground.[1] Supported by
corbels,
brackets, or similar
cantilevers, an oriel window generally projects from an upper floor, but is also sometimes used on the ground floor.
Oriel windows are seen in
Arab architecture in the form of
mashrabiya and in Turkish are known as şahnişin or cumba. In
Islamic culture, these windows and balconies project from the street-front of a house, providing an area in which women could peer out and see the activities below while remaining invisible.[2]
Oriel College, Oxford, took its name from a balcony or oriel window forming a feature of a building which occupied the site the college now stands on.[3]
Oriel Chambers in
Liverpool was a very controversial building when it was built, featuring an entire façade of glass oriel windows.[4]
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KENZARI, B. and ELSHESHTAWY, Y. (2003), The Ambiguous Veil: On Transparency, the Mashrabiy'ya, and Architecture. Journal of Architectural Education, 56: 17–25. doi: 10.1162/104648803321672924