Columns

Columns are vertical architectural elements that typically transfer loads from a structure above to the foundations below. In architecture, a column usually consists of a shaft, a capital at the top, and a base at the bottom, though some classical orders omit the base. Columns may be load-bearing or decorative, and they can be solid or composite. They are manufactured from stone, brick, wood, metal, or reinforced concrete, and they may be carved or molded.

Columns can be classified by style, particularly in classical architecture into the three main orders—Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—each with characteristic capital shapes, shaft proportion, and base treatment. Later orders include Tuscan and Composite. The term colonnade describes a row of columns supporting a roof or creating a sheltered exterior walkway. In engineering terms, columns resist axial compression and are designed with slenderness in mind to avoid buckling.

Earliest columns appear in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia; Greek architecture refined the orders in the 5th century BCE; Romans popularized the use of columns in larger structures; Renaissance rediscovered classical orders; modern construction uses concrete and steel frames with isolated columns.

In printing and page design, a column is a vertical block of text or content. Newspapers and magazines use multiple columns with gutters to improve readability. In modern digital design, CSS multi-column layout and grid systems manage column flow.

Pilaster is a shallow, flat column embedded in a wall; a colonnade is a series of columns supporting a roof. The term column also appears in sculpture and interior design as a decorative feature.