The word "butt" in the Russian language has several meanings. In general terms, the so-called transverse face of an elongated object having the shape of a cylinder or representing a parallelepiped with right angles. In cylindrical objects, the end face is a face that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. For rectangular parallelepiped objects, the end face is the face with the smallest area.
The same word ("butt") is called a tile made of wood and intended for paving streets. This word also has a slang meaning denoting a person’s face. Almost everyone knows the expression "got at the end", i.e. was beaten.
Building end
We can say that the end of the building is the narrow side of the object, not bearing the functions of the main facade. However, it must be borne in mind that there are structures in which the facade (main entrance) is located precisely on a narrow wall. These buildings include the Manege, the Acropolis of Athens, and the Bolshoi Theater. In such cases, the common phrase "entrance from the end of the building" sounds inappropriate.
If the building is covered with a gable roof, then, as a rule, the pediment is located above the end of the house.
Facade and butt
The word “facade” has French roots and closely related in Russian sounds like “face, front side”. From an architectural point of view, this is a view of the external walls of the building at a right angle. Specialists distinguish between the main, side facade (the end of the building may well be a side facade), street, yard, park. In the literature, one can even find the expression “marine facade” - the side of the building facing the sea.
Most often, modern civil engineering prefers to build multi-apartment residential buildings with a blind end. The dead end of the building is a side facade (wall) without window and doorways. Such a wall can carry the functions of a firewall, i.e. It is a capital fire-resistant wall that separates neighboring buildings in order to prevent the spread of fire during a fire. This usually happens between houses along the street, i.e. residential buildings are facing each other.
At the same time, the blind side facades can decorate the streets of the city and become an important object of the architectural environment. Huge panels, which began to appear more and more often on blind walls facing the main streets, look spectacular and are well perceived from pedestrian paths.
Is it always appropriate to say “butt-end”?
As mentioned earlier, the end of the building is a short side facade. However, if the building under construction has a square shape, then it will not have ends. Also, if the long and narrow structure has the main entrance to it on the smallest wall, then such an “end of the building” is the real main facade. It is richest than anything else decorated in comparison with all other external walls of the building. As a rule, such an “butt” with the main entrance was often often revived with pilasters, sculpting, and decorated with various niches.
In accordance with applicable laws, the front is called the facade, which is clearly visible from the main street or roadway. And if such a facade is located on the narrow outer wall of the building, then it cannot be said about such a building that it has ends. She has only facades - main, rear, side, etc.