Balustrading

A balustrade is a series of vertical pillars, known as balusters, which support a railing at the top. Balustrading is generally found on porches, terraces, balconies and stairs. Balustrading is an architectural design feature that has been used for many centuries in Europe and which remains popular all over the world in the modern day. Outside Europe, the baluster column first appeared in Mughal architecture in the early seventeenth century.

Balustrading is both a practical and decorative architectural feature, providing both a physical safety barrier or support as well as a design element which can unify or highlight a particular feature of a house or other building. A balustrade may serve to delineate the change from one area to another, such as a balustrade along a foreshore area separating a path from a sand or grass area.

Classically, balusters are formed symmetrically and follow the shapes of turned wooden or ceramic object, such as vases and table legs. Modern materials used to create balustrading include: cast iron, cast stone, hardwoods and softwoods, plaster, primed wood (usually hardwood), polymer stone, polyurethane, polystyrene and wrought iron.

The word bannister actually refers to the balusters used on a staircase. However, the term bannister implies a more modern, narrower support to a handrail and is often used erroneously to refer to the handrail of a staircase.