- See also cupola (geometry) and Cupola (ISS).
In architecture, a cupola consists of a dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and air. The word comes from the Italian, and expresses the idea of a "small tub".
In some cases, the entire main roof of a tower or spire can form a single cupola. More frequently, however, the cupola
comprises a smaller structure which sits on top of the main roof. If one can reach the cupola by climbing a stairway inside the building, one can refer to this type of accessible cupola as a
belvedere or as a widow's walk.
Some cupolas, called lanterns, have small windows which illuminate the areas below.
Cupolas also occur on tracked, armored
vehicles, where they serve as protected observation posts.
Metallurgists use the name cupola to refer to a cylindrical
shaft type of blast furnace used for remelting metals (usually iron)
before casting.
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This article needs splitting into multiple articles and making into a disambiguation page.
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