Pedestal

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Podiums at an award ceremony

A pedestal (Greek podes: feet) is a platform that is used to raise a person, a building or an object in relation to the environment.

architecture

In architecture , buildings can rest on a large pedestal formed by a terrace or a basement . In this context, one also speaks of a base or podium . One example from ancient sacred architecture is the Roman podium temple .

Smaller podiums are used indoors to highlight a person in a group, for example the conductor of an orchestra or a speaker at a public speech. A single or multi-level elevation of the floor in the interior is also known as a dais and is used, for example, as a place for a throne or an altar .

In stair construction , the landing is called a landing . It is a platform that is inserted between two flights of stairs.

Pedestals are used in the bedroom (often self-made) to raise the bed and at the same time create a storage space underneath.

  • Ancient temple on a podium: Maison Carrée in Nîmes

  • Stair landings

  • Estrade with throne chair

Award ceremony in sport

In sport, podiums (in this context called podium in Austria ) have a special meaning at the award ceremony . So a three-stage pedestal with most competitions is usually a podium , used in which the average level at its highest and the winner is reserved.

Event construction

In the event area flexible, height-adjustable pedestals are used. These individual platforms can be used as stage elements . With them, different height levels, for example, for a catwalk balanced or large seating in bleachers are built.

Scissor platforms or plug-in foot platforms are common in event construction. These can be flexibly set up and dismantled. Equipped with rollers, the platforms are called roll risers.

Public transport

Platforms in a trolley bus

In local public transport , vehicles are referred to as platforms if the floor in the passenger compartment is higher in the area of ​​the rows of seats than in the aisle. In today's low-floor vehicles in particular , platforms often cannot be avoided for structural reasons.

In bus construction , platforms are also used in high-floor vehicles to enlarge the trunk space under the seats for luggage. An example of such a bus is the Magirus-Deutz L 117 P , where the “P” in the model designation refers to the pedestals.

Road traffic

Platforms should contribute to the visibility of the traffic regulation through traffic posts. So that these do not act as an obstacle when the post is vacant, they can often be rolled away.

  • Traffic post in Warsaw, 1938

  • Retractable pedestal in Rome, 2006

Podium in fire fighting

Berlin 1993: Xth Fire Brigade World Championships of the CTIF , start of the fire fighting attack from the podium

In the discipline fire attack at the fire department sports a pedestal serves as a ready berth for the portable pump , fire hoses and water-carrying fittings .

See also

  • Pedestal (heraldry) - a basic element on which the coat of arms rests and the shield holders are also placed
  • Pedestal (architecture) (pedestal) - elaborately designed plinths of buildings, statues or columns
Wiktionary: Podest  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilfried Koch: Architectural Style . Gütersloh / Munich 2009, p. 444
  2. ^ Wilfried Koch: Architectural Style . Gütersloh / Munich 2009, p. 475
  3. ^ Franz-Josef Sehr : X. Fire Brigade Olympics 1993 in Berlin . In: Florian Hessen 9/1993 . Munkelt Verlag, 1993, ISSN  0936-5370 , p. 24-26 .