View source for Engineering:Porte-cochère

{{Short description|Roofed shelter outside a doorway}}
[[File:Porte-cochere.gif|thumb|An ornate 19th-century porte-cochère, at Waddesdon Manor]]
[[File:Waitakere Hospital Some Views I.jpg|thumb|A modern example at a hospital]]

A '''porte-cochère''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|p|ɔːr|t|_|k|oʊ|ˈ|ʃ|ɛ|r}}; {{IPA-fr|pɔʁt.kɔ.ʃɛʁ|lang}}; {{lit|coach gateway}};<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=porte-cochère |encyclopedia=New Oxford American Dictionary}}</ref> {{plural form|'''porte-cochères''' or '''portes-cochères'''}})<ref>{{cite OED |porte-cochère |access-date=2019-12-02}}</ref> is a doorway to a building or [[Engineering:Courtyard|courtyard]], "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street<ref>James Curl (2017). ''The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture'', third edition. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-019-967498-5}}. "porte-cochère", p. 592. According to this source it is an "erroneous term for a projecting canopy or porch large enough to admit carriages."</ref> or a covered [[Engineering:Porch|porch]]-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which originally a horse and [[Engineering:Carriage|carriage]] and today a motor vehicle can pass to provide  arriving and departing occupants protection from the elements.<ref>{{cite dictionary |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/porte%20cochere |title=porte cochere |access-date=27 October 2019 |dictionary=Merriam Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-Webster, Incorporated}}</ref><ref>{{cite dictionary |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/porte-cochere |title=porte-cochereor porte-co·chère |access-date=27 October 2019 |dictionary=Dictionary.com |publisher=Dictionary.com, LLC}}</ref>

Portes-cochères are still found on such structures as major public buildings and hotels, providing covered access for visitors and guests arriving by motorized transport. <ref name=hks>{{cite web | url = http://www.hksinc.com/insight/top-10-design-tips-to-dazzle-your-guests-the-porte-cochere-2/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171017043801/http://www.hksinc.com/insight/top-10-design-tips-to-dazzle-your-guests-the-porte-cochere-2/ | archive-date = 2017-10-17 | work = HKS Architecture | title = Top 10 Design Tips to Dazzle Your Guests: The Porte Cochere | access-date = 2015-06-18}}</ref>

A porte-cochère, a structure for vehicle passage, is to be distinguished from a [[Engineering:Portico|portico]], a columned porch or entry for human, rather than vehicular, traffic.

== History ==
The porte-cochère was a feature of many late 18th- and 19th-century mansions and public buildings. A well-known example is at  Buckingham Palace in [[Place:London|London]].  A [[Engineering:Portico|portico]] at the White House in [[Place:Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C.]] is often confused with a porte-cochère, where a raised vehicle ramp gives an architectural portico the functionality of the latter.<ref name=treanor>{{cite web | url = https://www.treanorhl.com/thinking/news/shoptalk-porte-cochere | work = Treanor Architects | title = Shoptalk: Porte-Cochère | access-date = 2015-09-18}}</ref>

Today portes-cochères are found at both elaborate private homes and such public buildings as churches, hotels, health facilities, and schools. Portes-cochère differ from [[Engineering:Carport|carport]]s in that the vehicles pass through for passengers to board or exit rather than being parked beneath the covered area.

[[Engineering:Guard stone|Guard stone]]s are often found at the foot of portes-cochère, acting as [[Engineering:Bollard|protective bollard]]s to prevent vehicles from damaging the structure.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Hôtel d'Ambrun - Façade sur rue, Porte - Paris 04 - Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - APMH00004645.jpg|The Hôtel Hesselin in Paris (built 1642)
NorwalkCTLockwoodMansEastSide09032007.JPG|The Lockwood–Mathews Mansion (built 1864)
BriarcliffOutlook3.jpg|The Briarcliff Lodge (built 1902)
BriarcliffOutlook4.jpg|The Briarcliff Manor railroad station (built 1906)
Nottingham Railway Station - geograph.org.uk - 1475112.jpg|A typical railway porte-cochère at Nottingham station
Porte-cochere_at_Burleigh-Davidson_Building,_Berwick_Academy,_South_Berwick,_Maine.jpg|Porte-cochère at Burleigh-Davidson Building, Berwick Academy, South Berwick, Maine
Guard stone at Berwick Academy.jpg|[[Engineering:Guard stone|Guard stone]] beneath ''porte-cochère'' at the Burleigh-Davidson building, the Berwick Academy, South Berwick, Maine
Central Station, 1924 (4010230424).jpg|Porte-cochère at Central railway station, Sydney, 1924
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Engineering:Glossary of architecture|Glossary of architecture]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Porte-Cochere}}
[[Category:Architectural elements]]

{{Sourceattribution|Porte-cochère}}