Turret

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In architecture, a turret (from Italian: torretta, little tower; Latin: turris, tower) is a small tower that projects from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification. As their military use faded, turrets were adopted for decorative purposes, as in the Scottish baronial style.

A turret might have a flat top with crenellations as in the picture at right, a pointed roof, or any other kind of top. It might contain a staircase if it projects higher than the building. However, a turret might not be any higher than the rest of the building; in this case it is part of a room, that can be simply walked into – see the turret of Chateau de Chaumont on this collection of turrets, which also illustrates a turret on a modern skyscraper.

A building may have both towers and turrets; turrets might be smaller or higher but the difference is generally considered to be that a turret projects from the edge of the building, rather than continuing to the ground. The size of a turret is therefore limited by technology, since it puts additional stresses on the structure of the building. It would traditionally be supported by a corbel.

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"Turret" is very common name across the financial and securities industry. It refers to the specific telephone used by traders and brokers on trading floors. Turrets support a large number of concurrent calls at the same time (up to 60) on multiple speakers channels and handsets (up to 6). This industry is going through a technological revolution moving from classical telephony systems(TDM) to IP Telephony. Clear new leaders in the industry, like IP Trade, are emerging from the incumbent turret providers like IPC, BT and Orange (Etrali).

Turret

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