piers

Refers to relatively isolated, solid supports of masonry or another material designed to sustain vertical pressure, including a square or rectangular pillar or pilaster, the solid masonry between doors and windows, the pillars from which an arch springs, or the pillars or posts of a gate or door. A pier may also be a solid structure of masonry or ironwork supporting a telescope or other large instrument. It is sometimes distinguished from columns or posts by being more massive in size and often square or rectangular in cross section. For cylindrical uprights and for all uprights in steel and concrete frames, the term "columns (architectural elements)" is more often appropriate; for wooden uprights square in cross-section, "posts" may be more appropriate.