Conduit
A conduit inside a building serves as a channel for electrical cables and wires
Electricians refer to the rigid pipe that electrical cables and wires run through as conduit. "Conduit" has many other definitions too, all related to channeling; it can be an enclosed duct to transport liquids or even a person or vessel that conveys a message from one place to another.
Electrical conduit is typically visible only in homes where the walls are masonry or where the ceiling and floor are a single unit (that is, the ceiling of a room is also the floor of the upper room), leaving no space where electrical can hide. The electrical conduit in this kitchen runs along the underside of large wood beams.
In wood-framed structures, holes are drilled through wood studs and the electrical wire is pulled through. Nail plates are added on the outside of the stud before any wallboard is put up, to prevent anyone from hammering nails into the electrical cable.
Conduit protects and carries electrical cables to all outlets and fixtures requiring electricity. The electricity begins at the utility company, travels through a meter at each residence and enters the home at the circuit breaker panel. Individual circuits distribute power in 100 or 200 amps throughout the home with a series of junction boxes and panels. The main breaker is a switch that can turn off all electricity, and indivdual circuits control smaller areas of the home. Circuits automatically turn off when overloaded, to reduce the risk of fire.
Commercial and industrial architecture often uses electrical conduit because the the walls are solid CMU (concrete masonry blocks), making external electricity inevitable.
Exposed ducting and electrical conduit are also common in urban loft spaces, where exposed brick walls have no inner wall through which the mechanicals can be routed out of view. A junction box is a metal box where wires are tied together. The faceplate of the junction box is removable, providing access to the wires.
Conduit has an industrial appeal. Conduit may or may not have been necessary to install in this entryway, but it fits in with the edgy raw materials.
Electrical conduit is routed around the large windows of this painted brick room because there is nowhere else to run the pipes. However, a little color coding makes the pipe work with the design of the room.
This light fixture is made with electrical conduit and junction boxes.