As an architectural top element, a sculpture is a decorative feature which belongs to the architecture of the building but was not designed by the architect (except in special cases where the architect has a side career as a sculptor, or where the element in question is clearly distinct from the overall design). Sculptures may include statues and abstract works, but generally do not include carved finials, balustrades, parapets, and cornices.

The work can be a statue or an abstract piece. Its architectural role and distinct artistic authorship or character are part of this top-element definition.

Repeated carved finials and ordinary roof-edge features generally belong to their own categories. A sculpture located below a higher architectural feature is not itself the building's top element.