Definition of "Visual Arts works" from the glossary of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices:
The U.S. Copyright Office uses the term “visual arts works” to collectively refer to “pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works” and “architectural works.”
“‘Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works’ include two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of fine, graphic, and applied art, photographs, prints and art reproductions, maps, globes, charts, diagrams, models, and technical drawings, including architectural plans. Such works shall include works of artistic craftsmanship insofar as their form but not their mechanical or utilitarian aspects are concerned; the design of a useful article, as defined in this section, shall be considered a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work only if, and only to the extent that, such design incorporates pictorial, graphic, or sculptural features that can be identified separately from, and are capable of existing independently of, the utilitarian aspects of the article.” 17 U.S.C. § 101.
“An ‘architectural work’ is the design of a building as embodied in any tangible medium of expression, including a building, architectural plans, or drawings. The work includes the overall form as well as the arrangement and composition of spaces and elements in the design, but does not include individual standard features.” 17 U.S.C. § 101. The U.S. Copyright Office registers as architectural
works designs for structures that can be inhabited by humans or are otherwise intended for human occupancy. Examples include houses, office buildings, churches, museums, gazebos, and garden pavilions.