What is Architecture?

What is Architecture

Architecture is a passion, a vocation, a calling – as well as a science and a business. It has been described as a social art and also an artful science. Architecture must be of the highest quality of design. Architecture provides, in the words of Marcus Vitruvius, the great Roman architect and historian, “firmness, commodity and delight”

Architecture provides a sense of place and support of all types of human activity. Architecture helps the man-made fit in harmony with the environment while promoting health and well-being, enriching lives aesthetically and spiritually, providing economic opportunities, and creating a legacy that reflects and symbolizes culture and traditions.

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1 1st Century BC Roman Architect Vitruvius is the author of the treatise De architectura. The work is divided into 10 books dealing with city planning and architecture in general; building materials; temple construction; public buildings; private buildings; clocks; hydraulics; and civil and military engines. His work was used as a classic text book from ancient Roman times to the Renaissance.

Firmness refers to structural integrity and durability;

Commodity refers to spatial functionality or in other words, “serving its purpose” and fulfilling the function for which the building was constructed;

Delight means that the building is not only aesthetically and visually pleasing, but also lifts the spirits and stimulates the senses.

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The Role of Architect

When buildings are designed, constructed, or renovated, we designate key designers as “architects” and give them a broad range of responsibilities. An architect prepares initial sketches of the building, showing both external appearance and internal layout, and discusses these sketches with clients until all concerned have agreed that what is shown is what they want. The sketches are abstractions: they focus attention on the pertinent details of a particular aspect of the building, omitting other concerns.

After the clients and architects agree on these abstractions, the architects prepare, or supervise the preparation of, much more detailed drawings, as well as associated textual specifications. These drawings and specifications describe many “nitty-gritty” details of a building, such as plumbing, siding materials, window glazing, and electrical wiring.

On rare occasions, an architect simply hands the detailed plans to a builder who completes the project in accordance with the plans. For more important projects, the architect remains involved, regularly inspects the work, and may propose changes or accept suggestions for change from both the builder and customer. When the architect supervises the project, it is not considered complete until he certifies that it is in substantial compliance with the plans and specifications.

We employ an architect to assure that the design

(1) meets the needs of the client, including the characteristics previously noted;

(2) has conceptual integrity by using the same design rules throughout;  

(3) meets legal and safety requirements. An important part of the architect’s role is to ensure that the design concepts are consistently realized during the implementation. Sometimes the architect also acts as a mediator between builder and client. There is often some disagreement about which decisions are in the realm of the architect and which are left to others, but it is always clear that the architect makes the major decisions, including all that can affect the usability, safety, and maintainability of the structure.

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