.............................................
Architecture and
Design
Defining Architecture and
Design
by Jackie
Craven
What is
architecture? The word architecture can
have many meanings.
Architecture can be both an
art and a science, a process and a result, and both an idea and a reality.
People often use the words
"architecture" and "design" interchangeably, which
naturally broadens the definition of architecture.
If you can "design"
your own career goals, aren't you the architect of your own life?
It seems there are no easy
answers, so we explore and debate the many definitions of architecture, design,
and what architects and social scientists call "the built
environment."
Definitions of Architecture
Some people think architecture is like pornography — you know it
when you see it.
Everyone may have an opinion
and an elegant (or self-serving) definition for architecture.
From the Latin word architectura, the word we use describes
the job of an architect.
The ancient Greek arkhitekton was the chief builder or master
technician of all craftsmen and artisans. So, what comes first, the architect
or the architecture?
"architecture 1.
The art and science of designing and building structures, or large groups of
structures, in keeping with aesthetic and functional criteria. 2. Structures
built in accordance with such principles."— Dictionary of Architecture and Construction
"Architecture
is the scientific art of making structure express ideas. Architecture is the
triumph of human imagination over materials, methods, and men to put man into
possession of his own earth. Architecture is man's great sense of himself
embodied in a world of his own making. It may rise as high in quality only as
its source because great art is great life." — Frank Lloyd Wright, from the Architectural
Forum, May 1930
"It
is about creating buildings and spaces that inspire us, that help us do our
jobs, that bring us together, and that become, at their best, works of art that
we can move through and live in. And in the end, that is why architecture can
be considered the most democratic of art forms." — 2011, President Barack Obama,
Pritzker Architecture Prize Ceremony Speech.
Depending on the context, the
word "architecture" can refer to any man-made building or structure,
like a tower or monument; a man-made building or structure that is important,
large, or highly creative; a carefully designed object, such as a chair, a
spoon, or a tea kettle; a design for a large area such as a city, town, park,
or landscaped gardens; the art or science of designing and building buildings,
structures, objects, and outdoor spaces; a building style, method, or process;
a plan for organizing space; elegant engineering; the planned design of any
kind of system; a systematic arrangement of information or ideas; and the flow
of information on a web page.
Art, Architecture, and Design
In 2005, the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude implemented an
idea, an art installation in New York City called The Gates in Central Park.
Thousands of bright orange
gates were placed throughout Central Park, the great landscape architecture of
Frederick Law Olmsted, erected as designed by the artistic team.
"Of course, 'The Gates' is art,
because what else would it be?" wrote art critic Peter
Schjeldahl at the time. "Art used to
mean paintings and statues. Now it means practically anything human-made that
is unclassifiable otherwise."
The New York Times was
more pragmatic in their review called "Enough About 'Gates' as Art; Let's
Talk About That Price Tag."
So, if a man-made design
can't be classified, it must be art. But if it's very, very expensive to
create, how can it be simply art?
Depending
on your perspective, you might use the word architecture to
describe any number of things.
Which of these items might be
called architecture —
a circus tent; a sports stadium; an egg carton; a roller coaster; a log cabin; a
skyscraper; a computer program; a temporary summer pavilion; a
political campaign; a bonfire; a parking garage; an airport, bridge, train
station, or your house? The list could go on forever.
What Does Architectural Mean?
The adjective architectural can
describe anything related to architecture and building design. Examples are
abundant, including architectural drawings architectural design;
architectural styles; architectural modeling; architectural details;
architectural engineering; architectural software; architectural historian or
architectural history; architectural research; architectural evolution; architectural
studies; architectural heritage; architectural traditions; architectural
antiquities and architectural salvage; architectural lighting; architectural
products; architectural investigation.
Also,
the word architectural can
describe objects that have a strong shape or beautiful lines — an architectural
vase; an architectural sculpture; an architectural rock formation;
architectural drapery.
Perhaps it is this use of the
word architectural that
has muddied the waters of defining architecture.
When Does a Building Become Architecture?
"The
land is the simplest form of architecture," wrote American architect Frank Lloyd
Wright (1867-1959), implying that the built environment is not exclusively
man-made.
If true, are the birds and the bees and all
builders of natural habitats considered architects — and are their structures
architecture?
Architect and
journalist Roger K. Lewis (b. 1941) writes that societies tend to value most a
structure that "transcends service or functional
performance" and that are more than mere buildings.
"Great architecture," writes Lewis, "has always represented
more than responsible construction or durable shelter. Artfulness of form and
artistry of building have long been the dominant standards for measuring the
extent to which human made artifacts are transformed from the profane to the
sacred."
Frank Lloyd
Wright claims that this artistry and beauty can only come from the human
spirit. "Mere building may not know 'spirit' at all," Wright
wrote in 1937. "And it is well to say that the spirit of the thing
is the essential life of that thing because it is truth."
To Wright's thinking, a beaver dam, a beehive,
and a bird's nest may be beautiful, lower forms of architecture, but the
"great fact" is this — "architecture is simply a higher
type and expression of nature by way of human nature where human beings are
concerned. The spirit of man enters into all, making of the whole a godlike
reflection of himself as creator."
So,
What Is Architecture?
"Architecture
is an art bridging the humanities and the sciences," says American architect Steven Holl (b. 1947). "We
work bone-deep in Art — drawing lines between sculpture, poetry, music and
science that coalesce in Architecture."
Since the
licensing of architects, these professionals have defined themselves and what
they do. This hasn't stopped anyone and everyone else from having an opinion
with no one architecture definition.
Jackie Craven
· Over
20 years of experience writing about architecture and the arts
· Author
of two books on home decor and sustainable design
· Author
of Secret Formulas & Techniques of the Masters, a collection of
art-themed poetry
· Doctor
of Arts from the University at Albany, SUNY
Experience
Jackie
Craven is an arts writer and a poet. Her credits include books on interior
design, columns for House & Garden magazine and
Realtor.org, widely-published poetry and fiction, and travel features for
the Providence Journal. She has covered architecture, literature,
and the visual arts for ThoughtCo (formerly About Education) since 1999.
Dr.
Craven has taught literature and writing courses at several colleges and
universities, including the University at Albany, SUNY. The New York
Times called Dr. Craven "one of the Internet's reigning
authorities on buildings and architecture."
Education
Dr.
Craven earned her Doctor of Arts from the University at Albany, SUNY. Her
dissertation explored the role of the persona in nonfiction prose. She also
received a Master's in Literacy Education from the University at Albany and a
B.A. in English from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Awards
and Publications
· Secret
Formulas & Techniques of the Masters (2018, Brick Road Poetry Press)
· Pushcart
Nominee (2017, Salamander Magazine)
· Our
Lives Became Unmanageable (2016, winner of the Omnidawn Fabulist Fiction Award)
· The
Stress Free Home: Beautiful Interiors for Serenity and Harmonious Living (2003,
Quarry Books)
· The
Healthy Home: Beautiful Interiors That Enhance The Environment And Your
Well-Being (2003, Quarry Books)
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and Dotdash
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