What is architecture?
After having listenend to all of those definitions I wouldnt dare to define itsinece, even thouh are pretty accurate, they all seem to lack something. Some of them focus on the artistic part while others talk about tehchnique, some highlight the importance of society while others do not even mention it. How can we tell which one is the one, the definite definition of architecture? Why do we even try to sum up in a few words something that encompasses every aspect of our lives? Architecture is not an isolated concept that can be easily recognized when you see it. Theres architecture in the buildings, for sure, but theres also architecure in literature and films. Things happen in a exact point of time and in a exact place so we really cannot hide from architecture.
Nevertheless, there seem to be two words that always appera when we think about architecture: art and technique. We conceive architecture as the art of creating spaces out of nothing so as to cover our necessities ( this is by no means an attempt to defining architecure, I’m just summarizing) .
Some of the defitnitions that I liked the most are:
“Architecture embraces the entire physical environment that surrounds human life. We cannot escape from it as long as we are part of civilization, because architecture is the sum of modifications and alterations introduced into the land in order to satisfy human needs” William Morris.
“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
“In general temrs, art and also architecture are a reflection of the spiritual state of human being in his/her time. Mathias Goeritz