Architecture is the art of designing and constructing the physical structures and spaces people need to carry out their vital activities, such as shelter, work, education, sports, entertainment and many other areas, in a way that responds to users’ needs, takes optimal physical conditions into account and brings together technical and aesthetic principles.
The design and construction of every kind of interior and exterior space falls within the scope of the architectural profession, from simple and/or complex housing types that meet people’s need for shelter, to palaces, religious buildings, schools and hospitals.
What are the fundamental principles of architecture?
Throughout history, architecture has been defined as a balance of three fundamental principles. The Roman architect Vitruvius, in the work he wrote in the first century BC, named these principles “firmitas, utilitas, venustas”: solidity, functionality and beauty. It is not enough for a building to stand; it must meet the needs of those who live in it while also appealing to the eye and the emotions. This triad is still taught as a valid framework in contemporary architectural education.
Solidity means the building’s structural system can withstand loads, earthquakes and time. Functionality means spaces are organized at the right size, in the right relationships and in the right order for their intended use: the relationship of a kitchen to a dining room, or of a patient room to a nursing station. Beauty is the effect that the unity created by proportion, light, material and form evokes in a person. Good architecture keeps these three principles in balance, without letting any one override the others.
What do architects do?
Architects draw projects. As noted above, this can be the project of any building within the wide range covered by the architectural profession. They also examine whether the developed project complies with the city’s zoning plan. Throughout their university education, architects receive comprehensive training to produce all the technical drawings needed to design a building correctly, and for a significant part of their professional life they produce the technical drawings of their projects. Architects prepare models that make it easier to understand how developed projects will look when completed. Architects supervise whether projects under construction are proceeding according to plan. Architects work with civil, electrical and mechanical engineers to ensure that the structural, electrical and plumbing aspects of the building to be constructed are carried out correctly. In addition, architects often work within a project alongside specialist interior architects and landscape architects, in fields that grew out of architecture and are today recognized as independent disciplines.
An architect’s work does not end with a single drawing. The design process usually proceeds in stages: first come the preliminary meetings where the client’s needs and budget are defined, then the analysis in which the site, climate and zoning conditions are read, followed by the first design decisions known as the schematic design. As these decisions mature, they turn into construction documents, the detailed drawings from which the building will be built exactly. Even after the building is completed, the architect’s supervision and handover responsibilities may continue. Architecture, in other words, is the long-term management of a process that stretches from the moment an idea is born to the moment the building opens for use.
What are the branches of architecture?
Because architecture is a broad profession, it has divided into areas of specialization over time. Residential architecture deals with the homes and mass housing areas where people’s daily lives unfold. Public building architecture covers structures where large numbers of people gather, such as schools, hospitals, museums and airports, and requires specialized knowledge in matters like accessibility, circulation and safety.
Alongside these, restoration and conservation architecture is concerned with keeping historic buildings alive without compromising their original qualities. Landscape architecture designs open spaces, parks and urban green fabric. Urban and regional planning goes beyond a single building to organize neighborhoods, transportation networks and entire cities. In recent years, sustainable architecture, the approach focused on reducing buildings’ energy consumption, material footprint and environmental impact, has become a shared priority that cuts across all these fields.
What qualities should architects have?
Architecture should not be confused with the art of painting. For this reason, contrary to popular belief, architects do not have to have perfect hand-drawing skills. What matters more is a well-developed capacity for three-dimensional thinking and good hand-eye coordination. Architects should possess a high level of design ability and be creative, aesthetically minded, innovative individuals who follow artistic and technological developments and work carefully and meticulously. They should be able to produce original projects. Architects should pay attention to how their projects fit the environment in which they will be located and its historical, sociocultural and economic conditions.
Today, the architect’s toolbox has also expanded. Computer-aided design software, three-dimensional modeling and digital systems known as building information modeling have joined hand drawing. These tools make it possible to predict not only a building’s form but also its material quantities, cost and energy performance at the design stage. Yet technological skill alone is not enough; the architect’s ability to listen to the client, manage a team and build a common language with different disciplines is at least as decisive as technical knowledge.