What is architecture?
In this unit we’re going to learn about the different conceptions of what is architecture throughout the history and also some of the ideas that we have today about architecture.
We first said or read what we thought architecture was and to continue with our thoughts we also read and explained what architecture is to some important architects:
«Architecture is the art of building« Marcus Vitruvius
«A bicycle shed is a building; Lincoln Cathedral is a work of architecture» Nikolaus Pevsner
«Architecture is the inevitable art, we are in continous contact with it… we can avoid contemplating paintings, sculptures or any other work of art but architecture, it affects us constantly, configures our behaviour and conditions our state of mind…» Richard Leland
«The house has to plase everyone, unlike a work of art that doesn’t have to please anyone. The work of art is a private affair of the artist. The house is not. The work of art is placed in the world without any requirement that forces it to be born. The house covers a need […] Shouldn’t architecture be understood outside the art?» Adolf Loos
«Only a very small part of architecture is included in the world of art: funerary and commemorative monuments. Everything else, everything that has a purpose has to be excluded from the world of art» Adolf Loos
«Architecture embraces the entire physical enviroment that surrounds human life. We cannot escape from it as long as we are part of civilization, beacuse architecture is the sum of modifictions and alterations introduced into the land in order to satisfy human needs» William Morris
«The dominion of nature creates culture through technique […] Construction as technique is the way to dominate our enviroment to turn into architecture» Juan Calduch Cervera
boaq.qld.gov.au