Architectural Basics

Architectural Basics

Architecture is unlike the other arts, such as music, poetry, painting and drama, in that it relates to some of the most basic human survival needs in practical ways. You sleep, eat, work and store your necessities inside buildings; you study, play and worship in and around buildings. It is these three basic concerns of human life--shelter, storage, and social activities--that make architecture the "necessary" art. While you can survive without poems or paintings or songs (though why would you want to?), you cannot survive without buildings.

When you approach architecture, therefore, the matters of usefulness and function are really important considerations, just as they would be if you wanted to use a coffee maker or a lawn mower. In architecture, the elements of art and design, those basic to all the arts, are meshed with the nuts-and-bolts practicality of engineering and construction for the purpose of meeting specific human needs.

THE ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE

1) Sound Construction: Will the building stand?

Would you walk into a building that looked like it might collapse around you? Of course not. This aspect refers specifically to the degree that the building is structurally sound. If it does not pass this test--if the roof will fall on your head, or the walls on your body--then the other perspectives are of no use.

You most likely have seen or heard about some hotel, condominium or government building that has partially collapsed or has required extensive repair while still relatively new, or has been condemned as unsafe. Such structures rate low scores from a technical perspective. On the other hand, buildings that have endured for centuries, such as the pyramids in Egypt, the ...

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...hasizing balance and symmetry. As you can readily observe, it demonstrates superbly the qualities of rational control and logical consistency by the clear symmetry of design and restraint of emotional expression. In addition, it exhibits superb skill in craftsmanship and that striving for perfection so characteristic of the classical approach.

The Parthenon reveals to you more than the Athenian tendency toward a classical expression in the arts. It also told about Greek religious beliefs by depicting their gods and other mythological beings in magnificent sculptures all around the building. One particular celebration, which was both cultural and religious, is captured in detail in a grand frieze which capped the outside wall in one continuous band: the Panathenaic Festival Parade, a once-every-four-years event in which the whole city turned out to honor Athena.