"Architecture is the triumph of the human imagination over materials,
methods, and men, to put man into possession of his own earth."
Frank Lloyd Wright
——————————————————
"Architecture is inhabited sculpture."
Constantin Brancusi
———————————————————-
Architecture (är’ ke tek’ char) n
- the art or science of building, including plan, design, construction, and decorative element.
- the character or style of a building or buildings.
- the action or process of building; construction.
Architecture is definable. But it cannot be explained in words alone. To
know architecture, it is necessary to know its components and how they fit
and work. Architecture is by definition both art and science. This seeming
contradiction can be understood only through the building process. Because
of all the arts and of all the sciences, only architecture is so intimately
involved with humanity. Only architecture encloses people.
And people make architecture work. From concept to reality, people working
together create buildings.
We know ourselves and others, past and present, through the architecture our
societies created. We visit Egypt to see the Pyramids, Greece to see the
Parthenon, and Rome to see the Coliseum. Who would go to Paris without
visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Cathedral of Notre Dame?
Certainly one could not imagine London without its Tower or New York without
the Statue of Liberty.