What is Architecture? Some call it material for life, while some call it the middle ground between science, art and techniques. (Harrouk., 14 Apr 2021). From celebrating it as everything at once, people explain it as a meeting of the future and past, defining it also as the culture of an area, to a design that can even solve political and economic complexities. It’s a solution that humans found to exist in this nature.
Imagining a world without architecture would start with Anthropoids looking for shelter and protection as the evolution of both humans and architecture goes hand in hand. Think about not having the first civilisation Mesopotamian on the banks of rivers Tigris and Euphrates. In a technical voice of questioning, if there was no built environment, would the anthropoids survive to become the modern homo sapiens. Even from a philosophical aspect, It’s a way to communicate to the future about the past, and that’s a lot of information on how to and not to survive in this world. The absence of architecture means human existence without a signature, which helped humans evolve and thrive to become the current Homo sapiens. Here are some parameters that make the world without architecture unimaginable.
Role of Nature
Nature has its concise relationship with architecture. In fact, rather than evolving, architecture always existed in nature; it just became more humane after someone discovered those spaces. It’s something that existed even under a tree way before the existence of humans. Biometric, biomorphic, and Vernacular architecture are different variations humans create to coexist with nature in extreme conditions. (Karnik, 2022) Architecture gives humans a sense of awareness about their responsibility towards nature. It embraces humans to exist in nature in the form of shelter.
Role of Culture
Culture frames the thought process of every individual. When Egyptians believed in the afterlife, it translated to pyramids, the Expression of polytheism in Rome to the Pantheon. Waking up to a day where culture doesn’t exist does not seem to be a dope idea; it would turn humans into a creature without stories, ones with a half-baked consciousness, and into ones who have lost themselves to this wild world. Considering culture, which is also formed as a by-product of the religious community, through architecture the story of the belief system is portrayed. As they say, it brings a sense of awe to its user. A temple or a church, or any divine structure, is the most expressive state of architecture. Funerary architecture represents a symbolic way of one’s belief in the afterlife and helps one leave a mark in the materialistic world. (Ackerman, 2023)
Social and Economic Role
From the ancient era of kings to the modern democratic era, a building’s height, surroundings, and location signifies its power over the public. Through city architecture, the expression of necessities is done by the people for the people. People generate wealth through architecture more easily as its prioritises the utility and function of its user. People started settling towards natural resources like water bodies, used mountains for trading, and men being social animals, turned small civilisations into enchanting clusters of cities with only 10-15 miles between them. People have put their wealth in the lane of architecture while defining each space around them through design. These cities and many other factors cause the formation of social communities showing architecture weaves people together.
Variations of architecture such as domestic, vernacular housing governmental buildings bring the person or the user a sense of belonging. It shapes their sense of space; without it, one would not feel the essence of places they travel or reside. From providing educational, health, and public security to commercial industrial and recreational spaces, architecture put the weight of public welfare, the industrial revolution, and institutional revelation on its shoulders. Buildings bring specific purposes to the welfare of the public, such as the Aqueducts of Romans, their highly developed water supply, and sewerage system. (Admin, 2021). When the industrial revolution brought ease in many technical factors, it also brought in many crises, which made the rise of many buildings that could not be classed into architecture. Though it is brought into the limelight, machinery, people, or the user should be given equal attention—the architecture intervention through institutional. Revelation. Generated many economic opportunities. Taking away this social and economic role architecture played on human life would nullify them.
Conclusion
People always need a medium to express or communicate their thoughts; art, in particular, attracts the human mind so that one can portray oneself to the world. Not only Architecture improves one’s quality of life, but it also improves one’s quality of thought; it’s a way of revolutionising the world. Though only a few basic parameters have been discussed on how questionable the existence of humans in a world without Architecture is, one of the sarcastic realities turns out to be that Architecture itself is a world for humans where every idea one has, has got a chance of coming true, Cause in that world right or wrong doesn’t exist everything is a matter of perspective.
References:
Harrouk, C. (2021) What is architecture? according to our readers, ArchDaily. ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/960128/what-is-architecture-according-to-our-readers (Accessed: April 16, 2023).
Admin (2021) Importance of architecture for society and in Modern World, IMPOFF. Available at: https://impoff.com/importance-of-architecture/ (Accessed: April 17, 2023).
Karnik, P. (2022) 10 ways architecture and nature can be combined – RTF: Rethinking the future, RTF | Rethinking The Future. Available at: https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/2021/02/10/a3238-10-ways-architecture-and-nature-can-be-combined/ (Accessed: April 17, 2023).
Ackerman, James S. , Collins, Peter , Gowans, Alan and Scruton, Roger. , (2023) “architecture”. Encyclopedia Britannica, Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/architecture. (Accessed 17 April 2023).
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02_Hive by OPENIDEAS ARCHITECTS Surat, India_©https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/heavenly-honeycomb-buildings/
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