Architecture, whether vernacular or modern, single-storey houses or high-rise apartment buildings, is everywhere. Today, humans are living in one architectural creation, working in another, and have studied in another. Their lives are incomplete without architecture, its ubiquitousness shows its importance in human lives. But have you ever thought of a world without architecture? In this essay, we will discuss the importance of architecture and how humans would have evolved without it.
Architecture shows human accomplishments
Some of the questions that arise in the mind of every individual are why we ever needed architecture, why it existed at first, and does it represent anything. Well, initially, hunter-gathers wanted a place to hide from the wild, to protect themselves from harsh weather conditions. That’s why they started to live in caves which served as a natural form of architecture. Later, as humans started to get evolves, so did their knowledge of using materials to make different things. Different civilizations used architecture to show different phenomena. Egyptians used architecture to construct pyramids to connect with the god. The Persian empire used it to show power, the Greeks honoured god through temple construction, and the Romans used it to expand their cities through aqueducts, amphitheatres, and agora. Later Christian kingdoms used architecture to make monasteries for meditations, and Muslim rulers used it to construct places of worship.
The Middle ages used it to make universities like Oxford. Industrialization diverged architecture into factories. Modernism invented skyscrapers. This showed that humans used architecture as a tool to forge ahead. With the invention of materials at different intervals of time like the iron (evidence showed that the temple of Solomon was constructed out of iron tools), roman concrete led to the fabrication of a large dome of the Pantheon, and technologically advanced 3D printer making houses with robots, shows that architecture progressed with the human accomplishments.
Architecture represents culture
Architecture is a component of our culture as well as the constructed environment. It serves as a metaphor for how we see the world and how we see ourselves. Architecture is how culture is expressed and manifested. Therefore, there is no separation between architecture and culture. Each community’s architecture contributes to its sense of self and communicates its culture. The topography, customs, traditions, manners, and knowledge of the society, as well as its history, all influence architecture. A kind of “cultural marker” that might characterize the way of life and socioeconomic standing of its inhabitants is the form and interactions of buildings and places. Without a doubt, the design and layout of buildings, as well as their interior and exterior facades, are some of the visible signs of each community’s civilization and culture.
The social system’s cultural practices are reflected in the physical characteristics of architecture, such as shape, size, decorations, and construction style. Architecture is the end product of creative space-making thought that is dynamic and impacted by elements such as knowledge, aesthetics, and design. The necessities of today’s society or the culture of its residents can be considered to define whether the space created by architecture is stable or not. Experience from the past and the present creates culture.
Architecture represents local material
Vernacular architecture is thought to make up about 90 to 98 percent of all buildings worldwide. Consider 80% or perhaps a higher percentage of the billion buildings worldwide to be examples of vernacular architecture. Therefore, it is evident that more than half of the population resides in homes of this type. Vernacular architecture is a product of using locally available materials to construct a built environment. From the historical pieces of evidence, it’s clear that humans used materials that were present to them to make a shelter that represents their cultural identity. Till now, this form of architecture shows the ancestry of that society and mastery over the usage of locally available material.
What if Architecture were not there..?
Humans are inseparable from architecture hence it is impossible to think of a world without architecture. It has blended with our reality, and our existence is incomplete without it. If architecture would not present at first or if architecture would not be under human basic necessity then the reality might be different. Here are some of the situations that the author thinks would be in the world with no architecture:
- Maybe humans would still be living in caves or naturally built shelters for survival.
- Maybe humans could never be able to understand and utilize the material present around them. Hence there would be no vernacular architecture. Additionally, human evolution has not taken place or the human brain advances did not occur, and so did the civilization of humans.
- Without any civilization or advancement, humans would not be able to understand the importance of education, norms, and society, Thus there would be no schools or universities for study, no museums to see the art, no libraries to record documents, and no homes for a living.
Architecture makes a barren land beautiful and a place where one can live. Historical architectural reminiscents show how far humanity has come, and how advanced it has become.
Final words
Architecture has a long history – so long that the word has become deeply embedded into language. Without architecture, humans are like fish without water. Human advancement led to architectural innovation. Architecture has enabled humans to use locally available materials in the built environment. Architecture has given us the height of a skyscraper, libraries to contain books, museums to enjoy art, and schools to get educated. without architecture, this all seems like a dream.
References
ching F., Jarzombek M., Prakash V.,(2017)the global history of architecture,3rd. ed., USA: Wiley
Damen, M.(2008), History and Civilization.Utah: Utah state university
Oliver, P. (2003). Dwellings: The Vernacular Houses World Wide. London: Phaidon Press.
Rapoport, A. (2006). “Vernacular design as a model system” in Asquith, L. & Vellinga, M. (Eds.). Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century: Theory, education, and practice. London: Taylor & Francis. pp.182-183
Vellinga, M., Oliver, P. & Bridge, A. (2007). Atlas of Vernacular Architecture of the World. London: Routledge.
