What is architecture? In simple words, Architecture is a shelter or a structure that protects and provides comfort to living organisms. There might be a misconception that humans created architecture. No, they just coined the term. Nature already had its architecture. For example, the bird’s nest that it builds from twigs to protect its children or the spider’s web that it constructs from the thread are all examples of nature’s architecture. Humans got inspired by nature and came up with homes, office buildings, skyscrapers, townships and transport systems, making architecture an indispensable part of their life.
Influence of Architecture on human life
How does architecture influence human life? Architecture has potential beyond physical existence. From the colour of the wall of a room that impacts a person’s perception & thinking to the planning of a city that regulated the movement and lifestyle of the society as a whole. Every day rather than every minute, human interacts with the architecture surrounding them. It has become such a crucial part of human lifestyle, that we do not feel its existence. However, if architecture is removed from human life, its absence will leave a big void. Life would become like our ancestors used to live 2 to 3 million years ago. Just being able to fulfil the necessities of life and the human body including eating, sleeping, defecating and roaming here and there. Survival would be difficult due to the lack of comfort and protection from the weather and other animals. Architecture has made survival possible even in difficult places like snowy mountains, to the middle of the sea, and it has not limited its extension to our planet Earth but has also reached other extraterrestrial bodies. This horizon is increasing with the evolution of humans and technology.
The Identification
Architecture gives an identity to space, place and to people. It shapes spaces in a way that helps us to distinguish them. A coastal area is any location where the sea merges with land, but the architecture helps us distinguish between the coast of Bombay and the Coast of Kerala. The architecture reflects the values, culture and history of a place. Without it, the uniqueness will be lost. The fabric of a city tells about the people residing in it. The designs of the structure talk about the culture, types of systems existing at that time, the lifestyle of people, and their philosophy and thinking. While the construction material suggests the era it was built by analyzing the technology used.
Architecture helps us realize and understand human evolution and quench the thirst of the inquisitive human mind. Life would become monotonous and restricted without architecture. It adds an element of excitement to our lives.
“Humans will be ALIVE, but they will not LIVE life”
The Art in Architecture
Architecture brings art and creativity into the life of people. Art is a crucial aspect of human life that allows a deeper and better understanding of the world, and emotions. It improves the quality of life by increasing self–awareness and improving human coexistence. The author Arohi Mekvan in her article ‘Imagining a world without art’, says “Imagining the world without art would be imagining our self without eyebrows. There would be nobody who would make movies, music or paint. There would be nobody who would watch movies, listen to music or go to art galleries. Art binds eternity into one soul, so without the art present among us, the evolution would be like the lubricating agent that causes friction, making no sense at all.”
Touching Humans’
The architecture includes the involvement of form, environment, human character and function to evoke a specific kind of atmosphere. Architecture is flexible to the level that it can control every aspect in the desired quantity and manner that suits each individual. It, directly and indirectly, affects the human mind, health, work, lifestyle, and many more tangible and intangible aspects.
“We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us”
A very famous quote by Winston Churchill in 1943, explains the term architecture and its meaning in a few words. It tells how architecture impacts humans and also human influence on architecture.
Conclusion
Architecture helped humans to go limitless, to go beyond imagination. It is not just an entity or a small thing that is a part of human life; it is something that makes human life. In the absence of architecture, there will be no life. It represents how humans perceive themselves and the world around them. We can consider it the physical representation of human thoughts, which is why it has tangible and intangible aspects. There is a symbiotic relationship between architecture and humans. Humans feed architecture with ideas, while architecture provides comfort and productivity to humans. Henceforth we can say that without architecture humans will be missing on a lot many things that are quite important for their growth and existence.
References:
- Arohi Mekvan. Imagining a world without art. [online].
Available at: https://www.caleidoscope.in/art-culture/imagining-world-without-art.
- BGW Architects. How Architecture Affects Human Behavior. [online]
Available at: https://www.bgw-architects.com/architecture-and-behavior/#:~:text=Architecture%20plays%20a%20powerful%20role,that%20they%20are%20in%20fosters.
- HMC Architects. (October 2019). How Does Architecture Impact Society? A High-Level Look. [online].
Available at: https://hmcarchitects.com/news/how-does-architecture-impact-society-a-high-level-look-2019-10-18/
- Michael Bond. (June 2017). The hidden ways that architecture affects how you feel. [online]
Available at: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170605-the-psychology-behind-your-citys-design
- Galatoport / Dror + Gensler. Projects to explore in Turkey’s largest city. [Photograph]. (Architecture City Guide: Istanbul)
- Walkerssk from Pixabay. Mumbai Architecture: A Natural Mix of Architectural Styles. [Photogragh]
- Gettyimages. Architecture city of Florence. [Photogragh].
