When was the last time you stepped out and got an awe feeling by looking at a grand façade? Can you imagine a world without huge structures and buildings around you? What about historical monuments or even your own home? Can you imagine a world without them? The answer is no! It is unimaginable to think of a world without architecture because it is the art or science of designing and creating structures that humans come across in their day-to-day life. Everything around us is related to architecture. Without them, humans wouldn’t have shelter to live in. There won’t be any kind of security either.
Imagining a world without architecture is like imagining a bustling city transformed into a desolate green landscape with nothing but trees, grass, and sky. You can barely see any people around such places because life is hard to sustain without any sort of shelter. After a long day of work, when you come back looking for food and shelter, you find nothing around you but just desolate land. You settle down on the grass, shivering in the cold. Now imagine all the kinds of weather conditions you will have to survive without any shelter.
Evolution of Architecture:
In ancient times, people could go and live in caves. At those times, we can just have barren lands, probably with some rock dunes, grass, or maybe water bodies. People would take shelter in caves and hunt animals for food. Talking about architecture here, caves are formed in a natural process, giving access to people by creating tunnel-like passages. Even though it occurs organically, there is still art involved. In a situation like this, you already know that change is a universal phenomenon and that it always leads to evolution. The evolution that happens in structures and buildings as time goes by is called architecture.
Everything has changed significantly as a result of the development that can be observed from ancient times to the present. After caves, huts came into the picture for livelihood. Slowly, as time went by, people started building structures the way they wanted, as they required shelter. When speaking of the history of architecture, it goes back as long as the history of human evolution. Firstly, structures were built for their comfort, but as time passed, people started looking for aesthetic appeal. Interesting developments took place, which in turn reflected the spirit of the time.
The Purpose of Architecture:
Human existence would be pointless without architecture since future generations would never know about its history. Architecture isn’t just about huge structures, bridges, or buildings; they are the representation of culture and livelihood. Architecture is an identity for human existence. It creates an environment for humans and showcases the evolution of various historic moments and structures, also providing a comfortable living for people. Without architecture, there wouldn’t be innovation and evolution for livelihood. Survival would be much harder than imagined.
If there were no buildings, there would be no stories to be told or even a higher power to worship. Mankind needs structures to store every piece of art made, volumes of recorded facts and ideas, and protect some of the built heritage. Looking at the massive structures and buildings they made helps us understand the evolution of time without words. Architecture is an indication of history and the future. It is everywhere around us and forms the community that we are a part of while also forming who we are as people.
Influence on Human Beings:
Architecture influences us in various ways. It triggers the emotional state of humans, impacting their psychological state. Humans are affected by what they see and hear around them. Architecture helps in creating a perspective of the world, thus influencing our values. Architecture shapes your thinking; the mind gets largely motivated by the design that you see. Buildings are not only built to give shelter but also to preserve history. Every historic monument that you come across in your city or country has its own story to be told. Because of architecture, the upcoming generation is informed about their history related to every field.
Spaces instill certain emotional conditions; humans can experience the emotive power of architecture through the evolution around them. Structures and buildings are designed in an interesting way to draw people’s attention. When utilized in certain ways, each element has a unique impact on people. In other words, architecture can control the human mind with its design, thus influencing human perspectives and modifying their moods. Whether you like a space or not depends on how the design has turned out; the illumination, illustrations, materials, furnishing, and even the textures. So, it is very important to understand the psychological needs of the human mind while designing.
Architecture in Present Times:
Architecture over the last few decades has had a huge rate of acceleration. All thanks to mankind and technology, it looks so much better now. Throughout history, architecture has helped us summarise every milestone in the history of humankind. Thanks to architecture, people are so lucky today to be able to go back to their homes with no worries. On weekends, you explore places like shopping malls or even restaurants. You are amused by the ambience that architecture has provided for you. Architecture has created immortal imprints through the media of art, building, and massive structures. It serves society and improves the quality of life.
Due to technology, there has been an advancement in architecture. You can see multiple décor styles and building methods. From parametric to sustainable designs, architecture has set foot in every possible way. It has evolved thoughtfully, building structures that go above and beyond their vertical height. There have been technological improvements in the field, helping humans to work quicker and more efficiently. The quality of construction has improved, and the methods of construction have changed. Thanks to software and technology, construction has been made easier.
So, imagining a world without architecture is nearly impossible because architecture has an impact on our everyday lives. Humans cannot escape architecture since it is present everywhere around them. Architecture creates a physical environment in which humans live. It’s not just a built environment, but much more than that. Human existence without architecture would be meaningless. The world won’t be able to see innovation and progress. Architecture stands as a representation of the world and its living beings. It is an art. For millennia to come, maybe till the end of the world, the existence of architecture will not vanish.
Reference list:
- www.linkedin.com. (n.d.). How buildings influence society and how society is influenced by buildings – an introduction. [online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-buildings-influence-society-influenced-ana-maria-ghinita/
- Thought Economics. (2015). The Role of Architecture in Humanity’s Story. [online] Available at: https://thoughteconomics.com/the-role-of-architecture-in-humanitys-story/
- www.sciarc.edu. (n.d.). Can you imagine a world without architecture? – SCI-Arc. [online] Available at: https://www.sciarc.edu/news/2017/can-you-imagine-a-world-without-architecture
- www.youtube.com. (n.d.). How Architecture Affects our Daily Lives | Ignacio Hui | TEDxYouth@THS. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgvbffkN90E
- www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Imagine A World Without Architecture. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c8FtVMxdaE
