‘Architecture is a visual art and the buildings speak for themselves’ – Julia Morgan
Architecture is an integral part of molding human life. We grew up conglomerated with it from schools, hospitals parks, and our very homes. Art and architecture are integrated into the urban fabric as they both communicate visually. A relationship that transcends time, space, and people. Architecture has always been looked at as a physical manifestation of societal needs and aspirations therefore it cannot be divorced from human life. Architecture is for everyone. Vernacular architecture is a term that is associated with architecture without architects. Architecture does not restrict itself only to architects, it is determined by human beings as it has implications on human life.
Since humans showed the very sign of civilization, architecture came into existence. Primitive man used caves for shelter. With the advent of time, there was a drift in the human need for shelter from caves to houses. After that, it has become more purpose-driven for cities and societies. Brought a paradigm shift from being mere structures to being rhetorical, symbolic, a place of worship, a tool of expression, community building, etc.
Taking a stroll into the past, the structures have evolved from monolithic stones in Stonehenge to proper houses. Man understood the need for shelter. In the Indus Valley Civilization the use of bricks in making homes, the great bath, citadels, fine road network and drainage patterns the lifestyle of humans evolved. From before the era of pyramids masonry was used as a very element to construct buildings. From small bricks to gigantic stones, architects created buildings considering how high they can be stacked and how far they could be spaced. In the temples of Greek and Romans, they learned if the top enclosure was a flat roof of masonry their supports could not be further apart. The use of timber can provide a greater distance. Knowing the limitations and strengths that came with that material during that time.
The architectural history caters to social, cultural, and functional reform in building from 1200 bc to the 20th century. During the classical period it was the rise of the Greek empire and the highlight of this style was the columns that were placed on the facade. Vitruvius introduced three different orders Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Symmetry, proportion, and rational order were the classic aesthetics. The Byzantine was a combination of Eastern and Western traditions. The architecture was transitional and transformational. The main feature was a central dome as seen in Hagia Sophia in Turkey. The influence of Rome brought Romanesque architecture. The characteristic features were rounded arches, barrel vaults, thick walls, large towers, pillars, supporting vaults, and decorative arcading. One fine example is the Basilica of St Sernin in Toulouse, France. The influence of Gothic culture came around in the 12th century. It is the architecture of pointed arches, pointed ribbed vaults, clerestory windows, and buttresses. Notre Dame Cathedral is a fine example. In the 15th century, the Renaissance period brought prominence, a development in the buildings. The Renaissance is called the Italian Renaissance. St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Villa Rotunda were made on the principles of Vitruvius.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Adolf Loos delivered an essay in response to the Art Nouveau which held the status quo in Vienna and proved how ornamentation on the buildings was prevalent. Then comes the revolt in architecture and industrial design with the principle of form following function by Louis Sullivan which means the shape of the building should relate to the intended purpose of that building. A clash between the functionality of the building and its beauty. A conflict in the choice of aesthetics. The introduction of iron and steel structural systems in the buildings brought dynamism. Well, there is no such building that can claim to be the first of structural steel but generally, the Home Insurance Building of Chicago is given credit. By the 20th century with the introduction of reinforced concrete structures, many designers still preferred steel structures.
All these eras saw the rise and fall of different materials, structures, embellishments, and whatnot. Looking at the world through post-modernist lense it is through architecture that we are acknowledging groundbreaking work that defies gravity. Today we have skyscrapers more than 500 m high and structures becoming exceptional works of art. It would be uncanny to imagine a world without architecture there wouldn’t, be places of learning and faith, majestic palaces, watch towers, libraries, malls, cafes, etc. All monotonous and chaotic. To relish and revive history we have the most trafficked tourist spots such as the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, etc. Architecture has not only evolved as a congenial practice of profession but also a pursuit of the cultural practices of that city. There has been a symbiotic dynamism in the profession and practice through functionality and aesthetics. Thus human existence without architecture cannot be imagined.
