Back to Arts
Section: Built Environment
FIG 1.0: DEFINITION

FROZEN
MUSIC

Architecture is the masterly, correct, and magnificent play of masses brought together in light. It is where engineering meets emotion.

The Vitruvian Triad

Firmitas

(Firmness / Strength)

The structure must stand up. From the Pyramids to modern skyscrapers, gravity is the ultimate opponent.

Utilitas

(Commodity / Utility)

The building must serve a purpose. Form follows function. A house must be livable; a museum must guide flow.

Venustas

(Delight / Beauty)

The structure must be aesthetically pleasing. It creates a sense of awe, harmony, or proportion.

Evolution of Style

Style Selector

Classical / Greek

// Order & Proportion
Philosophy

Defined by the 'Orders' (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian). Focus on symmetry, columns, and the Golden Ratio.

Materiality

Marble, Stone

"Firmitas, Utilitas, Venustas (Strength, Utility, Beauty)"

The Masterworks

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

Fallingwater

Organic Architecture. The house doesn't sit *on* the hill, it is *of* the hill.

ANCIENT ROME

The Pantheon

The unreinforced concrete dome. A perfect sphere fits inside. Dedicated to all gods.