The psychological consequences of architecture A collection of thoughts and related research. Tim Emmens Lower Sixth book was essentially a Bible for architects and designers, containing plans for Roman and Greek buildings, town plans, designs for harbours, machines, measuring instruments – and much more to the same effect. Vitruvius also wrote about the three aspects, or three guidelines to architecture: firmitas (strength), utilitas (functionality), and venustas (beauty).
Pruitt-Igoe Complex
A “home” is always seen as more than just a house. Commonplace is the tacky “Home is where the heart is” sign, potentially in a slanted calligraphic font, maybe printed onto a cheap wooden slab - hung proudly on the wall (other soul-warming Poundland home decorations are available). But behind this cliché slogan is a wealth of untold truth. The idea has been around for millennia that the buildings we spend almost all of our time in (around 90% of our life is spent indoors) could act as more than
just a roof over our heads: a first century architect Vitruvius released a ten-part publication entitled: “De Architectura Libri Decem”– “Ten Books On Architecture.” Being the earliest surviving document on architecture, this seemed to be a fitting place to start investigating the effect architecture can have on an individual. This publication is seen as the first book to include content classified as “Architectural theory” – the concept that buildings can be more than ‘bricks and mortar’. Vitruvius’s
[T]hree guidelines to architecture: firmitas (strength), utilitas (functionality), and venustas (beauty). With regard to beauty, Vitruvius had a specific idea as to what defined it – as typically, beauty standards change throughout the ages. He believed that the proportions of the human body could be used as a “model of natural proportional perfection” when building. The body could be seen as a “living rulebook” on how to build with beauty. In scope with this, according to Vitruvius, all architects must design and build to create a sense of eurythmia, “a graceful and agreeable atmosphere”, seemingly saying that an architect’s job is to make more than a building – they must take into account the effect on the inhabitants’ minds in what they do. They need to make a positive impact on how a person is feeling. How to do that is the question. If one were to look for the key ingredients of a good building, the recipes would differ wherever you looked. So, here are several recurring flavours I have discovered, for you to digest: of course, the perspective of what makes a building ‘good’ is subjective, so using my best judgement, I have tried to be as unbiased as possible. Furthermore, being ‘good’ is a multi-faceted state: the building must be judged on how well it performs its function, how little is its ecological impact to the environment, its aesthetic; whether it preserves a previous historical style or is an new, bold approach; and to what degree
Prime example of vegetation use alongside architecture
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