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Overview

Architecture has been considered a craft and an art since the time of the Tower of Babel. In fact, it was around that time that Egypt built the first pyramid.

Today, we can appreciate the beauty of ancient temples and medieval cathedrals. We have learned to view them as works of architectural art. What defines that beauty? In what ways do they tell us about ourselves?

In this article, you will learn about the importance of buildings and how they can inspire us. You will also learn about what makes a building beautiful and why it can evoke memories. Finally, you’ll see how architecture speaks to our personality traits and brings out certain aspects in us.

The book also explains why some people who are socialist activists don’t eat with ornate crockery and instead use plastic plates. It tells you how a whitewashed loft can help tame anarchistic thoughts, as well as why we arrange the wooden planks on our floor in grid-like patterns.

Big Idea #1: Standards of architectural beauty have changed over time.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but there are certain rules that define architectural beauty.

Historically, there have been many great buildings. For centuries, the best architects followed a particular style that was highly regarded and imitated. The classical style is characterized by columns and geometric shapes such as circles or squares.

The Romans were inspired by Greek architecture and applied it to their own cities. Then, nearly 1,000 years later, the classical style was brought back into the limelight by Renaissance artists in Italy.

From there, the style spread to Europe and eventually to America. For example, Thomas Jefferson’s campus for the University of Virginia displays a distinctly Roman style.

While classical architecture was popular in the 1800s, it wasn’t the only style. Gothic architecture originated in medieval times and experienced a revival at that time.

A revival of Gothic architecture began in England during the 18th century due to Horace Walpole, son of Sir Robert Walpole. He built a large Gothic home for himself called Strawberry Hill between 1750 and 1792. This was followed by other architects creating their own versions of this style, only to be criticized for not sticking with one or the other.

But that all changed when industrial engineers took over the design of buildings. They had more influence with new machinery from the Industrial Revolution.

Their opinion was that buildings should be as efficient as possible. For instance, the ideal bridge would be the one that was lightest, cheapest and longest. Some people think efficiency and simplicity are important to architectural beauty.

Big Idea #2: Objects and buildings speak to us, reminding us of people and evoking memories.

So, there are different kinds of architecture, each with its own set of rules. But why do we like some buildings more than others?

Any designed object speaks to us about values. For example, a teacup can imply different things depending on the design and style of it. A Scandinavian crockery set might suggest modest living while an ornate one would indicate ceremonial living focused around class.

Simply put, we find a piece of design appealing if it conveys the values and lifestyle that we like. For example, someone who believes in socialism might not like the ornate crockery because he or she sees it as representative of inequality.

In addition, the design of buildings and objects can remind us of personality types. This is not surprising because it’s natural to associate things with personalities. For example, a gothic cathedral has tall, thin arches that might remind you of an intense person who gets emotional easily.