Architecture

Architecture can mean:

• A general term to describe buildings and other physical structures.
• The art and science of designing buildings and (some) nonbuilding structures.
• The style of design and method of construction of buildings and other physical structures.
• A unifying or coherent form or structure.
• Knowledge of art, science, technology, and humanity.

The design activity of the architect,from the macro-level (urban design, landscape architecture) to the micro-level (construction details and furniture). The practice of the architect, where architecture means offering or rendering professional services in connection with the design and construction of buildings, or built environments.

Architecture today

• Main article: Contemporary architecture
• Since the 1980s, as the complexity of buildings began to increase (in terms of structural systems, services, energy and technologies), the field of architecture became multi-disciplinary with specializations for each project type, technological expertise or project delivery methods. Moreover, there has been an increased separation of the 'design' architect from the 'project' architect who ensures that the project meets the required standards and deals with matters of liability. The preparatory processes for the design of any large building have become increasingly complicated, and require preliminary studies of such matters as durability, sustainability, quality, money, and compliance with local laws. A large structure can no longer be the design of one person but must be the work of many

Economics

• The best architecture design is one that won't cost much but will still continue to drive economic flow.
• This goes beyond aesthetic design. If you're designing a building for a business, you'll want to take into account traffic flow.
• Where will the building be located? What's the business' goal? What kind of traffic will they be getting? What will help drive that traffic and increase profits?
• Even unexpected things, such as the type of traffic and their movement patterns need to be taken into account. Are they walking? Are they driving?
• You also have to keep safety in mind when designing a building. This goes beyond government regulations. One of the elements of good architecture is designing a space that can house clients comfortably and safely. 
• The most amazing architecture can accomplish this in a small, old space, breathing life into a once-downtrodden building and giving it that economic boost it needs.

Quality of life

• You know the saying, "You look good, you feel good."
• Did you ever think that the same thing could apply to buildings?
• It's really not such a far reach. Are you going to be proud of your space if it's just four walls and a door?

Imagine it. No design intricacies, nothing to add interest to it. Your exterior is four white walls and a door. 

Not very appealing, is it?

Architects add art, creativity, and beauty to our day lives in ways we don't expect. They know how to design your favorite little alcove or how to give your building the best view.

In fact, studies show that areas with good architecture and design create stronger communities with healthier neighborhoods and businesses.

Balance

Good architecture will fill your space with a sense of balance.

Designing a building isn't easy.  

As the architect, you need to to make sure the building's flow makes sense. They need to make sure your building is easy to move around in.

Beyond the building itself, architecture and design can help bring balance to people's lives. Referring back to the RIBA report, good design makes people's lives more efficient.

Well-designed hospitals ensure that patients are treated quickly. Well-designed schools create better learning environments. Workplaces with good architecture experience higher productivity.

All of this contributes to a healthy balance of day to day life and work-life balance.

Good architecture = progress

Architecture lets our surroundings progress in a way that we can't force ourselves.

Without clever new design innovations, we'd be stuck with the same huts and clay houses we lived in centuries ago!

Good architecture progresses with the times and encourages us to adopt healthier, more efficient habits. 

Conclusion

It may seem as though the general public doesn't give architects enough credit.

As the designer, take some time out and think about what the buildings around you are trying to accomplish.

Do they succeed in those goals?

How would your life be different if they didn't?

An architect's job isn't exactly easy. There's a lot to take into account and a lot of pressure.

However, the job isn't thankless. Reach out and harness the innovative spark and creative spirit that enhances our environments and lives.

SAYINGS OF SOME OF THE GREAT ARCHITECTS:-

• "By dint of building well, you get to be a good architect" - Aristotle
• “Beauty perishes in life, but is immortal in art” - Leonardo da Vinci
• “Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness” - Frank Gehry
• “The job of the architect today is to create beautiful buildings. That's all” - Philip Johnson
• “Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light” -  Le Corbusier
• “As an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past for a future which is essentially unknown” - Norman Foster
• "My work is not about "form follows function," but "form follows beauty" or, even better, "form follows feminine" - Oscar Niemeyer
• “There are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature. Therefore, buildings must have no straight lines or sharp corners” - Antonio Gaudi

• “When I’m working on a problem, I never think about its beauty, I just think about how to solve the problem, but when I finish it, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it’s wrong.” - Richard Buckminster Fuller
• "If a project is intense, valid, and has a powerful idea, its imperfections will be in the background" - Alberto Campo Baeza
• “Early in my career...I had to choose between an honest arrogance and a hypercritical humility... I deliberately choose an honest arrogance, and I've never been sorry” -  Frank Lloyd Wright
• “We should attempt to bring nature, houses, and human beings together in a higher unity” - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
• "Any architectural work that does not express serenity is an error" - Luis Barragán
• “The difference between good and bad architecture is the time you spend on it” - David Chipperfield
• "Architecture is a way of thinking about the world very similar in structure to writing a book, since both disciplines represent the same field and domain" - Rem Koolhaas