The Jorge M. Perez Architecture Centre by Leon Krier
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The Roman ArchitectVitruviusin his treatise on architecture, De Architectura in the first century BC got it right when he asserted that there were three principles of good architecture:
Firmitas(Firmness, Durability) – It should stand up robustly and remain in good condition.
Utilitas(Commodity, Utility) – It should be useful and function well for the people using it.
Venustas(Delight, Beauty) – It should delight people and raise their spirits.
Any Architect or Architectural Technologist “worth their salt” can easily see the valueof the first two principles when it comes toarchitecture.Firmitas and Utilitas: It will last and it will do the job.Some, however, may scoff at the third principle which is beauty.
Before scoffing, consider that architecture does not stop at say the foundations or the structural framing.Architecture is about the whole deal.You don’t look at an ugly building that has impressive structural framing and clever plumbing and admire the architecture.By the same token, a beautiful building that collapses after five minutes or overheats from too much glazing is not admired either, at least not for very long.
Whilst most Architectural Technologists may easily believe that the first two principles are their responsibility and the third is just optional, it is strongly argued that the third principle, Venustas, is as important culturally as the first two.
Venustas is about architectural beauty, which in Vitruvius' classical universe meant the building's ability to mime natural cosmic order. Vitruvius believed that nature is an expression of cosmic order based on universal laws, and he believed, that architectural quality is achieved when architectural design is based on these laws and when architecture thereby 'mimics' natural cosmic order.A more contemporary understanding of the concept may be architecture's spatial and aesthetic conditions – proportion, scale, the play between light and shade, the contrasts between heaviness and lightness, textural qualities, structural patterns, rhythm, etc.
These universal principles of good architecture:Durability, Utility and Beauty, can help us all be better at what we do. The difference between a good architect and a great architect is the ability to craft an elegant solution in a way that truly delights the user.
As the great American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright wrote “The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.”
