Having said that importance of anything is subjective in this posting, here is a posting to argue why architecture is important, objectively speaking.
Here’s a start: The study of architecture is the study of the built environment. By this definition, then anything built (be it actual, mental, virtual, or hyper, to name a few) by human is architecture. The discipline has existed as long as human has started to build on natural environment. It is one of the oldest and most developed disciplines of knowledge. Few other disciplines could pose this reason as an argument.
Altogether, the actual built environment (buildings of all kinds) creates what we know as human settlements, where cultures take form and create civilizations. All kinds of civilizations, in turn, leave behind settlements, some of which that survived enable us to understand about human history on this earth and its development over time. This bit especially explains the close relationship of architecture with cultures, sciences (hard and soft) and arts (fine and applied).
The mental built environment happens inside our minds. As we can walk through spaces in real life, we can also walk through spaces within our minds (for example, when we read description of places in literature). But, I would argue, mental built environment goes beyond walking through spaces mentally.
Mental built environment includes the creation of images we have within our minds, how we construct our thoughts, how we structure the world around us to understand it, how things fall into place. The actual built environment affects the creation of our mental built environment, and vice versa. This is why the design of actual built environment matters and why the creation of mental built environment is pertinent. This bit especially explains the close relationship of architecture with literature (of all kinds), thinking, and philosophy.
The virtual built environment refers to any computer-generated environment. This is one of the later mutations of architecture that has breached into previously unexplored frontiers. Likewise, architecture has crept into other disciplines, including computer.
The hyper built environment is also another later mutation of architecture. It entails the creation of space that is hyper-real, being described rather simply by Eco in “Travels in Hyperreality” (1986) as “… [a condition where the] [a]bsolute unreality is offered as real presence.” Makes you think of the wedding cake houses mentioned here, doesn’t it?
So you have got to admit: Few other disciplines are as fluid and as interconnected to other disciplines as architecture as they currently stand. Since human evolution has practically rendered most of us unable to survive in open nature for too long of a time, architecture is therefore indispensable to modern life.
And here’s the end of my argument: All beings exist in space. As such, what else can be as important as architecture? :) It’s all about argument, isn’t it?
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6 comments:
Hmm, I have to admit that u r right about those architectural things :) Architecture is very important in our life because settlement (or we can say, architecture??) is one of our primary needs. N (based on my experience learning it), it's also a very complex one ('cause it involves lots of other knowledges). But, have u ever thought that beyond architecture, there are more greater things (or disciples) in our lives that play more important roles?? We, human, just can't live depending only to architecture. N I think, we can gain the same things offered by architecture using other means. I'm having difficulties in describing it, 'cause architecture itself doesn't have an exact definition. But, here, I will talk about architecture as 'the art or science of building'. N again, I'll try to define what a 'building' is. 'Building' is a structure that has roof, wall, n floor. U know, I think that architecture is as simple as that. U got a building, n u got a book that is full of its descriptions, analysis, n so on.
Back to my former argument about we can live without architecture.. This world is constructed based on how we perceive the world in our minds n then, we tried to transfer the thoughts to reality. Maybe we can say that the medium used is architecture. But, don't u see, that IT'S JUST ONE OF HUMAN MEANS TO GAIN HIS EXISTENCE ON EARTH??? The main point about life lies in our own heads. We experience our days not just physically but also mentally. N, this mental experience usually plays greater roles (u also want to argue that 'mental built environment goes beyond walking through spaces mentally', right?? :) I think u want to stress the importance of building buildings not just physically, but also mentally). Somehow, I get the idea that WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT ARCHITECTURE. If it's all about our minds, then, I'm sure that we can train ourselves not to depend on architecture (maybe it is when we don't need settlement as one of our primary needs anymore). Probably, architecture SEEMS so important in this world because, we, human, recognise/understand the real (seen) ones better than the unreals. But, we also have to be conscious that the essence of this world lies on those unreal things happen in our mind :)
Ok.. Maybe architecture IS important.. But, there are reasons n denials about everything, right?? :) Maybe (for me) architecture is not that important because there are more important things in my life n unfortunately, architecture isn't one of them :)
Philosopher.me:
Of course beyond archictecture there are many extremely interesting and important disciplines, but one can’t possibly find all disciplines as interesting and as important as everything else. And one can’t excel in everything. That’s why we human have different interests and excel in different things.
When human no longer live in built environment and create settlements, that will be the time when architecture will have been completely transformed to a point that it would have probably been an extinct discipline.
The question is, if you find that your passion is not in architecture, then why are you studying it?
:) I feel like I've driven u mad.. So sorry for being so annoying in that kind of way.. There are many reasons why I'm still studying architecture. One of them is because I'm afraid if I change my learning subject right now, I will meet failures, n it will be more depressing if I failed in subject I choose compared to one I never wanted to learn.. But, I also fond things that are important during my times in architecture, n for now, my decision is to stick with it until I found no valuable reasons to stick with this architecture thing :) Forgive me if I made architecture looks like an object of experiment, but, I do really try to work my way through it.. Hope u understand.. :)
Hey, architecture is all about experiments! Don't be sorry for me, I'm not the one who's been driven crazy by doing something I don't like! :) It's your life after all.
Choosing and making decision always means risk taking. If you don't want to take the risk, well then, what can I say... ;)
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