Architectural theory
June 3, 2009 by blogtopia
Filed under Definitions
Architectural theory is the act of thinking, discussing, or most importantly writing about architecture. Architectural theory is taught in most architecture schools and is practiced by the world’s leading architects. Some forms that architecture theory takes are the lecture or dialogue, the treatise or book, and the paper project or competition entry.
Architectural theory is often didactic, and theorists tend to stay close to or work from within schools. It has existed in some form since antiquity, and as publishing became more common, architectural theory gained an increased richness. Books, magazines, and journals published an unprecedented amount of works by architects and critics in the twentieth century. As a result, styles and movements formed and dissolved much more quickly than the relatively enduring modes in earlier history. It is to be expected that the use of the internet will further the discourse on architecture in the twenty first century.
Architect
An architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton (arkhi-, chief + tekton, builder), i.e. chief builder. A looser usage of Architect is: the translator of the building user’s requirements of and from a building into an inhabitable environment. Moreover, the words architect and architecture are used in the disciplines of engineering, e.g. computer software architect; however, in some of the world’s jurisdictions, the professional and commercial uses of these etymologic variants, are legally protected from such loose denotations.
Professionally, an architect’s decisions affect public safety, and thus must undergo specialized training and education, and a practicum for practical experience in order to qualify for and earn a licence to practice architecture; the practical, technical, and academic requirements for being a licenced architect vary.
Landscape architecture
June 3, 2009 by blogtopia
Filed under Definitions
Landscape architecture is the most modern of the environment professions and represents a synthesis of arts, science, and technical philosophies and practices that seek to care for the Earth’s landscapes in a truly holistic, creative and sustainable manner. It involves the investigation and designed response to the landscape.
The scope of the profession includes master planning, site planning, environmental restoration, town or urban planning, urban design, parks and recreation planning; green infrastructure planning and provision, all at varying scales of design, planning and management. A practitioner in the field of landscape architecture is called a landscape architect.
Architecture
June 3, 2009 by blogtopia
Filed under Definitions
The term architecture (from Greek word αρχιτεκτονική,pronounced architektonike) can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.
As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures primarily to provide shelter. A wider definition often includes the design of the total built environment, from the macro level of how a building integrates with its surrounding landscape (see town planning, urban design, and landscape architecture) to the micro level of architectural or construction details and, sometimes, furniture. Wider still, architecture is the activity of designing any kind of system.
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Eastlake Style
May 29, 2009 by blogtopia
Filed under Architectural style
The Eastlake Style is named for Charles Eastlake (1836-1906), an Englishman whose Hints on Household Taste in Furniture, Upholstery, and Other Details (1868) was highly influential in American design, by translating John Ruskin and William Morris’ ideas into a decorative vocabulary for the carpenter and builder.
The Eastlake style’s importance is delineated by the use of geometric shapes made possible by modern machine techniques of the era. By making these intricate shapes with machines, it was possible to duplicate the exact complex patterns repeatedly, and in unusual places, such as the inside plates of a hinge.
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