What is Architecture: 100 Definition of Architecture

There are many definitions out there, but this blog will focus on the top “100 Definition of Architecture”. It will give you a good idea of “What is Architecture” and how it applies to your life or what is architecture in art or what is architecture design or what is architecture in history and more…

Definitions of Architecture

  1. Architecture is the mother of all arts.
  2. Architecture is the carrier of a culture, from the bottom of the land to the top of the sky.
  3. Architecture accommodates our needs, our aspirations, and our limitations, merging art and function, tradition and technology, and product and process into a single seamless whole.
  4. Architecture is a language. Buildings must tell a story. And the story they tell is the story of the people.
  5. Architecture is a means of expression, the expression of an architect’s own aesthetic sensibility and the expression of a culture’s collective sensibilities.
  6. Architecture is in every sense of the word an art, yet it is seldom perceived as such, and is usually relegated to the status of an engineering, a business, or a technology.
  7. Architecture is not necessarily the art of construction, but, rather, an art of making.
  8. Architecture is where the arts and humanities meet.
  9. Architecture has all sorts of functions: it makes people feel good, it creates a sense of community, it creates a sense of history, it changes the way we see the world.
  10. Architecture, with its concern for the physical environment, is an appropriate tool for those who want to change society for the better.
  11. Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings with a concern for both function and beauty.
  12. Architecture is a public art. It is the work of mankind.
  13. Architecture is not simply a matter of a building. It is about how the building affects the city, the city affects the people, the people affect the country.
  14. Architecture is a social act. It is a means of communication from an architect to the people.
  15. Architecture is always about what can be built. Architecture is a process, not simply a product.
  16. Architecture is more than an object of beauty. It is an essential component of the man-made environment and therefore a factor in our environmental wellbeing.
  17. Architecture is the art of turning constraints into opportunities.
  18. Architecture is not just something that exists, it’s something that’s created. That’s part of the whole process of building something.
  19. Architecture is a human art, with its own specific characteristics and qualities.
  20. Architecture is not just about walls, elevations and so on. We must look at other aspects of it — its relationship to nature and humanity and how architecture can help the latter.
  21. Architecture is a profession that is not only about buildings. The architect’s social responsibility is to make sure that the buildings serve their purpose but also to serve the people.
  22. Architecture is more than design in the narrow sense. It is a whole process of creation, a way of life.
  23. Architecture is the art of making a building.
  24. Architecture is a living art, and it grows with its users.
  25. Architecture is an attempt to make sense of how we live. Architecture is about the art of the possible.
  26. Architecture is the art of how you organize space: how you choose the relationship among things, and how you put them together so they give you the best value for your money.
  27. Architecture is an activity that has always served to define and organize the community, and therefore to determine the destiny of a society.
  28. Architecture is a discipline that has grown and evolved in step with the cultural, technological, and social changes that have affected the world.
  29. Architecture is one of the few arts that have the prospect of realizing themselves in the real world, and architecture that realizes itself is architecture that can never be fully comprehended.
  30. Architecture is not an isolated profession but exists within the wider sphere of human life ‐ the schools we attend, the hospitals we visit, the churches we attend, and the poorhouses, town halls, and courthouses in which we are obliged to transact our business.
  31. Architecture is a social art. And as a social art, it is our social responsibility to make sure that we are delivering architecture that meets not only functional and creature comforts, but also spiritual comfort.
  32. Architecture is the synthesis of all the arts.
  33. Architecture is the science that studies the physical, functional, and aesthetic characteristics, of buildings, open spaces, and other forms of urban environment.
  34. Architecture is our response to the natural environment and our attempt to understand it. It is the human experience in its simplest form.
  35. Architecture is a form of art that is not just pleasing to the eye but pleasant to the mind, too.
  36. Architecture is the most human of the arts and a vital part of our daily lives. Architecture is where we live, work and play, and it affects how we feel. It is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. We need it to live well.
  37. Architecture is both science and art.
  38. Architecture is not the mere result of the application of technology. It is a unique and personal expression of creative spirit.
  39. Architecture is the practice of designing buildings.
  40. Architecture is not something just to beautify or to civilize mankind – or to do anything else. My principal life interest is in the buildings of the past – how they looked, how they functioned, and why they were built that way.
  41. Architecture is an art of transformation as well as a science of construction. It is always more than bricks and mortar. It is an art of the self, of the soul.
  42. Architecture is a democratic art, open to everybody, because the design of buildings is not a purely private affair, but a public act.
  43. Architecture is the record of our civilizational progress.
  44. Architecture is not a luxury, it is a basic need.
  45. Architecture is a way of life; it is a practice that shapes the spaces in which we live, work, and play.
  46. Architecture is a reflection of our values, ideals, and beliefs.
  47. Architecture is not just about building, but is the whole process that leads to building, and to use and enjoy the building afterwards.
  48. Architecture is a social act. It is not just a question of aesthetics. It is also a question of ethics, of how people live, of what kind of society they want to build.
  49. Architecture has to do with the eternal: the human aspiration for beauty and permanence and identity.
  50. Architecture is at once like music and dance, in that it is deeply personal yet thousands of people can experience it at once, creating a collective experience that elicits strong reactions across generations.
  51. Architecture is more than a design. Architecture is a way of life, a way of thinking and acting.
  52. Architecture is a discipline of the imagination and the senses. It is a way of life, and therefore has a moral dimension.
  53. Architecture is the product of a civilization. The design of a house will reflect the architecture of the civilization that has built it.
  54. Architecture is a complex art. And in that complexity, the architect may well find the means of expressing his or her innermost visions through the architectural forms.
  55. Architecture is not just a matter of the built environment. It touches our culture, our daily lives, our spiritual lives, and our hopes for the future.
  56. Architecture is not just about walls. It is about the use of the space. It is about how to make the public feel comfortable.
  57. Architecture is a human endeavor that is in some way connected to the destiny of the species.
  58. Architecture is a discipline that is concerned with the physical world, but it is a discipline with which we must also be conversant with the spiritual, moral, and cultural aspects of human existence.
  59. Architecture has to relate to its time, to its sites, to its place, to its users, to its cultural context, to its generations yet unborn.
  60. Architecture is an opportunity to make the world a better place.
  61. Architecture is about five things: materials, light, space, structure, and movement – and five relationships between things, from the general to the incidental.
  62. Architecture is a means of making life more beautiful than it was before you made your mark upon it.
  63. Architecture is not a game. Putting up a piece of sculpture is a different thing; that’s a game. When you’re making architecture, you’re making something which people occupy, and inhabit, and live in, and that makes a huge difference.
  64. Architecture is a hybrid of building, arts, science and technology, and must function with many other professions.
  65. Architecture, like most creative acts, is process, not product. One can finish a project and move on to the next. But architecture encompasses greater ideas which define the relationship of society to nature and of the individual to society. It transcends the physicality of buildings, and in the places it inhabits, endows them with meaning.
  66. Architecture is an art in which the architect must synthesize every material, function, structure and human need to create a composition that has aesthetic excellence, structural stability and enduring meaning.
  67. Architecture is part science, part art, and part constant exploration of materials and processes.
  68. Architecture is a human activity. It encompasses the pragmatic and the functional, of course, but it also encompasses the humanistic and the poetic.
  69. Architecture is a profession that demands and develops many skills. But it is primarily and essentially the art of space-making.
  70. Architecture is a three dimensional art, an interplay of light, form, and space; it is an historical discipline, a secular priesthood, a channel of philosophy and propaganda, an expression of hope, of aspiration, of humanity; it is a science, a knowledge of structure, materials, and of cost; it is a technology, an unfolding of machinery, the harnessing of energies and materials; it is an enterprise, a business, a gamble, a gamble that takes on the character of a crusade; it is all of this and all of this together, and something more, because its essence is in its actuality, and it is all these things at the same time, and they are all indissoluble, and architecture, this conjunction of chance and design, is the only art in which a single individual may practice all the while remaining entirely unknown.
  71. Architecture is born out of the political, social, historical and archaeological realities of a site, its function, and its users.
  72. Architecture is not merely about building structures. It is a mix of science and art, and requires an understanding of technology and of esthetics.
  73. Architecture is at its best when it is made for the people, and not for show. Architecture is at its least impressive when it pretends to be something it is not.
  74. Architecture must respond in a clear and organized way to the forces that created it: to climate and topography, materials and technology, culture and ethos.
  75. Architecture is the art, application and practice of designing buildings and other physical structures in such a way that they become both functional and aesthetically pleasing while best meeting the needs for which they were conceived.
  76. Architecture is an expression of larger, deeper and longer-lasting forces than individual desires and tastes.
  77. Architecture must be thoughtful, it has to be strategic, it has to be human. But architecture is also a creative exercise, and we need to keep that in mind.
  78. Architecture is a human creation, at its best, a thoughtful, human-scaled and generous solution to the matrix of needs and conditions that define humanity’s engagement with its environment.
  79. Architecture is a process that begins with a series of questions. It’s about understanding how people live their lives and how they interact with the built world.
  80. Architecture is the way of building the built environment and the spaces, objects, and landscapes within it. It has always worked within cultural, political, economic, environmental, and social contexts.
  81. Architecture is a social art. And being social, it does not take place in a vacuum. We architects are social people, and if our work is to be relevant, it must embrace the real desires and aspirations of people.
  82. Architecture is about the relationship between the human and the nonhuman. Architecture belongs to all mankind.
  83. Architecture is, in a broad sense, a reflection of the culture and time in which it is created.
  84. Architecture is the expression of our time, our society, our history, and our hopes for the future.
  85. Architecture is art, but it is also life — it has to hold its own, and it has to serve its real purpose, which is building a shelter.
  86. Architecture is not only a matter of decorating the place. It is something that the people building it will live in, work in, rest in and occasionally even worship in.
  87. Architecture is a synthesis of the arts, science and technology, and of light and shadow, form, color, texture, and space.
  88. Architecture is, at some level, everywhere: it is the concrete context of our existence on the earth. So architecture, like every other discipline … should concern itself with teaching us about ourselves and the world.
  89. Architecture develops a transcending spirit. It lifts buildings out of the pages of history, carrying them forward into an unknown future.
  90. Architecture is an art. Those who have seen the house might condemn it, and that’s another matter. But design is a matter of expressing the inner feeling of a person, and each one has his own way of doing it.
  91. Architecture is the conscious dream and unconscious expression of a society and its history; visual representation of fundamentals and feelings, intuitions and wishes.
  92. Architecture must be servant of the human being, and it begins by making the human element the center of consideration.
  93. Architecture is the art or practice of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art. Historical civilizations are often identified with their surviving architectural achievements.
  94. Architecture is the science of good building, an amalgam of aesthetics, functionality and social awareness.
  95. Architecture is not only the art of building cities, but primarily the art of building inhabitable environments, places where people find a sense of meaning, purpose, and happiness.
  96. Architecture must express, not dominate, the land.
  97. Architecture is the foundation of civilization.
  98. Architecture is considerably more than design. Design is a creative activity — a composition of essential elements into orderly patterns — and architecture is the discipline within which design is executed.
  99. Architecture is a visual art, but it’s also a social art. Architecture is the shaping of the environment around us. It’s everywhere, from the houses we live in to the buildings we work in, to the cities that we inhabit, to the natural world that we love.
  100. Architecture should be an uplifting, positive influence on the environment and on people’s lives; it should contribute to their sense of well-being and beauty.