Understanding Architecture, pt. 8

http://howtoarchitect.com/ Doug and his wife took a trip and fell into an argument about the meaning of beauty. See how their argument made Doug think about the true meaning of the word to them and the profession of architecture.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• understanding architecture
• architectural
• architect
• beauty
• design
• designer
• steel bridge
• Architecture
• Construction
• Educational

[bimb89ers]

so, why did the wife say "No"?

[howtoarchitect]

@bimb89ers great question! First of all, she's not an architect so any kind of training she might have had to enhance her view of something like the bridge... did not exist. Secondly, I don't think she had ever considered the meaning of beauty beyond what she understood innately. I think you could say that architecture gives a person a new set of glasses through which one sees the world in a different way.

[in2universe]

That 'thought/feeling/belief' which you have in your mind is beautiful. The old bridge only triggers that thought in you, but it does not trigger it in someone who does not have the same background knowledge or personal experience as you do. In other words, the beauty still exists if the bridge was totally destroyed ... so hard to explain.

[norkis2696]

I am starting to think, that everything you said about that bridge, was actually about you're wife, because you were angry at her!

[cashweather12321]

i thought i was the only one who thought like that

[DeRealUno]

Commodity, check. firmness, check. delight, check.

[xenonnati]

so many people limit the term "beauty"

studying architecture really does give you a different view on things.

like when walking with friends i saw an old house and commented on how beautiful it is and what a great example of renaissance architecture it is.. and my friends just looked at me like " ... yeaaaahh .. suure.. beautiful.. old...house thats falling apart...... weirdo.."

[archiuser]

i think sublime might be a more apt adjective

[THEVISIONARIUM]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder LOL.. Architects have a different way of SEEING and LOOKING..

[lookitzbj]

Architects are train to see more than what meets the eye. Hmm soooo... Architects are transformers? haha I kidd.

[deezynar]

@DickKnowsBest

I'm not sure I'm following you, please elaborate.

Architecture is about designing buildings. That process is always founded on a mix of objective and subjective concepts. Architecture isn't about opinion, but it certainly can't flourish without it.