Architecture or building art describes on the one hand the manual occupation and on the other hand the aesthetic engagement with the built space. In the art of architecture, planning, design and construction takes place in a systematic manner.
In the first century BC there was a Roman architect and engineer named "Vitruv" who was so enthusiastic about his work that he called architecture the "mother of all arts". Because architecture is not just about creating something beautiful, the work should also be stable and useful at the same time. Artistically designed four walls are not only graceful like a picture and stable like a marble statue, but also useful ... because as soon as you provide the four walls with an artistically designed and practical roof, it becomes immediately useful because you can live in it.
In contrast to literature, painting and music, modern man is constantly surrounded by architecture, which in one way or another determines our lives.
Just as pictures, music, sculptures or other works of art manage to arouse emotions in people, architecture can also have a positive and negative influence on the mood and even the psyche. Therefore you should always pay attention to the quality of your living environment.
Architecture, understood as art, works through its design quality and differs from “normal” building through its aesthetics.
The most beautiful examples of architecture are churches, ancient temples, but also victory columns or the Colosseum in Rome. Since the building was always erected in honor of some deity or a ruler or is intended to commemorate a memorable occurrence, it must of course be of great duration, stability and beauty. Such a building must astonish the viewer from a great distance or, even better, let them sink into awe.
A good example of a building that does not pay homage to any deity but combines aesthetics, stability and usefulness is a secular, listed, exhaust air column, decorated with clay relief panels and sculptures, from a toilet facility in the Neustadt of Osnabrück. It's sturdy, pretty, and has a practical and useful purpose.
Foto: the Colosseum in Rome
Rabax63, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Foto: Air column
MrsMyer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
