Architecture Definition and 71 Threads

Architecture (Latin architectura, from the Greek ἀρχιτέκτων arkhitekton "architect", from ἀρχι- "chief" and τέκτων "creator") is both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings or other 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.The practice, which began in the prehistoric era, has been used as a way of expressing culture for civilizations on all seven continents. For this reason, architecture is considered to be a form of art. Texts on architecture have been written since ancient time. The earliest surviving text on architectural theory is the 1st century AD treatise De architectura by the Roman architect Vitruvius, according to whom a good building embodies firmitas, utilitas, and venustas (durability, utility, and beauty). Centuries later, Leon Battista Alberti developed his ideas further, seeing beauty as an objective quality of buildings to be found in their proportions. Giorgio Vasari wrote Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects and put forward the idea of style in the arts in the 16th century. In the 19th century, Louis Sullivan declared that "form follows function". "Function" began to replace the classical "utility" and was understood to include not only practical but also aesthetic, psychological and cultural dimensions. The idea of sustainable architecture was introduced in the late 20th century.
Architecture began as rural, oral vernacular architecture that developed from trial and error to successful replication. Ancient urban architecture was preoccupied with building religious structures and buildings symbolizing the political power of rulers until Greek and Roman architecture shifted focus to civic virtues. Indian and Chinese architecture influenced forms all over Asia and Buddhist architecture in particular took diverse local flavors. During the European Middle Ages, pan-European styles of Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals and abbeys emerged while the Renaissance favored Classical forms implemented by architects known by name. Later, the roles of architects and engineers became separated. Modern architecture began after World War I as an avant-garde movement that sought to develop a completely new style appropriate for a new post-war social and economic order focused on meeting the needs of the middle and working classes. Emphasis was put on modern techniques, materials, and simplified geometric forms, paving the way for high-rise superstructures. Many architects became disillusioned with modernism which they perceived as ahistorical and anti-aesthetic, and postmodern and contemporary architecture developed.
Over the years, the field of architectural construction has branched out to include everything from ship design to interior decorating.

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  1. X

    Need career counseling for architecture

    Need career counseling for architecture! hey I am an A level student. I am in last year of A levels giving exams this may and november.. subjects by which i will be completing A levels are physics, maths, psychology and general paper... i want to study architecture n keep it as a career but i...
  2. C

    Antimatter's role in the architecture of the universe

    An airport. A plane to catch. A magazine with an eye-catching cover. A quick flip through the pages then off to the plane. All the elements were there for a deep and critical understanding of the role of antimatter in the formation of the Universe. Or not. The facts as told by the journalist...
  3. P

    Algebra or Calculus Based Physics for Architecture

    I will be applying to architecture schools and I will need to take the appropriate physics course. Should I go for physics that utilizes algebra or that which employs calculus?
  4. J

    Recommended online computer architecture resource?

    Can anyone recommend a good and reliable online resource on this subject area? One which explains areas like registers, bus & c.p.u etc other than the sometimes unreliable wikipedia.
  5. J

    Computer Architecture (2 Problems)

    need help answering these 2 questions Q1. A hypothetical disk drive has the specifications shown below. Find the average access time for a block (sector) of data. I want the answer in milliseconds, and you need to reduce your answer to a simple final value. • 32 sectors per track •...
  6. F

    How Does a Direct-Mapped Cache Organization Work with Read and Write Accesses?

    I need your help in this problem Consider a Direct-Mapped cache organization with the capacity of 4 blocks. Show the content of the cache and the content of the memory locations for each block after each access. As a notation, for each access, the word Read/Write followed by a number...
  7. A

    Computer Architecture related questions

    I have a set of questions that won't be graded, but that my prof. wants us to look into/review. I've figured most of them out but the following have given me some issues. Any help would be appreciated. I don't mind getting the answers but a brief explanation would be best. Thanks! 1) The AVR...
  8. F

    Computer architecture problem solving.

    Homework Statement 1. A man bought a computer and when he booted it up he realized that the OS is not loading into RAM. Can you suggest what could be wrong with the computer? (Yes, the computer was plugged into the outlet and the power was turned on.) 2. Describe the process by which the...
  9. P

    Civil Engineering Vs Architecture?

    I have read quite a few sources about the differences between them but i'm, still in a dilema. Which subject is more related to house building and structure, i know civil engineer goes way beyond houses, to huge structures etc. But can one still do a degree in architecture and be licensed to...
  10. E

    Why is x86 called otherwise disastrous X86 architecture and doex x64 improve?

    why is x86 called "otherwise disastrous X86 architecture" and doex x64 improve? why is x86 called "otherwise disastrous X86 architecture" and doex x64 improve? for example, http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/12/01/floating-point-bugs-explode but i have heard many claims...
  11. Y

    Exploring Sodium Acetate and Ammonium Nitrate for Green Architecture

    i am a total newbie here...i understand basic principles like supercooling, phase change, etc, but otherwise a total dummy, i have equivalent to 1st yr university in chem, but that was a long, long time ago. so go easy on me. i am trying to find out the difference btwn sodium acetate...
  12. R

    Off the wall soleniod architecture question

    As I understand it: In a regular cylindercal soleniod the winding starts at one point(top) and winds down to the other side(bottom) of a cylindercal core. Once the wind reaches the bottom, the wire returns back to the top and so forth, until the desired winding is achieved, let's say 10 layers...
  13. A

    Evil, and the art of architecture

    Sorry, I lost it. I really thought there was a connention somewhere, though. :frown:
  14. turbo

    Sophisticated tiling in Medieval ME architecture

    I found this quite interesting. Enjoy. http://www.physics.harvard.edu/~plu/publications/Science_315_1106_2007.pdf
  15. K

    What's your favourite masterpiece of architecture?

    There are many beautiful buildings around the world, like the library of Alexandria, the Louvre, The Colosseum... It's difficult to pick one, but Sydney Operahouse http://www.nettravel.cz/Data/Foto/421475/1024/Australie-Sydney-opera-V-Sydney-Australie-1012.jpg scores high on my...
  16. F

    Growth of IT architecture. Help

    Hi, I need a help on an school assignment. I'm suppost to be doing a presentation about the Growth of IT Architecture, managing it, and the kinds of problem it causes. Anyone have any ideas that I can talk about or any resources would be appreciated thanks!
  17. Cyrus

    What are some stunning examples of world art and architecture?

    In this thread I hope to share various things I find on the internet about various cultures around the world. I would like to find things about art and architecture mostly, but at this point its too early to tell. :smile: I was going to do this in the other thread I started on Santiago...
  18. JasonJo

    Computer Architecture Practice Final Questions

    hey I have some computer architecture questions that are freaking me out: 1) what are the disadvantages and advantages of having larger cell sizes for main memory? i said an advantage would be that we could store larger binary digits but a disadvantage would be that we would have fewer cells...
  19. M

    Help with PIC Architecture: Timing Diagram & PC Values

    I need some help with the PIC (PIC16F84) architecture. I am suppose to write timing diagram, including values of the PC (program counter), for the following instruction sequence when (a) the BTFSC (bit test register f, skip if set) instruction results in a skip and (b) when it does not...
  20. J

    Why is the PC incremented by 4 for superscalar pipelines?

    Hello. I need some help with this question involving Pipelines. Any help would definatley be appreciative. Why is the PC (Program Counter) is incremented by 4 for a superscalar pipeline which executes TWO instructions at a time Thanks in Advance!
  21. Loren Booda

    What is the weight difference of an airtight building with varying temperatures?

    A building with air capacity of 100,000 m3 is heated to 20oC on a winter day of -10oC. During a summer day of 40oC it is cooled to 25oC. Assuming the building is airtight and rigid, and with standard pressure outside, what is its difference in weight between these two days?
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