A Profession Born from the triad of Knowledge, Imagination and Vision; Architecture…
The purpose of a profession whose subject is human and nature is not only to design buildings, but in line with all data; it is to design life. In the words of the famous architect Charles Walker, architecture; “It is to create possible futures.” Architecture is the integration of mathematical symmetry, also known as the golden ratio, with art by adapting it to structures formed in line with principles.
It aims to use all the resources we possess in the most efficient way and to leave the world a better place than we found it. There are no rules that are set in certain patterns during the process and will never change. It is the merging of development and transformation with artistic genius and the clear observation of never-ending innovation in living spaces. His teacher, who discovered Antoni Gaudi, the architect of unique structures such as the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and Casa Mila, which have become the symbol of Barcelona, many of his works are included in the “World Heritage List” by UNESCO; said, “I’ve either discovered a genius or a madman.” It is an undeniable fact that architectural genius proceeds along a line close to madness. Architecture means finishing the structures that people cannot make sense of without seeing them, knowing the unseen, seeing the future and thinking in three dimensions.
Who is the Architect?
All types of structures we can see; Architects, who design residences, schools, offices, shops, museums, palaces, public buildings, bus stops, metro stations, squares, parks, streets, green areas surrounding the streets, sidewalks, parking lots and all vital areas that you can think of, are expert on the relationship between history and environment.
The architect builds art by considering not only people but all living things, the environment, climate and needs. It aims to beautify the existing, to innovate the possibilities and to create aesthetic values.
So Who Are Not Architects?
“So who is not an architect?” If we say: An interior architect is not an architect; is an interior architect. The landscape architect is not the architect; is a landscape architect. The interior architect is the person who decorates the interior spaces formed in the architect’s design. A landscape architect is a person who specializes in landscaping the spaces made by the architect. Therefore, the architect is the team captain working in connection with disciplines such as statics, mechanics, electricity, interior architecture, landscape and urban design.
“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”
Sir William Churchill
The Roman architect Vitruvius, who is considered as the first known architect in history, in his book “De Architectura”, which sheds light on even today’s architecture, defines the three conditions of architectural success; He stated it as “Utilitas, Firmitas, Venustas” (usefulness, durability, beauty). Although Vitruvius’s triad and his determinations on architectural art are still valid, the job descriptions of architecture, which changes with each new century and undergoes a deep transformation in order to be sustainable, have increased and its responsibilities have been differentiated. Therefore, it is not possible to express today’s architecture in pure form. Architecture should not be assimilated as a profession consisting of form. Responsibilities related to fields such as undertaking social concerns, sustainability, identity creation, a creative architectural language, environmental friendliness, mastery of aesthetic values, structure, economic analysis, making quality functional, expertise in building physics, putting safety first, environmental science and automation are also included in the definition of the profession of today’s architects.
İren ELÇİSOY
Architect
