Notes on Understanding Architecture & Systems of Architecture

What is Architecture?

  • Architecture = art and science behind the design of building structures; process includes planning, designing, and construction.

  • The design activity covers from exterior construction to interior final details.

Etymology

  • Originates from the Greek word Arkhitekton, meaning Master Builder.

Understanding Architecture

  • Three perspectives:

    • 1) Architecture as a Designed Context

    • 2) Architecture as a Representational Form

    • 3) Architecture as a Socio-Cultural Material

1) Architecture as a Designed Context

  • Architecture shapes physical environments through intentional design.

  • Focus is on how space is planned, organized, and created to serve human activity.

Fundamental concepts for Designed Context

  • Solves spatial and functional problems; considers site, climate, materials, and user needs.

  • Integrates form and function—how a building looks and how it works.

  • Decisions reflect input from architects, engineers, and other specialists to serve purpose.

Example: Villa Savoye

  • Modernist landmark embracing pilotis, horizontal glazing, open plans.

  • Aligns design with function; emphasizes spatial layout, structure, lighting, ventilation, and user experience.

2) Architecture as a Representational Form

  • Architecture expresses meaning, identity, and values; conveys ideas visually and symbolically like art or language.

Fundamental concepts of Representational Form

  • Architecture speaks through style, ornament, scale, and proportion.

  • Reflects ideologies, power, religion, or cultural identity.

  • Buildings become symbols (e.g., Parthenon = democracy; Gothic cathedral = religious devotion).

Examples: Church of the Light; Lotus Temple

  • Church of the Light: light forms a cross, symbolizing spirituality.

  • Lotus Temple: lotus-inspired form conveying purity and spiritual symbolism.

3) Architecture as a Socio-Cultural Material

  • Built environment is both shaped by and shaping society and culture.

  • Product of its time, reflecting social norms, power relations, and economic systems.

Fundamental concepts of Socio-Cultural Material

  • Architecture is embedded in social practices, rituals, and history.

  • Influences how people interact and behave.

  • Reflects class, gender, ethnicity, and power structures.

  • Evolves with social change—urbanization, globalization, or postcolonial identity.

Examples

  • Pruitt-Igoe Housing Project, St. Louis (1954–1976): demolition demonstrates policy-driven design can neglect socio-cultural realities and lead to social issues.

  • Ifugao Houses (Bale and Abong), Philippines: gender roles reflected in design and domestic spaces; granaries symbolizing wealth and female fertility.

  • Intramuros, Manila (Spanish Colonial): grid pattern, stone churches, administrative buildings symbolizing European control and imposed order.

Systems of Architecture

  • Four key systems to analyze design: Spatial, Formal, Technological, Contextual.

1) Spatial Systems

  • Focus: Organization of space and how people experience it.

  • Key elements: Circulation, Zoning (public/semi-public/private), Hierarchy, Spatial relationships, Scale & proportion.

2) Formal Systems

  • Focus: Visual and geometric properties.

  • Key elements: Geometry and symmetry (grids, axes, modules); Mass and void; Composition and rhythm; Material expression; Structural articulation.

3) Technological Systems

  • Focus: Construction, materials, and performance.

  • Key elements: Structural systems; Envelope systems (facades, walls, windows, insulation); Mechanical systems (HVAC, plumbing, electrical); Sustainability; Digital technologies (BIM, parametric design, smart systems).

4) Contextual Systems

  • Focus: Relationship with site, culture, and environment.

  • Key elements: Site and climate response; Cultural and historical references; Urban context; Social impact; Environmental integration.