There are at least as many definitions of architecture as there are architects or people who comment on the practice of it. While some embrace it as art, others defend architecture’s seminal social responsibility as its most definitive attribute. To begin a sentence with “Architecture is” is a bold step into treacherous territory. And yet, many of us have uttered — or at least thought— “Architecture is…” while we’ve toiled away on an important project, or reflected on why we’ve chosen this professional path.

Most days, architecture is a tough practice; on others, it is wonderfully satisfying. Perhaps, though, most importantly, architecture is accommodating and inherently open to possibility.

This collection of statements illustrates the changing breadth of architecture’s significance; we may define it differently when talking among peers, or adjust our statements for outsiders.

A note: In an age that is particularly enamored with capturing ideas in 140 characters or less, it is tempting to take these remarks out of context. Yet many are part of a larger, nuanced conversation. Sources and/or context are included for each definition. 

1. “Architecture is definitely a political act.” – Peter Eisenman in Haaretz 

2. “Architecture is unnecessarily difficult. It’s very tough.” – Zaha Hadid in The Guardian

3. “Architecture is by definition a very collaborative process.” – Joshua Prince-Ramus in Fast Company

4. “Architecture is a way of seeing, thinking and questioning our world and our place in it.” – Thom Mayne in his Prtizker Prize Acceptance Speech

5. “Architecture is the art and science of making sure that our cities and buildings actually fit with the way we want to live our lives: the process of manifesting our society into our physical world. – Bjarke Ingels in AD Interviews

6. “Architecture is merciless: it is what it is, it works or doesn’t, and you can clearly see the difference.” – Jacques Herzog in a lecture at Columbia University 

7. “Architecture is always related to power and related to large interests, whether financial or political.” – Bernard Tschumi in The New York Times 

8. “Architecture is a good example of the complex dynamic of giving.” – Jeffrey Inaba in World of Giving 

9. “Architecture is too complex for just one person to do it, and I love collaboration.” – Richard Rogers in The Guardian 

10. “Architecture is the most powerful deed that a man can imagine.” – Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos in Volume

11. “Architecture is an act of optimism.” – Nicolai Ouroussoff in The LA Times

12. “Architecture is an artificial fact.” – Mario Botta in Perspecta

13. “Architecture is full of romantics who think that even relatively small changes to the built environment create the aspiration for a better society.”  – Mark Wigley in Surface Magazine 

14. “Architecture is for us, the public, and it is going to get scuffed.” – Alexandra Lange in Design Observer 

15. “Architecture is the work of nations…” John Ruskin in Stones of Venice

16. “Architecture is always dream and function, expression of a utopia and instrument of a convenience.” – Roland Barthes in “Semiology and Urbanism”

17. “Architecture is an expression of values – the way we build is a reflection of the way we live.” – Norman Foster in The European 

18. “Architecture is the real battleground of the spirit.”  – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in “ID Merger Speech“

19. “Architecture is not a question of the purely theoretical if you’re interested in building buildings. It’s the art of what is possible.” – Paul Rudolph in Chicago Architects Oral History Project

20. “Architecture is geometry.” – Álvaro Siza in Imaginar a Evidência (Imagining Evidence) 

21. “Architecture is about improving conditions: environmental, social and sometimes also political.”  – Arjen Oosterman in Volume

22. “Architecture is not just one thing. It is not just an art. … It has to deal with the real situation; it has to do something good for the society.” – Xiaodu Liu in “What Can Architecture Do? An Interview with Xiaodu Liu” on ArchDaily 

23. “Architecture is much more than the building of an object on a site: it is a reinvention of the site itself.” – Sean Lally in The Air From Other Planets

24. “Architecture is a language: new designs should abide by grammatical rules to avoid dissonance with existing structures.” – Prince Charles in The Architectural Review

25. “Architecture is an untapped source of magnificent stories waiting to be imagined, visualized, and built.” – Matthew Hoffman in “Blank Space Launches Architecture Storytelling Competition“

26. “Architecture is about serving others through the design of the built environment.” – Kevin J Singh in “21 Rules for A Successful Life in Architecture“

27. “Architecture is a very complex effort everywhere. It’s very rare that all the forces that need to coincide to actually make a project proceed are happening at the same time.” – Rem Koolhaas in Co.Design

28. “Architecture is intended to transcend the simple need for shelter and security by becoming an expression of artistry.” – Jay A. Pritzker in his 1985 Pritzker Ceremony Speech

29. “Architecture is the only art that you can’t help but feel. You can avoid paintings, you can avoid music, and you can even avoid history. But good luck getting away from architecture.” – Philippe Daverio in Humans of New York

30. “Architecture is the petrification of a cultural moment.” – Jean Nouvel in Newsweek

31. “Architecture is characterised by endurance and longevity: a long education, long training, long hours and long lives.” – Catherine Slessor in The Architectural Review 

32. “Architecture is a muddle of irreconcilable things.” – Juhani Pallasmaa in The Architectural Review

33. “Architecture is, in many ways, a very specific type of science fiction; it is its own genre of speculative thought,” – Geoff Manaugh in Architect

34. “Architecture is largely irrelevant to the great mass of the world’s population because architects have chosen to be.” – Bruce Mau in Architect

35. “Architecture is becoming less about a single walled-off phallus on the horizon, and more about parks and public spaces which engage with the city.” – Alissa Walker in Gizmodo

36. “Architecture is most often a victory over the process of creating architecture.” – Sam Jacob in Log

37. “Architecture is capable of mounting a profound critique of the status quo.” – Reinhold Martin in Places

38. “Architecture is such a conspicuous immensely physical object in space its presence is bound to influence everyone.” – Gautam Bhatia in India International Centre Quarterly

39. “Architecture is not just about building. It’s a means of improving people’s quality of life.” – Diébédo Francis Kéré in Washington Post

40. “Architecture is a physical experience — it needs to be seen and touched to be wholly understood.” – Nicolai Ouroussoff in Los Angeles Times

41. “Architecture is really difficult. I realized that only very recently. It’s like music. You can enjoy it but — to know it — it’s a different story.” – Diana Agrest in nprEd

42. “Architecture is capable of absorbing anything, and hence tends to dissolve into everything.”  – Ole Bouman in Volume

43. “Architecture is not just a matter of technology and aesthetics but the frame for a way of life – and, with luck, an intelligent way of life.” – Bernard Rudofsky

44. “Architecture is a discipline where you can have multivalent interests. You could be a philosopher, a geographer, a scientist, an artist, an engineer; you can be poetic about it.” – Toshiko Mori in Metropolis

45. “Architecture is supposed to be about a higher purpose.” – Stanley Tigerman in Newsweek

46. “Architecture is the most public of the arts, and the public are severe critics.” – Eric Parry in The Guardian

47. “Architecture is a form­maker, problem‐solver and environment‐creator, and the international exposition is its laboratory.”  – Ada Louise Huxtable in New York Times 

48. “Architecture is supposed to complete nature. Great architecture makes nature more beautiful—it gives it power.”- Claudio Silvestrin in Elle Decor

49. “Architecture is a small piece of this human equation, but for those of us who practice it, we believe in its potential to make a difference, to enlighten and to enrich the human experience, to penetrate the barriers of misunderstanding and provide a beautiful context for life’s drama.” – Frank Gehry in his 1989 Pritzker Prize Ceremony Speech

50. “Architecture is not a private affair; even a house must serve a whole family and its friends, and most buildings are used by everybody, people of all walks of life. If a building is to meet the needs of all the people, the architect must look for some common ground of understanding and experience.” – John Portman in “The Architect as Developer“

51. “Architecture is a social art. And as a social art, it is our social responsibility to make sure that we are delivering architecture that meets not only functional and creature comforts, but also spiritual comfort.” – Samuel Mockbee

52. “Architecture is too important to be left to men alone.” – Sarah Wigglesworth in Parlour

53. “Architecture is not a purely private transaction between architects and clients. It affects everyone, so it ought to be understandable to everyone. – Blair Kamin 

54. “Architecture is vital and enduring because it contains us; it describes space, space we move through, exit in and use.” – Richard Meier in his 1984 Pritzker Prize Ceremony Speech

55. “Architecture is more about ideas than materials.” – Qingyun Ma in Los Angeles Times

56. “Architecture is not just for big star projects like museums. It’s for the slums around them, too.” – Juan Ramon Adsuara in npr

57. “Architecture is bashful about reality.” – Wouter Vanstiphout in Archis

58. “Architecture is just background. The beauty of architecture is that it brings people together and can create public constructs.” – Ben Van Berkel in AD Interviews

59. “Architecture is about hope, about change—it makes life more exciting.” – Lars Lerup in Architect

60. “Architecture is blessed and cursed with more dimensions than its greats know what to do with: the three of sensible space, the celebrated fourth of travel through it; and others, ineffable, beyond—the fifth of utility, say, the seventh of happy accident, the ominous eleventh.” – Philip Nobel in Metropolis

61. “Architecture is a mystery that must be preserved.”  –  Jean Nouvel in Huffington Post

62. “Architecture is only as great as the aspirations of its society.” – Lisa Rochon in Globe and Mail

63.”Architecture is like the picture of Dorian Gray: It can look beautiful in public, while somewhere out of sight its true soul withers and rots.” – Lance Hosey in Architect

64. “Architecture is about reason-right?” – Alfred Caldwell in Chicago Tribune

65. “Architecture is a profession of optimism.” – Johanna Hurme in spacing

66. “Architecture is about the manipulation of light: both artificial light and day lighting.”- Tom Kundig in Architectural Record

67. “Architecture is expected to carry too much weight in many cases.” – Patricia Patkau in Globe and Mail

68. “Architecture is not a goal. Architecture is for life and pleasure and work and for people. The picture frame, not the picture.” – William Wurster

69. “Architecture is the most obvious flower of a society’s culture.”  – Alan Balfour in Art Papers

70. “Architecture is more than making a statement from the street. It’s making an environment for living.” – Dion Neutra in Los Angeles Times

71. “Architecture is a translation process.” – Fernando Romero in Metropolis

72. “Architecture is quite a narrow, obsessive business.” – Nicholas Grimshaw in The Guardian

73. “Architecture is perplexing in how inconsistent is its capacity to generate the happiness on which its claim to our attention is founded.” – Alain de Botton in The Architecture of Happiness

74. “Architecture is a kind of urban ballet.” – Aaron Betsky in New York Times

75. “Architecture is a history of style written by the victors.” – Herbert Muschamp in New York Times

76. “Architecture is driven by belief in the nature of the real and the physical: the specific qualities of one thing – its material, form, arrangement, substance, detail – over another.” – Kester Rattenbury in This is Not Architecture: Media Constructions

77. “Architecture is not always synonymous with building.” – Francisco “Patxi” Mangado

78. “Architecture is complicated and like other complicated things it is prone to entropy from the outset.” – Guy Horton in Metropolis

79. “Architecture is where imagination meets life.” – Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa in their 2010 Pritzker Prize Ceremony Speech

80. “Architecture is an incredible ego trip. You get things done, you build them, you look at them. That’s why I enjoy life and don’t have an ulcer. – Stanley Tigerman in the Chicago Tribune

81. “Architecture is a strange field where we’re constantly asked to demonstrate over and over why design matters, to everyone, all the time. It’s exhausting.” – Amale Andraos in Metropolis

82. “Architecture is about the lack of stability and how to address it. Architecture is about the void and how to cross it. Architecture is about inhospitability and how to live within it.”  – Geoff Manaugh in The Guardian

83. “Architecture is both an art and a practical pursuit, and the profession has always been divided between those who emphasize the art, that is pure design, and those who give priority to the practical.”  – Paul Goldberger in New York Times

84. Architecture is one of the reflections of the permanence of a civilization. – Charlie Rose

85. Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived. – Martin Filler in The New York Review of Books

86. “Architecture is a very dangerous job. If a writer makes a bad book, eh, people don’t read it. But if you make bad architecture, you impose ugliness on a place for a hundred years.” – Renzo Piano in Time 

87. “Architecture is the pathology of the contemporary era.” – Forensic Architecture 

88. “Architecture is a discipline directly engaged with shaping enclosure, of erecting and toppling barriers or—more explicitly—of extending and limiting ‘freedoms’.” – E. Sean Bailey & Erandi de Silva in “BI’s First Print Edition Released – FREE: Architecture on the Loose“

89. “Architecture is interesting, but by itself it means nothing.” – Massimiliano Fuksas in New York Times

90. “Architecture is an art, yet we rarely concentrate our attention on buildings as we do on plays, books, and paintings.” – Witold Rybczynski in Metropolis

91. “Architecture is aligned with and implicated in the systems of surveillance and control.” – Eric Howeler in Volume 

92. “Architecture is 90 per cent business and 10 per cent art.” – Albert Kahn 

93. “Architecture is probably the subject of more theorizing, navel-gazing and introspective agonizing than any of the other arts.” – Paul Gapp in the Chicago Tribune

94. “Architecture is invention.”- Oscar Niemeyer in Newsweek 

95. “Architecture is always political.” – Richard Rogers in Financial Times 

96. “Architecture is a frame of mind, it’s about ideas; the profession is about how to translate those ideas into the real world.” – Christopher Janney in Architectural Record

97. “Architecture is an active participant in the interactions of people within it.” – Jonathan C. Molloy in ArchDaily

98. “Architecture is not only developing in its own realm, it is constantly assimilating achievements from other fields.  – Maya Engeli in Volume

99. “Architecture is first and foremost about serving people and society.  This is an architect’s responsibility: to design buildings that fulfill their practical purpose, bring people together, and connect us to the natural world while preserving precious resources.” – Steven Ehrlich in Metropolis 

100. “Architecture is about building a place in the universe, not about mimicking a depleted, decrepit reality.” – Stefanos Polyzoides in The LA Times 

101. “Architecture is a public commodity, and as such invites public scrutiny.” – Reed Kroloff in Architecture*

102. “Architecture is not about the creation of newness but rather about the fulfillment of needs and expectations.” – André Tavares in Forbes

103. “Architecture is the same as advertising for communicating the brand.” – Patrizio Bertelli in The New York Times

104. “Architecture is not just about accommodating very prescriptive demands—it’s doing it in a way that stimulates the unfolding of life. – Bjarke Ingels in Co.Design

105. “Architecture is exposed to life. If its body is sensitive enough, it can assume a quality that bears witness to past life.” – Peter Zumthor in Thinking Architecture 

106. “Architecture is flexible.” – Krzysztof Wodiczko in St. Louis Post – Dispatch*

107. “Architecture is a combination of science and fiction.” – Winy Maas in Domus

108. “Architecture is the art we all encounter most often, most intimately, yet precisely because it is functional and necessary to life, it’s hard to be clear about where the “art” in a building begins.” – Jonathan Jones in The Guardian

109. “Architecture is not an inspirational business, it’s a rational procedure to do sensible and hopefully beautiful things; that’s all.” Harry Seidler in the Sydney Morning Herald

110. “Architecture is used by political leaders to seduce, to impress, and to intimidate.” – Deyan Sudjic in The Washington Post 

111. “Architecture is a paradigm for reconsidering research.” B.D. Wortham in Journal of Architectural Education*

112. “Architecture is about giving form to the places where people live. It is not more complicated than that but also not simpler than that. – Alejandro Aravena in his 2016 Pritzker Prize acceptance speech

113. “Architecture is generally a poor relative to things like film, fashion and product design. Even though it is economically more important, for some reason it is not getting the recognition.” – Tamsie Thomson in The Architects’ Journal

114. “Architecture is a complex and articulated process but if you lose the process and only keep the form you lose the core of architectural practice.” – André Tavares in Wallpaper*

116. “Architecture is practical poetry.” – Bjarke Ingels at the New Yorker Festival

117. “Architecture is the sum of inevitable negotiations.” – Felipe Mesa in Domus

118. “Architecture is more than just buildings; these structures can inspire and motivate people to do great things.” Fisk Johnson for the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial

119. “Architecture is one of those disciplines that has no shortage of voices.” – Guy Horton in Metropolis

120.“Architecture is always a temporary modification of the space, of the city, of the landscape. We think that it’s permanent. But we never know.” – Jean Nouvel in The New York Times

121. “Architecture is like life: a matter of trade-offs.” – Paul Goldberger  in The New York Times 

*These links can only be viewed by those who have access to Proquest and JSTOR. Many universities and public libraries provide access to their students, alumni and patrons. 

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Sagrada Familia / Antoni Gaudí. Image © Flickr User: haschelsax, bajo CC BY-ND 2.0

Over the course of 134 years of construction of the Sagrada Familia, the unfinished masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona has experienced three unresolved conflicts. First, there was a lack of a (contemporary) construction permit, the nonpayment of taxes, and finally the uncertainty about whether or not to finally build the large plaza to the southeast that Gaudí imagined with the forced expulsion of up to 3,000 residents and lessees, all living in the area surrounding Sagrada Familia’s Glory Façade.

In recent days, these three issues have come to light almost simultaneously, but let’s discuss them one by one. Bitterly upset by what he describes as “a project without plans in Gaudi’s name” Councilman of Barcelona Architecture, Urban Landscape and Heritage Daniel Mòdol called the Sagrada Familia a “giant Easter cake”.

His statement, reported by the press two weeks ago, overshadowed the official Municipal proposal made to the temple’s construction monitoring committee “if they plan to modify the planning around the basilica” in a maximum period of six months. This is in reference to the large esplanade designed by Gaudi in his original plan, in front of the Glory Façade (between the streets Mallorca and Arago): a walkway 60 meters wide that would connect the temple with Diagonal Avenue.

Sagrada Familia / Antoni Gaudí. Image © Flickr User: H.KoPP, bajo CC BY-ND 2.0

Barcelona City Council took up the matter and announced the creation of a Commission of Architectural Quality, that same that happens with the rest of the buildings in the city, but this will be exclusive to the Sagrada Familia. In turn, the temple’s Board has reacted and asked to meet with the authorities to explain how it is planning the delicate construction of the project’s final six towers: the Jesus Christ tower (172.5 meters), the Virgin Mary (140 meters) and the other four dedicated to the Evangelists (each 135 meters), all produced outside Barcelona and assembled on site.

Sagrada Familia / Antoni Gaudí. Image © Flickr User: Fredrik Rubensson, bajo CC BY-ND 2.0

Regarding the building permit, the Board of the Sagrada Familia has made a statement to the Spanish press that the construction is based on a permit request made to the City of Sant Martí de Provençals in 1885, 12 years before its administrative annexation to Barcelona. Jordi Fauli, the head architect of the temple explained the Board’s position on the absence of a building permit, following questioning from El País last September:

The doors are open [for observation], but this is about us moving forward with the original project with the license that was requested at the time the municipality of Sant Martí de Provençals, not a new building.

Along with the processing permits for the building, something that’s been delayed by all previous Town Council administrations, the current government is requiring the church to pay taxes. The deputy chairman of the Sagrada Familia Foundation, Esteve Camps, explained to La Vanguardia that the basilica “is willing to pay the taxes for which it is responsible under the law” without specifying whether that meant taxes related to construction permits or property taxes.

Information from El País, ABC.es, eldiario.es and La Vanguardia.

Interior of the Sagrada Familia. Image © Flickr User: Kah-Wai Lin, bajo CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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© Stijn Poelstra

• Architects: Reset Architecture
• Location: Sint-Michielsgestel, Netherlands
• Architects In Charge: Theo Mathijssen, Bas Lavrijssen
• Design Team: Theo Mathijssen, Bas Lavrijssen, Tess Landsman, Lenka Hrubá
• Area: 430.0 sqm
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Stijn Poelstra

© Stijn Poelstra

Reset architecture has designed a multipurpose theatre pavilion with a hall for 200 seats in the woods of ‘Zonnewende group stay’. The sturdy brick building is designed to blend into its surroundings but also to stand out. 

© Stijn Poelstra

The domain of ‘Zonnewende’ is part of a nature reserve, you find dense woods combined with open spaces for sports and play. Barracks in the woods are used for theater, musical performances or other activities. A 220 m2 derelict barrack is now replaced with a 430 m2 pavilion, offering space for 200 seats in a theatre hall. 

© Stijn Poelstra

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© Stijn Poelstra

The buildings on the Zonnewende grounds have a certain nonchalance in their architecture. The presence of different types of roof shapes provide an informal quality. Within this context, a building with a special roof type may seem like a logical continuation. Reset has given this a twist by reshaping a simple gable roof. A rectangular volume with two gable roofs are cut out at corners so that the building-contour follows the edge of the woods. This allows the pavilion to blend in easily in its surroundings. It also creates an interesting façade differentiation with dynamic roof lines. Optically, this approach also changes the scale perception of the building, you never experience the full extent of the pavilion. The sensitive way Reset architecture situates the building also shows in the encounter of facade and sandy bottom, a color gradient in the base brickwork softens the transition. The façade is made up of four brick types, each with its own color scheme, to subtly resonate color tones from the soil. The façade with a grandstand has a totally different character. The harder gray shades in the façade and roof are a clear visual reaction to the adjacent asphalt sports field. 

© Stijn Poelstra

The entrance is slightly accentuated with a recess which is created by the interlocking of two wall surfaces. Upon entering the entrance hall you experience the continuity of the woods in the interior. The birch wood walls and ceilings give it the right atmosphere that are combined with the matching tiles in which you see different gray and brown shades from the sandy soil of the woods. The theatre pavilion was constructed in a short time during the winter when Zonnewende is closed, lack of time and a limited budget required a pragmatic design. The plan has a clear organization composed of two zones; the multipurpose theatre hall and all additional program. The pavilion is built with a prefabricated timber frame construction that is also the birch finishing of the interior. The inner wall between the hall and the hallway form a unit with the roof through the use of birch wood. In order, the rafters consistent with the wall and the roof, and give a clear organization of space. The contrast is created by the white timber outer wall that folds freely. The wall claims its own logic, which is also emphasized in the divergent position of the openings.

© Stijn Poelstra

Product Description. The sensitive way Reset architecture situates the building shows in the encounter of facade and sandy bottom, a color gradient in the base brickwork softens the transition. The façade is made up of four brick types, each with its own color scheme, to subtly resonate color tones from the soil. 

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Gensler have proposed a temporary UK Parliament structure. Image © Gensler

The British government have come to the realisation that the Palace of Westminster—the iconic UK Houses of Parliament designed by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin—is in desperate need of full-scale restoration and renovation. The decision to move ahead with the plans will be costly and inconvenient; aside from the need to repair the structure, the UK government is bracing itself for eye-watering “relocation” fees. In response to this, Gensler have proposed a temporary parliament on the banks of the River Thames.

Gensler's proposal floating on the River Thames; the existing House of Parliament is in the background. Image © Gensler

Self-described as a “radical” concept, the proposal is intended to “reduce the cost and minimise the disruption of the comprehensive refurbishment of the Palace.” Employing a modular structure to create maximum flexibility and security, the design accommodates all the principal components of the current Houses of Parliament – it maintains the relationship between both Chambers (the elected House of Commons and the unelected House of Lords), and their supporting Committee Rooms. The new modular structure could potentially be built in less than three years in shipyards across the UK and floated along the Thames to be secured and assembled on the river.

An essential element of the refurbishment proposals for the House of Parliament requires total decantation of the building for an estimated six years. The challenge has been to find a suitable location within Whitehall that can accommodate Parliament in an efficient and cost effective manner. This concept offers a unique opportunity to co-locate the House of Commons and the House of Lords together with all their supporting committee rooms in a purpose built structure at the centre of the Whitehall estate.

Security has been carefully thought through. According to Gensler, “the concept overcomes some of the initial concerns about a river location by ensuring the structure does not interrupt the navigable channel along the centre of the river.” They add that the proposal also incorporates a number of security measures that supplement the natural defence provided by the river itself.

Proposed Site Plan. Image © Gensler

The design takes inspiration from the magnificent hammerbeam roof of Westminster Hall, which was commissioned by Richard II in 1393 and is the largest medieval timber roof in Northern Europe. The 250-metre-long structure would be built on a series of steel platforms and the building above would be a dramatic, high-tech, wooden-framed structure covering 8,600 square metres, which would provide all the necessary environmental and acoustic containment.

AD Classics: Palace of Westminster / Charles Barry & Augustus Pugin
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