Architecture

What is architecture?


A design.

Architectural history' studies the evolution and history of architecture across the world through a consideration of various influences- artistic, cultural, political, economic and technological. In general, the question is one of relating meaning (intangible functions, purposes, symbols) with the built environment (material tables, windows, roofs, paths) through the necessities of life (food, work, communion etc.) within the historical context. Architectural history, like any other form of historical knowledge, is subject to the limitations and potentialities of history as a discipline. Consequently there have been a wide range of perspectives in the study of architecture, most of them Western.

In the 19th century, architecture was understood as form|formal perspective, emphasizing the morphology (architecture)|morphological characteristics of form, technique and materials. This period also saw the emergence of the individual architect, the amalgamation of whose conscious intentions would become the subject of artistic movements. In these respects, architectural history is a subdiscipline of art history that focuses on the historical evolution of principles and styles in the design of buildings and cities.

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