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Samantha Parkinson
Mike Christensen
Design Theory
15 December 2008

I don’t remember the first time I drew a house or when I learned what an architect
“generally” did. But I do remember the when I first decided I wanted to be an architect when I
grew up. It was Thanksgiving break, maybe six or seven years ago. My family traveled to the
Seattle, Washington area to visit my dad’s side of the family. My great-uncle, Gary, was in the
process of building his new house. And at the time I thought it was really cool because he, an
architect, designed it. He had it all planned out. He and his wife would live in the shop, which
had a bathroom and bedroom connected, and use their camper for a kitchen while their house
was in construction. Back then I was only intrigued with the fact of designing the floor plan and
look of your own home but now I am amazed about how much he knew about it. Ever since then
I have been drawing floor plans on graph paper and trying to find buildings in a multitude of
objects. I would take anything lying around my room and house like golf balls, tees, pens,
markers, film capsules, super balls, etc.; organize them in a way that it showed structure; and
imagined doors, what spaces would be used for, what kind of windows there would be. This
summer as I was sitting on the beach of Lake Tschida, I took different rocks and designed
buildings out of those. From houses to cafés and apartments to office buildings, I designed many
buildings of different typology.
When I told Gary about my plans to be an architect, he didn’t take me too seriously
because my uncles said the same thing and neither of them came close. It wasn’t until my
sophomore or junior year in high school when that changed. I was able to ask him questions
about his job, and he took me on a tour of the firm he owns. Over the summer, I was able to
show him my portfolio of my design class and he showed me his thesis. It was quite interesting
for both of us, me seeing what I will have to do in the future and as an alumnus to the NDSU
architecture program, he gets to see what we are working on these days. I guess you could say he
is a role model for me. But even though I have him as a role model, resource, and support there
are questions in this practice that I will have to answer for myself.
This theory class has opened a world of questions including what is architecture and what
makes an architect? Most of our readings defined these both in many ways but now it is my turn.
I find it important to answer these questions as a sort of guide or goal when creating architecture.
Free-lancing is okay but I find I work better with a guide, a type of road map to get me through
the unfamiliar world of architecture. Like driving in a new area for the first time, the map is there
as a guide, the one using it makes the decision of where to go and how they want to get there.
Answering these two questions will give me a guide to make decisions from. That way if I ever
get lost or confused, I can always return to my map to guide me, and if the map becomes
outdated and my view of architecture changes, I’ll just make another one.
If someone asked me: What is architecture? I would answer by saying, “Architecture is a
type of art that utilizes all the senses through the built world.” This statement is controversial…
but then again everything is. There are a handful of people who believe architecture is an art,
another handful of people who believe it isn’t, one more handful who believe both, and a great
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number more that don’t have an opinion or have never thought about it. In “Is Architecture
Art?,” Stephen Davies does not believe architecture is an art form. He argues:

“[If] a creative artist practices an art form is limited only by the

boundaries of her own imagination; the artist is unconstrained by externally
imposed laws or rules. Because the practice of architecture is subject to
regulations and limits of many kinds, architecture cannot be an art form.”

Though Davies has a point, I believe that it is an art to conform to those “regulations and
limits” and that the artist in question does have limits as well. These limits apply to the medium
and method of which the artist chooses to shape the art form. Architects have to conform to the
limits of mediums as well as the regulations society puts on the architecture itself. An art piece
whether painting, music, sculpture or architecture forms itself within the limits of nature. A
feather cannot hold a twenty pound weight three feet above ground without help. Gravity is a
common restriction found in sculpture, and architecture. An artist cannot ignore it and neither
can an architect. I separate the terms artist and architect because unlike most forms of art,
architecture is a profession that affects the well being of the public in a direct way.
Another phrase in my definition of architecture that may be controversial is the idea of
architecture involves the senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and time. I received the
question: “Isn’t this true in cooking?” My answer is “yes” it is. Cooking and architecture are
neatly related in that way. Both art forms revive the senses. The major difference is the
masterpiece of cooking is nourishes the human body. Architecture, on the other hand, protects
the human body from nature’s elements. Now the question is: how are the senses are applied to
the architecture? Let us look at each sense individually.
 Sight: One can see architecture through many mediums: photos, magazines, newspapers,
books, and though their own eyes. The materials of architectural structures inside and out
can be seen through the human eye. It’s one of the primary senses that humans use to
experience a place.
 Sound: As one enters architecture, he or she can hear their footsteps, echoes, people
around them, traffic outside, etc. The acoustics of a theater are different from and office
building or mall and affects an observer in a different way. All of those sounds influence
how one experiences architecture.
 Smell: Is there a specific smell that the architectural materials give off? What about the
area? An architecture’s context gives a new feeling toward the building itself. Can one
smell evergreens? Can one NOT smell the sewer system or power plant nearby? This
minority sense can still affect the observer. That’s why if you’re selling a house they say
to either bake cookies or light a candle with that smell to appeal to a potential buyer.
 Taste: This is probably the hardest sense to imagine affecting architecture but I still think
it is worth mentioning. I am not telling you to lick a wall or window but you can taste the
air when you breathe. A person can taste damp air, dusty air and salty air among others.
 Touch: How does the floor feel against your feet? A soft carpeted floor would be more
cozy then walking on a concrete floor. The texture of a wall, window, column, any form
in the building can be felt with a hand. It can also be seen, which might attract people to
touch and feel. One could also consider the second meaning of taste: an individual
preference. Some may believe that a certain style of architecture is not their “taste.” It is
too gaudy, simple, complex, machine-like, small, big, etc. The list could go on and on.  
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 Time: The sixth sense, time, is continuous and never stops. The time you take to
experience a room can affect how you think about it. If you spend hours upon days upon
weeks in a room or building, it could lose its magic of seeing it for the first time—that
awe of seeing something beautiful, warm, interesting, open, etc. Time can also refer to
the passage through the architecture. From an entrance to an exit, the building changes
feeling, light, room, texture, etc. This makes a building interesting and functional, though
some change is not always necessary.
All architectural works can fit into this definition. One contemporary example would be
the Banq Restaurant by Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani in Boston, Massachusetts. I
believe this restaurant does evoke the senses. Probably the strongest is that of sight. The layers of
the vertical topography are very appeasing to the eye. They create a warm digital cave fit to eat
in. Another sense it applies to is touch. I’ve already said you’d probably feel like you were in a
warm cave, but questions I don’t have answers to but would like to answer if I had the chance
would be: What do the layers feel like? Are they rough, smooth, or in between? Are the edges
curved or square? These questions could be answered by a visitor along with questions of other
senses. Does the cave topography keep the echoing sound to a minimum? If it does, the eating
area would be quieter even at the busiest hours, which is nice for a semi-private meal. Is the
smell of food put off by an element of the structure itself? A space could give off the wrong
feeling if a disgusting, distinct odor fills the space. And finally how do you progress through
time into the restaurant and how does that progression change it? Does the main room “open up”
into a “cave chamber” or does it go lower and closed in?
All of these questions I dream of answering about many architectural works all over the
world. From ancient Greece and Rome to present day America, I could only imagine seeing
these places and learning more about the style and function each building provides.
I can acknowledge the fact that I say “built world” in my definition of architecture as
well. Does it mean that cars and bridges are architecture? That’s not what I intended. If you
really opened your mind they could be a subset of architecture. But as I am really focusing on
built structures that people live, work, play, etc. in and not use for a source of transportation (also
known as buildings). The typology of the buildings do not matter that much but it’s the fact
architects are the head artist, chief, or play-maker and not engineers. Boats, bridges, cars are built
and designed by engineers, and that is their contribution to our everyday lives. I should also say
that un-built buildings, potential or no longer existent are also in architecture because they either
have the potential to shelter the human body or have already sheltered the human body.
Questions are inevitable in life and I have many more to answer for myself. One being:
what makes an architect? Webster’s New World Pocket Dictionary defines “architect” as “one
who designs buildings.” I always feel that his definition is cold and incomplete in describing
those who are “architects.”As a profession there is more to it than just designing, Architects have
a great opportunity to change people’s lives, affect the environment, and create with their
imaginations.
I find a great way of using your imagination and looking at life is through the written
word of books. I would have to say reading is my favorite hobby. I recently read a book trilogy
by Nora Roberts for the third time. But this time around, one part of the Key of Light popped out
like a neon sign. The hero in the story is a reporter and editor of the town paper and writes a
column to motivate the heroine in her quest to find a magical key. What he wrote is inspiring to
many who love any type of art, even architecture.
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“What defined the artist? Were artists only those who created what
was perceived as the beautiful or the shocking, those who formed some piece
of work that delivered a visceral punch? In painting, in music, in literature
or in theater?
If so, did that make the rest of the world nothing more than the
audience? Passive observers whose only contribution was applause or
criticism?
What became of the artist without the audience?
Wasn’t the child who first learned to form his own name with letters a
kind of artist? One who was exploring intellect, coordination, and ego? When
the child held that fat pencil or bright crayon in his fist then drew those
letters on paper, wasn’t he creating a symbol of himself with lines and
curves? This is who I am, and no one else is quite the same.
There is art in the statement, and in the accomplishment
What about the woman who managed to put a hot meal on the table
in the evening? To a Cordon Bleu chef, this might be a pedestrian feat, but to
those who were baffled by the directions on a can of condensed soup, having
that meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and string beans hit the table in unison was
a great and mysterious art. But without the audience ready and willing to
consume the art, it becomes congealed leftovers to be dumped…”

“It isn’t only the artist holding brush and vision who paints the
picture. It’s those who look and see the power and the beauty, the strength
and the passion, who bring the brushstroke and color to life.”

This open view of the artist leads to a very open view of an architect. If we call un-built
projects architecture, then my classmates and I are architects. More so like architects-in-training
but the projects are architecture. The projects have potential and so do we. We are not licensed
just like the projects aren’t protecting the human body. But with time students of architecture and
un-built works could be.
But what distinguishes architects from artists and other designers. If architecture is a form
of art, like paintings and sculptures, then the difference lies in the medium in which we design or
create art. Painters use oil, acrylic, or water color paints, sculptures use clay, stone and metal.
But wait… architects use clay, stone and metal so other factors must also distinguish architecture
from other arts. Size/scale, function and use of drawing are the biggest factors that create a
difference.
 Size/Scale- The size and scale of architecture has to encompass the human body in
different ways. Doors tall enough for people to walk through, the space of a room needed
to live without feeling cramped and claustrophobic are just two examples of how
architecture needs to keep the human body in mind. This need changes sculpture and
painting into architecture.
 Function- The function of architecture has more to it than painting, sculpture, and music.
A typology of architecture needs to fulfill a function of living. An apartment building
needs to have room for the basic needs of living: kitchen, bathroom, living/sleeping.
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Without these the building becomes a dorm if shared if not then its function is lost. The
building could not be used by humans for an extended period of time. An office building
needs to have space for employees to work, meet, and live as well. Without space for the
humans to attend to everyday needs a piece of architecture loses its function and
application of everyday life. Even a pyramid or mausoleum serves a function. They
protect the human body after death and in the case of the Great Egyptian Pyramids it
connects life here on Earth to life in after-life. Architecture also has functions like the
other arts like to inspire, motivate, and simply enjoy, but needing to serve the human
body makes architecture its own art form.
 Drawing- Architects use drawing in different ways than sketchers, painters, and sculptors.
We tend to draw sketches in the process of designing. It helps us to envision our building
and work out problems before we continue in the design process and start drawing floor
plans and other technical drawings, which is another tendency. As architects we not only
have to come up with the idea but we have to add scale to the sketches and illustrate our
ideas to a client and construction company. Without detailed, technical drawings done in
a scale, both can’t fully understand how the building works and is constructed. Speaking
of clients, it always comes in handy for an architect to draw a perspective of the building
or even two so the client can have an understanding of what the building would look like
and from there decide if that is what he or she wants.

As an “architect-in-training,” I find that architecture in many ways can be an art. From

analyzing a site, to the final construction, architecture unfolds a new way of thinking and
changes the people involved with creating the architecture or simply observing it with all the
senses one can. In times when project deadlines are running close and time to finish is fading
away, I can always take a step back and remember the days I spent drawing buildings on the
shore of Lake Tschida or building buildings out of objects like a set of blocks. It was those days
when I decided to take this turn on my journey of life and I refuse to back track and lose the
years of work I put into making architecture not just my career choice but part of my life.
As time goes on things may change, the road of life is never a straight flat road it has its
surprises even in North Dakota the roads turn, rise, and fall. A land that seems to have no hills
may surprise a distant traveler, just as life may surprise anyone who believes that life is an easy
road to take with a hard decision or hard time that they can’t seem to pass. As a traveler lost
needs a map, people who don’t know what’s ahead in life need a guide. A guide could be written
by an expert, studier, or oneself. To me, this paper is a guide through my travels in the world of
architecture school and as time changes and I get further down the road another one will take its
place, just as a traveler grabs a new map when they pass the edge of the old one.
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Bibliography

Davies, Stephen. “Is Architecture Art?.” Philosophy and Architecture. Ed. Michael H. Mitias.

N.p.: Editions Rodopi, 1994. 31-47

Roberts, Nora. Key of Light. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2003. p. 254-256; 291.

“Architect.” Def. Webster’s New World: Pocket Dictionary. Fourth ed. 2000