Intangible: In-tan-gi-ble (in tan je bel) adj. 1. Incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch
What differentiates 'architecture' from 'building' is the intangible. A venacular building is a safe warm dry building to inhabit. Once a level of security and comfort is achieved, a building can aspire to aesthetic qualities.
Intangible qualities that a building can be influenced by or capture include aesthetic proportions, views and vistas, interplay of outside and inside, interior adjacency, low energy use or environmental impact, exterior influences such as sun or wind. Types and quantities of finish and hardware are tangible, reflecting levels of materialistic wealth. Buildings have a dualistic character of both tangible/intangible, material/immaterial qualities. The intangible can be repeated in the materials through application of architectural design throughout the smallest details, but will be missing from details if never given consideration.
Because enclosures provide shelter from the cold, rain, the outside, a structure and envelop is often considered the important part of the building. But the structure exists for enjoyment, habitation and activity inside and out. It is the space, the connection between outside and inside, the intangible that is the substance of architecture. It is space, and not the elements that define space, that create architecture. Space exists without a boundary, but a boundary must enclose a space by definition. The real substance is not material.
Often a building owner will spend money on expensive finishes, but never create the space that this investment in construction deserves. Actual space is a volume of air; the correct adjacency of rooms is good planning; the framing of a view by a well placed window and room is good design; allowing morning sun in a kitchen is utilizing of the environment. These intangible qualities are incorporated into buildings through architecture, and are the best investment. Ignoring the potential to do so is a wasted opportunity to improve the structure and those that use it.
What differentiates 'architecture' from 'building' is the intangible. A venacular building is a safe warm dry building to inhabit. Once a level of security and comfort is achieved, a building can aspire to aesthetic qualities.
Intangible qualities that a building can be influenced by or capture include aesthetic proportions, views and vistas, interplay of outside and inside, interior adjacency, low energy use or environmental impact, exterior influences such as sun or wind. Types and quantities of finish and hardware are tangible, reflecting levels of materialistic wealth. Buildings have a dualistic character of both tangible/intangible, material/immaterial qualities. The intangible can be repeated in the materials through application of architectural design throughout the smallest details, but will be missing from details if never given consideration.
Because enclosures provide shelter from the cold, rain, the outside, a structure and envelop is often considered the important part of the building. But the structure exists for enjoyment, habitation and activity inside and out. It is the space, the connection between outside and inside, the intangible that is the substance of architecture. It is space, and not the elements that define space, that create architecture. Space exists without a boundary, but a boundary must enclose a space by definition. The real substance is not material.
Often a building owner will spend money on expensive finishes, but never create the space that this investment in construction deserves. Actual space is a volume of air; the correct adjacency of rooms is good planning; the framing of a view by a well placed window and room is good design; allowing morning sun in a kitchen is utilizing of the environment. These intangible qualities are incorporated into buildings through architecture, and are the best investment. Ignoring the potential to do so is a wasted opportunity to improve the structure and those that use it.
