This is all about a module in Architecture.

1. ou employ stone, wood and concrete, and with these materials you build houses and
palaces; that is construction. Ingenuity is at work. But suddenly you touch my heart, you
do me good. I am happy and I say - “This is beautiful.” That is Architecture.”
- Charles-Édouard Jeanneret “Le Corbusier”
(October 6, 1887 – August 27, 1965)
I. How do we define Architecture?
 According to Wikipedia:
 Architecture (Latin architectura, after the Greek arkhitekton which means
"builder, carpenter, mason“.
 It is the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing
buildings and other physical structures
 It is the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing
buildings and other physical structures
 The art and science of designing buildings and (some) non-building structures.
 The style of design and method of construction of buildings and other physical
structures.
 The knowledge of art, science & technology and humanity.
 The practice of the architect, where architecture means offering or rendering
professional services in connection with the design and construction of
buildings, or built environments.
 According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
 ar·chi·tec·ture noun ˈär-kə-ˌtek-chər
 the art or science of designing and creating buildings
 a method or style of building
 the way in which the parts of a computer are organized
 the art or science of building; specifically : the art or practice of designing and
building structures and especially habitable ones
 formation or construction resulting from or as if from a conscious
act <the architecture of the garden>
 a unifying or coherent form or structure <the novel lacks architecture
 architectural product or work
 a method or style of building
 the manner in which the components of a computer or computer system are
organized and integrated
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2.  According to the Book:
 Architecture refers to the art and science of designing and constructing
buildings.
 It’s most common expression is in the design and construction of houses, office
buildings. Churches and other structures.
 It also addresses one of human beings’ primary needs, which is shelter.
 A work of engineering is considered a work of architecture when it stimulates
an aesthetic response.
II. Example of Architecture:
 Harbour Bridge in Sydney (Sydney NSW, Australia)
- It is steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular,
bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and
the North Shore.
- Construction
started: July 28, 1923
- Opened: March 19, 1932
- Architecture
firm: Dorman Long
- Height: 141 m
- Bodies of water: Port
Jackson, Sydney Harbour
- Architects: John
Bradfield, Thomas S.
Tait, Ralph Freeman
III. Satisfaction of Good Building (Marcus Vitruvius Pollio)
a) Durability
- Refers to the power to resist stress force, thus making the structure lasting.
b) Utility
- It is the value of being practical use to people.
c) Beauty
- It pertains to the quality of being pleasant to the senses, thus, giving delight to
the onlookers.
IV. In designing a building, an architect works within certain limitations:
1. The knowledge of architectural forms.
2. The physical characteristics of the materials
3. The architect’s disposal.
4. The use to which the structure is put.
V. The Mediums of Architecture
1) Stone
- It is the most important building material. It is strong in resisting pressure or
comprehension but relatively wear when subjected to tension. Stones vary in

3. hardness and texture: marble may be carved into crisp, delicate detail; whereas,
granite tends to be left plain.
2) Brick
- Sometimes made of baked clay or simply of sun-dried mud, shared some
qualities of the stone, but it is not as strong. It is generally used in walls, in
arches and in combination with other materials.
3) Wood
- It has a fibrous nature, which enables it to withstand tension as easily as
comprehension, unlike stone. This quality of wood facilitates its use a beams or
as slender columns.
4) Structural Steel
- It has a fibrous nature, which enables it to withstand tension as easily as
comprehension, unlike stone. This quality of wood facilitates its use a beams or
as slender columns.
5) Reinforced Concrete
- It can resist both tension and compression. The concrete provides the
compressive resistance and the embedded steel rods, the tensile strength.
VI. Other materials used in architecture are:
a. Glass
b. Plastic
c. Indigenous Materials:
i. Sawali
ii. Bamboo
iii. Palm Frond Stems
iv. Coco Coir
v. Baggase
VII. The Construction System
1. Post-and-Lintel
- It makes use of two vertical supports (posts) transverse by a horizontal beam
(lintel).
- Example: Stonehenge (Neolithic Architecture)
2. Arch
- It consists of separate pieces of wedge-shaped blocks arranged in semi-circles.
- Example: Arco de triunfo de Medinaceli
3. Truss
- It is a system of triangular forms brought together into a rigid framework. It is
used in bridges and gymnasiums where wide spaces need to have interior
supports.
- Example: K-Truss Bridge
4. Skeleton Construction

4. - It utilizes reinforced concrete and steel, strong to hold up the floor, the roof and
the partitions.
- Example: Holman Hill Water Tank
5. Cantilever
- It uses a beam that extends horizontally into space beyond its supporting post,
yet is strong enough to support walls and floors.
VIII. The Three Basic Orders of Columns
1) Doric Order
- It is the simplest columns. It is plain, short, thick, and without arches.
- Example: Parthenon (Athens, Greece)
2) Ionic Order
- It is a little more decorative than the Doric. The capitals consist of scrolls above
the shaft, and the shafts are taller than the Doric ones.
- Example: Temple of Athena (Athens, Greece)
3) Corinthian Order
- It is the most decorative. At the top of the column, there are decorative elements,
like the acanthus leaves.
- Temple of the Sybil (Poland)
“Forests were the first temples of God and in forests men grasped their first idea of
Prepared by:
Pelaosa, Larino Jr. Salazar
BSEd- Math III- A
Submitted to:
Mr. Felomino Fernandez
Professor
architecture.”
- James C. Snyder, Introduction to Architecture