Lydia Fulton November 18, 2011

In Ten Books on Architecture, Vitruvius depicts an architect as at least slightly knowledgeable in all trades, from medicine and geometry to philosophy and astrology. He considers this a necessary quality for an architect to have because an architect, in designing for all sorts of people and for all sorts of circumstances, must be able to understand all kinds of needs. Or, as Lyotard says, a home must be inclusive and bucolic, in that it brings everything and everyone together. However, what is difficult about designing to incorporate everything is that there is no single model that can fit everything, and no set of needs that isnt fluid and ever-changing. A single standard form cannot be upheld or even realized. Vitruvius designed his

interpretation of ideal houses, cities, and friezes, though there are no buildings faithful to his models in existence today (Jones 38). Each situation that demands a built environment is going to be unique, just as each family or community that dwells or works within a built environment is going to be unique. Vitruvius did not necessarily specify these ideal forms and shapes to create the perfect standard, but to create a set of ideas on which to start architectural discussions (Jones 38). He wanted to create a language for architecture, just as math and science have a language in numbers and equations. He did not want to limit architectural creativity, put to encourage it: through creating an architectural language, he makes the spread of ideas much easier. Vitruvius brings up another idea in his Ten Books on Architecture, that, though it was long ago antiquated, is an idea that is fluid and a way to think about many things. He mentions the Classical Elements (earth, wind, fire, and water) and how slight variations in each of these things can make the difference between a fish and a bird (Vitruvius 27). He uses the Classical Elements as a reason for finding the perfect climate for buildings, but this idea can easily be extended to finding the perfect shape for dwelling or working, or the perfect materials for accommodating. The idea that

things can be similar, but through slight variations in materials or technique, they can become radically different, was present at Vitruviuss time. Through drawing a parallel between classical elements and the environment, Vitruvius acknowledges the flexibility of the built environment. Architectures nature is to try to stand the test of time. More than any other art or science that can be shelved away until it is sought out, architecture and its history can be seen every day when we interact with our environment. Lets write our graffiti since we cannot engrave (Lyotard 79), lets not try to assert one truth to a complex practice. When we think or write, the inward manifestation of thinking (Lyotard 78), that architecture must be practiced or interpreted in a certain way, we deny it all the flexibility that gives architecture what it strives for: longevity, maybe even to the point of eternity. It is through architectures complexity (that Vitruvius hints at when he describes his formidable ideal architect) and its flexibility that architecture tries to become timeless and inclusive of all human needs.