Timeless Classical: A Classical Contemporary Architectural Theory

Vitruvius was absolutely correct. Good architecture must contain the principles of commodity, firmness, and delight. Commodity and firmness are simple enough to understand. The first states that a work of architecture must fulfill its function, whether it is a library, museum, church, school, etc. If architecture does not function it becomes large-scale sculpture. The firmness principle, even more simple, states that architecture must have structural integrity. If a building cannot stand, then it cannot be architecture. Delight is a harder to define. There are two types of beauty (delight) in Architecture. The first is tangible and comes from high quality materials and fine craftsmanship. The second type of beauty comes from the deeper meaning that the architecture embodies. This deeper meaning comes from the ideas and ideals the architect is trying to express in and through the architecture. If a building can integrate commodity, firmness, and delight, then it is good architecture.