ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the elements and some of the conceptual strategies of architecture in detail. It lays out some ground work with regard to the nature of architecture and its purpose. Unlike a painting or a sculpture, which may be said to be the intellectual property of one mind, architecture depends upon contributions from many. The idea of architecture as identification of place asserts the indispensable part played in architecture by the user as well as the designer. Architecture has also been compared with film-making – an art form that incorporates people, place and action through time. The realisation of works of architecture is usually dependent on patronage. The products of architecture usually require substantial financial resources. Architecture conceived and experienced as identification of place manages our being in the world. The analogy between architecture and language can be helpful in understanding what it is to do architecture. The basic architectural elements constitute vocabulary, syntax, and meaning.
