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The Birth of An Architect and the Death of the Master Builder
Tiny Insights from the Countryside.
No.056 — Read old posts on Tinyfarmlab.com
Reading Time 4 minutes
Our built environment is almost completely dominated by the designs of men and women who have never lifted a tool to help create what they imagine.
Architecture is conveyed through drawings. Most architects don’t know how to build; they only create drawings, and other organizations turn them into buildings.
We were among them too.
So we decided to quit and become natural builders.
The word "architect" comes from the Latin architectus, which itself derives from the Greek term arkhitekton (ἀρχιτέκτων).
This term translates to "chief builder," combining arkhi- (chief) and tekton (builder or craftsman).
In ancient civilizations, architects were primarily master builders responsible for both design and construction, overseeing projects from conception to completion.
They were in tune with nature’s rhythms, shapes, processes, and timelines.
They understood the limitations of the natural materials.
This role was quite hands-on, blending engineering, art, and craftsmanship with design.
Evolution of the role of an architect.
Historically, architects were often artisans such as stone masons or carpenters who rose to become master builders.
Paper was not used in Europe for drawing until the 15th century but became increasingly available after 1500. Pencils were used for drawing by 1600.
The Renaissance era in Europe marked a significant shift in the role of the architect.
Thinkers like Leon Battista Alberti and Filippo Brunelleschi began to emphasize theory and the intellectual side of architecture.
A new class arose in Europe during the Middle Ages, a class of merchants and professionals, and among these were architects. These men lived in towns and forgot to watch the clouds in the sky. They were busy; they were ambitious; they knew better than Na- ture how to build. The grandeur of their stone cathedrals and gigantic castles gave them arrogance and a belief that they could dominate Nature's laws, mold natural stuff into the precisely rectilinear shapes of their drafting tools. With the Industrial Revolution, they could forge iron in quantity, then aspire to outdo each other in height, length, and breadth.
Alberti famously said, "An architect is not a carpenter."
Leon Battista Alberti
In his treatise De re aedificatoria, he states that an architect should be regarded as a master in various sciences and arts, capable of designing and completing works with beauty and functionality, rather than just executing construction tasks like a carpenter or joiner.
This distinction between the thinker and the builder grew during this period.
Architects became more focused on drawing, planning, and creating the vision, while the actual construction was left to craftsmen.
The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century accelerated the division between design and construction, as new building materials (like steel and concrete) and mass production techniques emerged.
In the 20th century, the rise of modernism. further distances architects from the craft of building. They now relied heavily on engineering to turn their designs into reality.
As architecture became more focused on large-scale, industrialized projects, buildings became more standardized and less responsive to local contexts, climates, and materials.
For the past two centuries, architecture has largely become a practice of imitation, with architects competing against and copying one another.
Instead of seeking inspiration from nature, we idolize human-made creations.
We are driven by the demand of the industry and the media.
We are building for greed and not for the need, to fulfill our desires, for grandeur, efficiency, and novelty.
All this is at the cost of sustainability.
Our buildings no longer breathe with their surroundings but stand as isolated symbols of human ingenuity, disconnected from the land and ecosystems around them.
Our materials don’t reflect the landscape around it.
Today's buildings contribute heavily to pollution, deforestation, and the destruction of habitats—during construction, in the production of materials, and throughout years of use.
Many of us are aware of these problems, yet we remain stuck in the destructive patterns of our society.
We need to shift from this human-centered obsession and begin reconnecting with nature's wisdom.
Architects should turn once again to the curves of rivers, the strength of trees, the efficiency of natural materials, and the rhythms of the sun and wind.
Love,
Raghav and Ansh
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What you can watch - Architecture History: All Architectural Styles & Epoches, Complete Overview [University Lecture]
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