Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings and other physical structures. It includes how things look, how they are built, and how people use them.
From Latin “architectura,” from Greek “arkhi-tekton” meaning “chief builder.” The word shifted from the person (architect) to the craft and results (architecture).
Architecture is like frozen music: shapes, light, and space are arranged to create a feeling, just like notes in a song. Cities are giant art galleries of architecture that you walk through every day, often without realizing it.
The field of architecture historically centered male practitioners and often reflected gendered assumptions in how spaces were designed and valued. Women's roles in planning, interior design, and informal building were frequently downplayed or separated from "serious" architecture.
Use "architecture" to include a range of contributors and scales, and avoid implying that only formally credentialed (historically male) professionals shape built environments.
When discussing architectural history, include women and community builders whose work influenced housing, public spaces, and design theory but was not always recognized as architecture.
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