The apparently trivial question, What is architecture?, has been part of the main ontological questions of the discipline for centuries, and it is usually the first postulate that any new student of the Bachelor of Architecture will hear. The answer does not seem to be simple. What you should consider about arquitectura.
If we look at the definition of the Dictionary of the Spanish Language, architecture is the “art of designing and constructing buildings”, which is why it links the term to the building, the “building”; Although it does not limit the meaning of this concept to the fact of building them, it also includes the process of projecting them. In addition, it highlights the way in which the definition begins with “art of”, unequivocally considering architecture as an art.
The well-known and widespread consultation page, Wikipedia, defines architecture as “the art and technique of projecting, designing and constructing buildings, modifying the human habitat and studying aesthetics, good use and function of spaces, whether they are architectural or urban.
According to this definition, architecture is no longer considered just an art, but also a technique, a set of knowledge to plan, design and build buildings. The interesting thing about this definition is that it determines the end of architecture, its objective, which is to “modify the human habitat” in relation to “aesthetics, good use and the function of spaces”. They are no longer just buildings, but architectural and urban spaces.