Architecture by name
Authors
Citation
Building journal Hong Kong China, Jun, 1995, pp. 24-25
Abstract
Architecture is, naturally enough, the art of an architect. But having one of the longer labels among the professions is not merely the pompous gratification of a bygone lexicographer. In Latin, architect was spelled architectus, which was borrowed from the Greek word arkhitekton. Here, the plot thickens - the roots of arkhitekton were derived from arkhi, tekton and tekhne. Archi denoted 'primary' as in archetype, tekton was Greek for carpenter and tekhne meant craft. The apparent equivalence of carpentry (tekton( with that of art/craft (tekhne) can be explained by the fact that timber as a rare resource in ancient Greece and was reserved almost exclusively for ceilings and decorative works. The art of a carpenter was consequently primary in this regard. Architecture, therefore, could be surmised as prime among carpentry and all crafts. And an architect is, in short, the mastercraftsman!
Description
Subject
Type
Article
Format
Date
1995
Language
en