What I personally love about architecture is that no one can accurately define what it is exactly. Most simply imagine a building that occupies space and serves a purpose, but there is so much more to it than that. It's a mystery that every architect contributes to unraveling in their own unique way; a mystery we are still unraveling since it's inception. It's open to interpretation, and that's the beauty of it.
To me, it's the physical embodiment and manifestation of an idea; a dream that has somehow found it's way into our crazy yet mundane reality. Perhaps even a sculpture whittled away in secret and within the confines of time, yet unveiled publicly in permanence. It's a product and representation of the culture, but also an influence towards it, as well as a reflection of the architect's own personality, experience and ideals. It can be a play of light and shadow, a statement declared in a hidden language not many speak, a symphony of flow, a fusion of creativity and logic, and an adherence to style or a mold of new beginning. Architecture is a tool of endless versatility: a symbol, a billboard to advertise, the communication of a story, a place of comfort, a monument of inspiration and wonder, a facility with compartments of induced experiences, resolution to a whole array of problems, a challenge to convention or an opportunity of experimentation.
Despite being difficult to define, that doesn't mean there isn't a definitive structure at it's core. The work of a well-known and highly influential Roman architect by the name of Vitruvius contributed greatly to how we approach the field today. He argued that there are 3 fundamental attributes to what can be considered architecture: firmness - it must be structurally sound, commodity - it must serve an intended purpose, and delight - it must be pleasant to look at and experience. Anything with these 3 qualities can technically be considered architecture.
What started out as a utility has become so much more sophisticated and diverse. Modern advancements have opened to door to all sorts of new possibilities, and it's exciting to see what the future has in store.