Architecture is a very deep subject, and all the more complicatedit is to be an architect. A student would percieve architect differently than how a professional architect would, ant henm both, the architect and the student, see architecture differently than the average person. It is already a hassle to deal with architecture because of varying perspectives society has about it. It becomes even more difficult knowing that within the process of creating architecture, there are various topics, people, knowledge, practices, and other factors that come into play. All of which are involved in forming specific architecture and also the general sense of what we now understand as architecture.
The issue with learning architecture is that the knowledge of architecture does not translate very fluently into practice, and neither does the technical skill of architecture have direct influence to the quality or inspiration to the design. It is as if there are multiple separate disciplines that a person has to master in order to be sufficient as an architect.
“Nous” is a greek term that often associates with intellect or a higher form of knowledge. In the works of Aristotle, he refers to nous as the human’s capacity to reason. Phronesis, Techne, Episteme, and Sophia, are four terms, used in association with the concept of nous that have distinct meanings. The concept of nous that Arsitotle speaks of corellates very well to the intellectual learning curve of an architect.
“Phronesis” means a “practical wisdom”. It refers to a person’s ability to make sound judgement, and decisions in situations where it is required. Phronesis is practical, moral, and ethical, which means it is a form of higher knowledge that is concerned with the application of principles and values into realistic situations. In architecture this would be described as the architect’s ability to use their knowledge of architecture, whether if it is about their theory of design or even if it is their scientific knowledge, in order to tackle real-life scenarios with awareness of the real-life conditions. Phronesis requires attentivenes, observation, and attention to detail in order to pick and choose from theoretical and scientific knowledge, and find what can be used in specific situations.
Aside from Phronesis, another important for of knowledge is “Techne”, which describes the knowledge a person has that is associated with their soft-skills. The translation of techne from greek to english is “art” or “craft”. It is most accurately described as the ability to create or produce something. As an architect, it is common practice to draw, create models, operate architectural software, and other ways to create a clear layout of information through the available forms of media do communicate the various aspects of a design. To develop the ability to create such things, requires time and practice. An architect with better “techne” can create visualizations for better designs, and though it is not the determining factor of the design, it always helps the architect to take the next step in the design process.
“Episteme” means “knowledge” but specifically “intellectually certain knowledge”. In simple terms we call it science, which is the theoretical knowledge that derives off of observation, experience, and experimentation. This is the way in which an architect can know about what works, and what doesn’t. There are various theories in architecture from a wide range of categories within the discussions of function and aesthetics. Episteme is the conventional understanding of architecture that is learned mostly through education. The world of architectural education, mostly revolves around an epistemic approach.
To understand episteme more deeply, we must be aware that although episteme is about the knowledge of the certain, we can be deceived into thinking that we have sufficient knowledge of the world. There is more knowledge out there than what is commonly seen. In architecture, the majority of well known and well praised products are those that belong to a more capitalistic or power-oriented approach to architecture. It is uncommon to see architecture with weaker relations to business and market or less extravagant and cheaper products of architecture to be discussed and praised by many across the world.
The reason to the reality of the greater appreciation towards the more capitalistic and power-oriented approach to architecture is merely because that is the nature of such things. Buildings that symbolize power and capitalism have an objective to be popular and seen as something great. It is not wrong for that to be the case, but what is wrong is to limit our knowledge to only that side of architecture. Architecture and knowledge, can be divided into The Four Quadrants of Wisdom.
The first quadrant of wisdom in architecture would be capitalism, as said before. This discussion of architecture occurs in a world that focuses in a market-based economy where everyone has to compete in order to get what they want. Architecture in this quadrant is often built for the reason of creating a market or a product that brings in money. The priority of capitalistic architecture is profit. This type of architecture is well represented by property developers whose businesses revolve around designing and constructing property, to sell for profit.
Another objective of capitalistic architecture is to create innovation, in hopes of creating architecture that is more efficient in cost. The use of concrete for example, has developed to become the standard for constructing buildings because of the cost efficency and how concrete is more practical. It may be a cheaper and faster process, but the use of such materials come with an environmental cost. Due to profit being the driving force of capitalistic architecture, it forces architecture to lean towards cost efficiency more than environmental well-being.
The next quadrant is architecture that demonstrates power. Architecture, especially before the era of modern architecture, has often been regarded as a luxury of the wealthy and powerful. The most noticeable application of demonstrating power through architecture in history, in my opinion, can be seen in the Rennaisance. During the Reannaisance, the artistic limits of architecture were push to higher limits due to the wealth acquired by colonist countries who were wealthy and powerful.
The presence of architecture on buildings that belong to the powerful, such as the government and large-organizations are examples of the demonstration of power. The clear presence of architecture in the powerful class makes us forget the significance that architecture has in contributing to the prosperity of smaller parts of society.
This brings us to the third quadrant of episteme in architecture. Architecture that follows values from socialism, approaches architecture in the opposite way from the interests of the capitalist. Socialism in architecture focuses on collective well-being, and often contributes nescessary limitations for architecture in order to create sustainable design and does not put its priority on profit, even occassionally constructed purely for the purpose of helping those in need. To differentiate from “socialist” architecture, “socialism” in architecture is not a style of architecture but more accurately, it is a concept of architecture.
Last but not least, the quadrant of “tradition” in architecture. The goal of tradition in architecture Is to preserve certain values and practices that are usually decreasing due to the influence/authority of the powerful. To learn about tradition in architecture is to understand the history of cultures, values, and practices in specific parts of the world. The preservation of religion is a great example of how tradition is preserved in hopes of continuing the practice of a belief that is regarded as universal truths by many. Another great example of tradition in architecture is the vernacularity of specific traditional architecture. Vernacular buildings were developed through time based on functionality and practicality in their corresponding regions. This often results in a more environmentally friendly architecture, despite the fact that these buildings were not designed by architects.
“Sophia” is the wisdom of knowledge. To have sophia is to know how to navigate through episteme or scientific knowledge. Sophia does not have a consisten description of what is right or wrong, but it is an approach to knowledge that involves creating a standard for what is right and what is wrong within the person’s morals and values. An architect has to have sophia to be certain of which decision corresponds with their morals and values. Aside from morals and values, sophia in architecture allows the architect to have an original mind and an original approach to architecture. A person’s Sophia defines their inspiration and motivation to do what they do and be who they intend to be, in this case to create architecture and to be an architect.
After breaking down The Four Quadrants of Nous, we can understand that each form of knowledge, whether it be practical knowledge (Phronesis), productive knowledge (Techne), scientific knowledge (Episteme), or wisdom of knowledge (Sophia), has its own role in making a person of high intellectual quality. It is important to note that each individual has a varying innate capability of developing each of these quadrants. Whether or not a person should focus on one quadrant or try to balance them out, relies on their own judgement.
For an architect, it may appear to be a challenge to navigate through their career without a well balanced Nous. This is because the work of an architect very often pushes the architect to be involved in situations where the quadrants would intersect. The architectural design also does not simply follow one or two quadrants. It has to consider each and every quadrant and fix the proportions accordingly. If one thing is clear, it is that Nous is a dynamic of the four quadrants that all work together, back and forth or even simultaneously, and that to be concious of the four quadrants of Nous is a path to understanding who we are, and knowing who we want to be.
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