The term Architecture comes from the Latin word architectura, descended from the Ancient Greek word ἀρχιτέκτων (arkhitéktōn), which means 'architect’, and combined from two words ἀρχι- (arkhi-) 'chief', and τέκτων (téktōn) 'creator’.
The most traditional and understandable architectural area is city planning and building construction.
On the left is a plan of ancient Paris where you can see city architecture; on the right, different types of building architecture are implemented in buildings.
What is architecture?
There are some definitions of Architecture:
• The most popular is Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction (Britannica)
• While the popular definition of architecture focuses on its application
in designing and building, a more general understanding sees architecture as the complex or carefully designed structure of something. This broader definition allows us to see architecture in various contexts beyond the physical structures we typically associate with the term.
In these definitions, “architecture” is used to describe something and the process of defining that something.
Historically, architecture primarily referred to buildings, cities, and architects who designed them. Today, architecture extends to complex objects, processes, organisations, and structures. These can include objects such as cities, buildings, bridges, aircraft, CPUs, computers, and more, all with written and formal architecture.
There is often a question of why we need architecture. The question is not precisely correct.
A correct question is when we need a formally written architecture.
It is essential to have architecture, design, and delivery plans for projects.
For simple things, having these plans in a person's head is sufficient.
However, for complex projects involving many participants, it is critical to have a documented architecture, design, and delivery plan for better quality, communication, management, and governance.
Architecture serves two primary purposes.
1. Coordinating and contributing to complex projects by establishing standard rules, principles, vision, and strategy.
2. Managing risks created by external and internal changes and threats.
Let's consider two historical city plans: Paris and New York.
Paris's architecture was designed as a fortress with a protective wall, reflecting the priority of defence with the central area for maximum protection of goods and the king. It includes the river as a transport arteria and allows expansion and development under favourable conditions.
It developed naturally over the ages with the risk of invasion.
Many old cities and towns were built according to this architecture.
On the other hand, New York's city plan did not have a wall; artillery had made walls unimportant by then. The architecture includes square blocks and long straight streets, which are more convenient for extension, development, and traffic management than for defence.
Expected risks have changed, and New York has been designed with different priorities.
Many new cities are following this architecture.
Each architecture reflects actual priorities and goals and helps design optimal solutions to achieve the goals.
An example of different architectures and designs is the electric power network in buildings. After the Second World War, the British government approved a ring architecture for electric distribution in buildings, while continent countries used a radial architecture. Each of these architectures has pros and cons, dictating specific designs and solutions that are optimal for them. For example, in the UK, power plugs must have built-in fuses, while other countries don’t.
Every building or house has a separate electric network design but follows the same approved and mandatory architecture.
Generally, architecture in all areas is a set of principles and rules defining key parameters of similar products. It becomes a valuable asset and essential instrument, a critical component for better productivity, decision-making, and risk management.
Architecture defines how people understand and develop systems and their components. It represents a method to create, support, govern and manage that system and its components.
The core Architecture parameters must be understood and managed separately.
An instrument, a set of principles and rules defining key parameters of many similar products.
An asset that must be documented, managed and supported.
A method, a model, that must be learned to understand the object and means of its change and maintenance.
In construction, architecture practice is a well-established profession with developed education, standards, and regulations, allowing for effective communication and collaboration between professionals. Experts often simplify their spoken language and vocabulary and use “architecture” freely for everything related, from architecture and designs to delivery processes, practices, teams, etc.
That simplification creates confusion when used without a proper context, especially in new, more complex areas like enterprise architecture.
We must rectify and structure terminology, taxonomy, and objects for efficient usage and management of the enterprise architecture and to get the best value for the enterprise.
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