Louie Jay B. Sta.

Iglesia
BS ARCH-1
ARCHITECTURAL INTERIORS

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF VIRTRUVIAN THEORY IN ARCHITECTURE

According to Vitruvius, Architecture is a reflection of nature. He believes that humans made
homes from natural materials, similar to how birds and bees built their nests, to provide protection
from the weather. The Greeks invented the architectural orders Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian while
mastering the skill of building. It taught us students about proportions, leading to an awareness of the
proportions of the greatest work of art: the human body. This led Vitruvius to define his Vitruvian
Man, as later shown by Leonardo da Vinci: a human body encircled by a circle and a square (the
fundamental geometric patterns of the cosmic order). Vitruvius also talked about climate and home
architecture in this book series, as well as how to determine cities' locations. Vitruvius believed that
the 'truth of nature' could teach us a timeless notion of beauty, that nature's designs were founded on
universal laws of proportion and symmetry. He thought the proportions of the human body may be
used as a model of natural proportional perfection. He described how ancient experts looked at a
variety of 'well-shaped men' and discovered that their bodies had similar proportions. He
demonstrated that the 'ideal' human body fit perfectly inside both a circle and a square, demonstrating
the relationship between perfect geometric forms and the perfect body that he believed existed. In this
perspective, the body was viewed as a living textbook carrying nature's established and flawless laws.

His famous architectural work Vitruvius Basilica in Fano, Italy, left me with full admiration.
He was the one who designed and supervised the construction of this basilica. However, many of the
other things he did would not now be considered the realm of architecture. But for me, it was
remarkable and divine. He applied his own Theory of Architecture in this masterpiece where he
utilized his beliefs in drawing, geometry, optics (lighting), history, philosophy, music, theatre,
medicine, and law. It is very phenomenal to witness his designs and ideas that made a huge impact in
the field of architecture. His discussion of perfect proportion in architecture and the human body
paved the way to many remarkable constructions and designs of buildings in the world.

In conclusion, The Vitruvian Theory of Architecture have a vital impact in creating the
standard or quality of architecture to design and plans by means of applying symmetrical proportions
in design. This is the same theory behind architectural design today that architects apply. Whereas,
our intrinsic sense of what we consider beautiful may come from symmetry and proportion. Through
this, it emphasizes the importance and the role of Vitruvian theory in terms of designing different
types of building.