Vitruvius on Architecture Book Review






		Lobe Classical Library


	Imagine the world when it had a center, when the body of knowledge of architecture could be found in one book and when the laws of building were unquestioned. Image the known world when it was expanding at the pace of a Roman Legion.

Welcome to Vitruvius's World. The life and struggles of an architect / builder have changed little since he recorded them in 27 B.C.! This wonderful book tells us how the Roman society built based of the tests and trials of their history. In what is part a "how to" cookbook of building (the early codes of construction) and part a professional outline of the role the Architect must play in society, Vitruvius offers a clear picture of the timeless issues faced in architectural design.

Vitruvius on Architecture Books VI - X

Translated by Frank Granger and published through Harvard University Press, Loeb Classical Library.

This small, red book fits nicely into the hiking bag, with each concise chapter its own "book". This may have come from the natural economies of text in ancient books but today I find it very refreshing in its clear structure. With Latin text on the left page and English text on the right with a few block print plates of machines and diagrams of concepts, this little book holds the foundation of our architectural studies today.


	The Latitude of Rome


	What was the life of an Architect like? Buildings were built of three materials: stone, earth and wood. The role of the Architect was to build public spaces and public buildings. They controlled cost and material estimates (and had to work within them or pay the overage out of their pocket) and they had control of the construction process on a day to day basis.

From the preface of Book X:

In the renowned and spacious Greek city of Ephesus, a law is said to have been made of old by the forefathers of the citizens, in harsh terms but not unjust. For when an architect undertakes the erection of a public work, he estimates at what cost it will be done. The estimate is furnished, and his property is assigned to the magistrate until the work is finished. On completion, when the cost answers to the contract, he is rewarded by a decree in his honor. If not more than a fourth part has to be added to the estimate, the state pays it and the architect is not mulcted. But if more than a fourth extra is spent in carrying out the work, the additional sum is exacted from the architect's property.

Would that the Gods had impelled the Roman people to make such a law not only for public, but also private buildings! In that case unqualified persons would not swagger abroad with impunity, but persons trained in entirely accurate methods would profess architecture with confidence.

Vitruvius (about 27 B.C.)