When we travel, we are always surrounded by architecture. When we visit someone in their home, we are visiting them in the realm of an architectural experience. By that, I do not mean that for every building erected there is an element of architecture. But part of the logical progression an architect goes through when designing is the consideration of just what that design will serve. Notice the distinction between the two.
Architecture is of one realm and art is of another.
Historically though, this can not be the case. Architecture is the embodiment of the culture that created the built environment. Judging a culture from fragments of the built environment would create gaps in the understanding of that culture. Since we accept the basic premise that art and architecture fall categorically into the realm of design principles, we attribute the salient ideas of artistic merit to only those works whose form, function and structure vividly, yet silently, speak the language of the culture. Not unlike judging a book on its merit as a great work because of the content, writing style and organizational qualities for example.