How is it that we place so much emphasis on architecture as a common object for shelter when we strive to perceive our built environment as an art. Architecture first and foremost is a craft. A service to the general public at large. But the question itself is a manifestation of ideas developed over centuries of idealism in the arts. From the architectural masterpieces created at the dawn of Western civilization come ideologies which have shaped our cities today in the most profound way.
Ideals change, and our perception of the principle of art has changed.
We view all our buildings in the light of the fabric of architecture and therefore consider all built shelters as architecture. But the question of architecture as art, which Stanley Abercrombie so poignantly raised, becomes clearer as we accept more of our build environment as the meaning of civilizations legacy. It is quite remarkable that opinion varies so widely about a particular element which touches our lives in every way. 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.