--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Architecture is one of the art forms best…" description: "\"Architecture is one of the art forms best able to improve and revitalise cities both artistically and functionally.\" — Santiago Calatrava" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/santiago-calatrava-3749_architecture_architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-bes_3209277.png" --- # Architecture is one of the art forms best able to improve… ![“Architecture is one of the art forms best able to improve and revitalise cities both artistically and functionally.” quote by Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/santiago-calatrava-3749_architecture_architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-bes_3209277.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/santiago-calatrava-3749_architecture_architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-bes_3209277.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/santiago-calatrava-3749_architecture_architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-bes_3209277.png) > “Architecture is one of the art forms best able to improve and revitalise cities both artistically and functionally.” [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Architecture can simultaneously beautify urban spaces and enhance their functional performance, revitalizing cities. **In simple terms:** Good design merges art and utility. Key Takeaway Design spaces that inspire and serve. Themes urban renewal design functionality beauty public space Mood inspirational practical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - city planning - public parks - transport hubs - community centers Key Concepts sustainable design human-centered architecture civic identity Questions to Reflect On - How can architects ensure designs are both beautiful and functional? - What role should citizens play in shaping urban design? A Different Perspective Balancing aesthetics and practicality can increase costs and face regulatory hurdles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Art forms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-forms/) ## Related quotes > [I paint and work as a sculptor, and I see architecture as an art... If you follow this approach you can use techniques to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/i-paint-and-work-as-a-sculptor-and-i-see-architecture-as-an-art-if/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [For me, architecture is an art the same as painting is an art or sculpture is an art. Yet, architecture moves a step beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/for-me-architecture-is-an-art-the-same-as-painting-is-an-art-or/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I have tried to get close to the frontier between architecture and sculpture and to understand architecture as an art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/i-have-tried-to-get-close-to-the-frontier-between-architecture-and/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [Because of the nature of the profession of architecture, the art of architecture nourishes itself from other disciplines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/because-of-the-nature-of-the-profession-of-architecture-the-art-of/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [ The thing about architecture is that it's an art \[you\] simply learn more by doing more. It's one of those things that is really… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-adjaye/the-thing-about-architecture-is-that-it-s-an-art-you-simply-learn/) [David Adjaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-adjaye/) > [Architecture is the art which so disposes and adorns the edifices raised by man, that the sight of them may contribute to his mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/architecture-is-the-art-which-so-disposes-and-adorns-the-edifices/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [Architecture is art, nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/architecture-is-art-nothing-else/) [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) > [You employ stone, wood and concrete, and with these materials you build houses and palaces. That is construction. Ingenuity is at work. But suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-corbusier/you-employ-stone-wood-and-concrete-and-with-these-materials-you-build/) [Le Corbusier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-corbusier/) > [“Architecture is an art when one consciously or unconsciously creates aesthetic emotion in the atmosphere and when this enviroment produces well being”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-barragan/architecture-is-an-art-when-one-consciously-or-unconsciously-creates/) [Luis Barragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-barragan/) > [I think I needed to really move past my first public work as memorialist, and be equally balanced. It's a bit unusual, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/i-think-i-needed-to-really-move-past-my-first-public-work-as/) [Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/) > [There's a very important aspect to all my work, now more than ever, which is tying the interior design and architecture with the art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-marino/there-s-a-very-important-aspect-to-all-my-work-now-more-than-ever/) [Peter Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-marino/) > [I do believe architecture, and all art, should be content-driven. It should have something to say beyond the sensational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/i-do-believe-architecture-and-all-art-should-be-content-driven-it/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [There are a lot of questions about whether architecture is art. The people who ask that think pretty tract houses are architecture. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/there-are-a-lot-of-questions-about-whether-architecture-is-art-the/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) > [If architecture had nothing to do with art, it would be astonishingly easy to build houses, but the architect's task - his most difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-jacobsen/if-architecture-had-nothing-to-do-with-art-it-would-be-astonishingly/) [Arne Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-jacobsen/) > [Architecture is the art of how to waste space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/architecture-is-the-art-of-how-to-waste-space/) [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) ## More by Santiago Calatrava > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [The architect is very interesting because the architect is the commander, meaning the one who commands all the workers. The architect is also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-architect-is-very-interesting-because-the-architect-is-the/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I remember, many years ago, coming over the Brooklyn Bridge in the night and seeing the skyline of Manhattan, with the Twin Towers. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/i-remember-many-years-ago-coming-over-the-brooklyn-bridge-in-the/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I've never been interested in pure movement or pure stability, but in the unstable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/i-ve-never-been-interested-in-pure-movement-or-pure-stability-but-in/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [The concept of an "architect" is one of the oldest professions in the world. Whereas, some professions, such as a "lawyer", have their roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-concept-of-an-architect-is-one-of-the-oldest-professions-in-the/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [There is a change in the view about how condominiums are designed. People used to make prototype apartments and reproduce these boxes hundreds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/there-is-a-change-in-the-view-about-how-condominiums-are-designed/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [Bridges represent archetypal problems. They are artifacts that bring you across or around an obstacle. So they have an unbelievable force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/bridges-represent-archetypal-problems-they-are-artifacts-that-bring/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [There was a wish to get something exceptional, ... I also wanted to deliver something technically unique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/there-was-a-wish-to-get-something-exceptional-i-also-wanted-to/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I always considered the role of teaching to be very noble and relevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/i-always-considered-the-role-of-teaching-to-be-very-noble-and-relevant/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [When I work on sculpture, I don't have to worry about function. When I work on a piece of architecture, I must think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/when-i-work-on-sculpture-i-don-t-have-to-worry-about-function-when-i/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [The Taj Mahal is a monument to love in all cultures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-taj-mahal-is-a-monument-to-love-in-all-cultures/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [Many of the architects I admire have given the best of themselves as they mature. I'm hoping to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/many-of-the-architects-i-admire-have-given-the-best-of-themselves-as/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I love the construction process and it is always important because we try to experiment and do something new, so the builders are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/i-love-the-construction-process-and-it-is-always-important-because-we/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [You start a project as a young person and then at the end you are another person. You are ready to go for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/you-start-a-project-as-a-young-person-and-then-at-the-end-you-are/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [Being an architect is like playing piano, you learn to play to admire how well the other guys play piano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/being-an-architect-is-like-playing-piano-you-learn-to-play-to-admire/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) [Explore all 123 Santiago Calatrava quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) ## More Architecture quotes > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [The Parthenon is really only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-parthenon-is-really-only-a-farmyard-over-which-someone-put-a-roof/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/) [Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [Engineering, medicine, business, architecture and painting are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent - not with how things are but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/engineering-medicine-business-architecture-and-painting-are-concerned/) [Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/) [Browse all 3,013 Architecture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Architecture is one of the art forms best able to improve and revitalise cities both artistically and functionally.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Santiago Calatrava" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-best-able-to-improve-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Architecture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-best-able-to-improve-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/santiago-calatrava-3749_architecture_architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-bes_3209277.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/santiago-calatrava-3749_architecture_architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-bes_3209277.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/santiago-calatrava-3749_architecture_architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-bes_3209277.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Architecture is one of the art forms best able to improve and revitalise cities both artistically and…” — Santiago Calatrava", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Santiago Calatrava", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Architecture is one of the art...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-best-able-to-improve-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/architecture-is-one-of-the-art-forms-best-able-to-improve-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```