---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Architecture’s most kissable aspect is…"
description: "\"“Architecture’s most kissable aspect is its surface. Space is hard to get a hold on. Structure has historically been inadequately pliant. Geometry—well..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/sylvia-lavin-101746_architecture_architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-i_1187041.jpg"
---

#  Architecture’s most kissable aspect is its surface. Space…

![“Architecture’s most kissable aspect is its surface. Space is hard to get a hold on. Structure has historically been inadequately pliant. Geometry—well, who really wants to kiss a square? Architecture also has more surface and more kinds of surface than anything else: outside, inside, soft and…” quote by Sylvia Lavin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/sylvia-lavin-101746_architecture_architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-i_1187041.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/sylvia-lavin-101746_architecture_architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-i_1187041.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/sylvia-lavin-101746_architecture_architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-i_1187041.jpg)

> ““Architecture’s most kissable aspect is its surface. Space is hard to get a hold on. Structure has historically been inadequately pliant. Geometry—well, who really wants to kiss a square? Architecture also has more surface and more kinds of surface than anything else: outside, inside, soft and hard, there’s a surface for everyone. Finally, surfaces are where architecture gets close to turning into something else and therefore exactly where it becomes vulnerable and full of potential.””

[Sylvia Lavin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-lavin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Architecture's surfaces are its most expressive and vulnerable parts, inviting transformation.

**In simple terms:** Surfaces define architecture’s potential and fragility.

Key Takeaway

Explore and design expressive surfaces.

Themes

architecture design surface potential vulnerability

Mood

analytical inspired

Type

explanatory commentary

When to use this quote

- building facades
- interior finishes
- public installations
- material experiments

Key Concepts

aesthetic materiality spatial experience

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes a surface compelling?
- How do surfaces affect user experience?

A Different Perspective

Surface focus may overlook structural function.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Architecture Kissable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture-kissable-3505504/) [Architecture Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture-surface-3505502/) [Geometry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geometry/) [Kissable Aspect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissable-aspect-3505506/) [Potential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potential/) [Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface/) [Surface Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface-space-3505505/) [Surfaces Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surfaces-architecture-3505503/)

## Related quotes

> [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/)

[Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/)

> [The geometry reveals five development direction for applications (each with endless possibilities); dividing, dwelling, trestle, fenestration and artistic installation. I find these enabled designs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dror-benshetrit/the-geometry-reveals-five-development-direction-for-applications-each/)

[Dror Benshetrit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dror-benshetrit/)

> [While fractal geometry is often used in high-tech science, its patterns are surprisingly common in traditional African designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-eglash/while-fractal-geometry-is-often-used-in-high-tech-science-its/)

[Ron Eglash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-eglash/)

> [In order to give meaning to the world, one has to feel oneself involved in what he frames. This attitude requires concentration, a discipline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/in-order-to-give-meaning-to-the-world-one-has-to-feel-oneself/)

[Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/)

> [I have an infamously low capacity for visualizing relationships, which made the study of geometry and all subjects derived from it impossible for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-have-an-infamously-low-capacity-for-visualizing-relationships-which/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“A circle has no end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-circle-has-no-end/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [Let no-one ignorant of geometry enter. Said to have been inscribed above the door of Plato's Academy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/let-no-one-ignorant-of-geometry-enter-said-to-have-been-inscribed/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“This relationship, often called the Golden mean, has been discovered and rediscovered at various times in history as a unique proportion believed to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pile/this-relationship-often-called-the-golden-mean-has-been-discovered/)

[John Pile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pile/)

> [Cryptography has generated number theory, algebraic geometry over finite fields, algebra, combinatorics and computers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-arnold/cryptography-has-generated-number-theory-algebraic-geometry-over/)

[Vladimir Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-arnold/)

> [No one fully understands spinors. Their algebra is formally understood but their general significance is mysterious. In some sense they describe the 'square root'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atiyah/no-one-fully-understands-spinors-their-algebra-is-formally-understood/)

[Michael Atiyah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atiyah/)

> [Geometry is the most complete science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/geometry-is-the-most-complete-science/)

[David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/)

> [Regular geometry, the geometry of Euclid, is concerned with shapes which are smooth, except perhaps for corners and lines, special lines which are singularities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/regular-geometry-the-geometry-of-euclid-is-concerned-with-shapes/)

[Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/)

> [Geometry existed before creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/geometry-existed-before-creation/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [. . . by natural selection our mind has adapted itself to the conditions of the external world. It has adopted the geometry most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/by-natural-selection-our-mind-has-adapted-itself-to-the-conditions-of/)

[Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/)

> [The analytical geometry of Descartes and the calculus of Newton and Leibniz have expanded into the marvelous mathematical method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-murray-butler/the-analytical-geometry-of-descartes-and-the-calculus-of-newton-and/)

[Nicholas Murray Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-murray-butler/)

## More by Sylvia Lavin

> [“Long since, the standard way of understanding surface has been as an abstract and undifferentiated plane that functions above all to veil or delimit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-lavin/long-since-the-standard-way-of-understanding-surface-has-been-as-an/)

[Sylvia Lavin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-lavin/)

[Explore all 2 Sylvia Lavin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-lavin/)

## 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’s most kissable aspect is its surface. Space is hard to get a hold on. Structure has historically been inadequately pliant. Geometry—well, who really wants to kiss a square? Architecture also has more surface and more kinds of surface than anything else: outside, inside, soft and hard, there’s a surface for everyone. Finally, surfaces are where architecture gets close to turning into something else and therefore exactly where it becomes vulnerable and full of potential.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sylvia Lavin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-lavin/architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-its-surface-space-is-hard-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Architecture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-lavin/architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-its-surface-space-is-hard-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/sylvia-lavin-101746_architecture_architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-i_1187041.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/sylvia-lavin-101746_architecture_architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-i_1187041.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/240/sylvia-lavin-101746_architecture_architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-i_1187041.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Architecture’s most kissable aspect is its surface. Space is hard to get a hold on. Structure has…” — Sylvia Lavin",
                "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": "Sylvia Lavin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-lavin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Architecture’s most kissable aspect is its...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-lavin/architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-its-surface-space-is-hard-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-lavin/architecture-s-most-kissable-aspect-is-its-surface-space-is-hard-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
