Architecture, like so many other professions, takes a lot of skill and know-how. Designing structures and overseeing that they’re built in line with the architect’s original vision takes a lot of expertise, expertise which has allowed some of the world’s most beautiful structures to come into being. People from around the globe to visit them, wander around them and admire the skill and vision of the architect behind them.

Of course, the beauty of these structures has led some artists and architects to consider architecture itself a form of art. Others don’t agree with the notion, so the question of whether it is or not is something of a controversial one in some circles of the community. Below is a look at why some artists and architects deem the profession to be a form or art and others don’t, plus a look at some of the most architecturally magnificent structures to have been built.

Architecture is considered art by some
An architect isn’t a specialist just encouraging construction workers to put bricks and other materials to shape a building. There’s much more to architecture than that. Indeed, architecture features a creative element, only the architect is creating a building or other structure and not a painting, sculpture or other more regular, more conventional form of art. Buildings and other structures take up physical space, which is why some are against thinking of them as art.

The way the structure is created
One of the other things that makes architecture so different is that it’s not just about the visual impact of the building. It’s also about how the architect created the building and the reasons the building was put together in a certain way. The observer is thinking about the building as more than just a finished product.

The architect’s intention to create beauty
Some would hold architecture to be a form of applied art or fine art because structures such as buildings serve more than just a purpose of providing shelter. Through their design, the structures are infused with beauty and meaning, and the architect wants observers to feel something when they look at them. It could be awe. It could be peace. It could be joy. Either way, they want to inspire good feelings. No one likes looking at an ugly building, and no architect would design an intentionally ugly structure unless the purpose of the building itself is to repel someone or something.

Some architects themselves feel that architecture is about personal vision and have been on the receiving end of attacks that their work is more about their vision than about serving as a public utility. However, these architects feel architecture (just like art) is a form of basic self-expression and that, because of this, they should be able to express themselves freely in their work.

Why some think architecture isn’t art
On the opposite side of the debate, some people dismiss the idea that architecture is fine art, claiming that architecture serves a valuable purpose. One of the issues with this argument, however, is that not all structures are architecturally designed, which means bringing in architect is a decision to choose aesthetics over function.

Some feel that those who view architecture as art are merely confusing the two. They try to remind these people that architecture is more about the form of the building than about the content. For them, this places architecture firmly in the “not art” category.

Then there are others who try to dismiss the claim of architects that the new forms they’re producing contribution to the progression of society. They believe architects are quick to make the claim but don’t explain how their work does this. There is even criticism of some architects for designing evermore exotic geometries that, instead of trying to advance society, display the architect’s own personal interests. To this, people who do see architecture as art argue this is precisely what makes an architect’s work art.

Fine examples of architecture that are more than just architecture to some
There are some buildings that are so outstandingly beautiful that, to some, they’re works of art more than they are a piece of architecture. Below is a look at some of the world’s finest buildings and other feats of architecture:

Spielbank Hohensyburg
The city of Dortmund, in Germany, isn’t just home to a major football club. Dortmund also boasts one of the largest casinos in the country, if not the largest. Glimpse the welcoming lighting from the outside, step inside and you’ll marvel at the glamour of the casino, which has 22 tables for cash games and more than 360 slots. The shows that are held at the club, not to mention the nightclub at the venue, make it one of the most happening entertainment places in the area.

Of course, you don’t have to go all the way to Dortmund or anywhere else if you’re in Germany and fancy a spot of casino gaming. You can just jump online and visit an internet casino.

Taj Mahal
Even UNESCO World Heritage refers to the Taj Mahal as art on the organization’s website. This impressive-looking mausoleum was built between 1631 and 1648 in Agra, India.

It’s viewed as the greatest achievement in the whole of Indo-Islamic architecture. The combination of solids and voids, convex, concave and light shadow increases the beauty of the building even more. Then there’s a glorious color combination of the lush green, the reddish pathway and, above the building, the blue sky, and this enables people to see it in different tones and moods. The relief work in marble and inlay with precious and semi-precious stones set the Taj Mahal apart from many other landmarks.

La Pedrera
La Pedrera, in Barcelona, is the most famous of Antoni Gaudi’s civic architectural creations. The building consists of two apartment blocks, each possessing its own entrance, and these are structured around two large, interconnected courtyards that have ramps down the side for the vehicles.

The building is ornamental and decorative and showcases an approach that broke with the architectural styles of Gaudi’s day. The façade, rather than serve as a traditional load-bearing wall, is a curtain wall and consists of more than 6,000 blocks of stone that are connected to the structure by metal elements and make the large windows of La Pedrera possible.

Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, in London, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the whole of the UK. It has been a coronation church since 1066 and is the venue for royal weddings and a burial place for royals.

The building as it is dates from the reign of Henry III, who was said to be a loyal devotee to St Edward the Confessor. This loyalty inspired him to build a new, even greater church in the latest Gothic style. The king also wanted to create a shrine to the saint and be buried near to him.

Although the design observes the more continental style of geometrical proportion, the church boasts distinctly English features such as single aisles instead of double ones and a long nave with wide transepts that project, plus the typically Gothic ones of pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, rose windows and flying buttresses.

Whether architecture is art is a question that’s fiercely debated in art circles, but what no one can deny is just how beautiful some of the structures architects create are. What do you think, though? Is architecture art to you?