In the most fundamental sense, it can be said that architecture emerged due to the basic human need for shelter. The construction of the primitive hut was realized long before the conceptual Primitive Hut was described by Marc-Antonie Laugier and drawn by Charles Eisen in 1755. Laugier theorized that man wants nothing but shade from the sun and shelter from storms- the basic requirements of a human for protection from the elements. The pieces of wood that are raised perpendicularly give us the idea of columns, the horizontal pieces laid across them give us the idea of entablatures, and the branches that form a sloping incline are covered with leaves and give us the first roof. Although humans have been inhabiting the earth for millions of years, why was it only 265 years ago that Laugier’s theory was penned and made into an architectural cannon?
Architecture, as we define it in the present day, has become less about a means for survival, and is more of a way of creating and representing cultural values all over the world. The way we think about the role of architecture in society and the physical design of architecture itself inherently evolve in parallel with the changes of human nature throughout time. What happens in between the ideation and the realization is the representation of architecture through drawing- tools for exploration, communication, and expression. But the technically precise construction documents and the flashy renders that we are so accustomed to producing in our day to day profession are a far cry from the original expression of architecture in the form of monochromatic hand sketches and loosely defined drawings that were so commonplace in its early days.
