In the first century BC, a Roman architect and engineer named Vitruvius came up with three simple principles of architecture: firmitas, utility and venustas.
In the 17th century, English diplomat Sir Henry Wotton translated these precepts as “firmness, commodity and delight”.
Today, we take them to describe the qualities of durability, utility and beauty in design.
“It’s the idea that [an object] should be well made, well built; it should be easy to use and ergonomic, but it should also bring joy,” Kevin McCloud, the host of Grand Designs, tells ABC RN’s Blueprint for Living.
Architects and designers still refer to Vitruvius’s principles 2,000 years after his death.
“Every designer and maker is hoping that the chair they design, the spoon they design will be more comfortable, better built and more delightful and bring more joy over time than anything gone before,” McCloud says.
“It’s that desire to remake and reinterpret and to push for an increasingly more perfect solution — [but] of course, it never is perfect.”
Timelessness, elegance and sustainability
After 25 years of hosting Grand Designs, McCloud has learned a thing or two about what constitutes good design.
He believes we all have the ability to intuitively recognize good quality design and construction when we see it — whether it’s “a spoon or a city”.
As the enduring relevance of Vitruvius’s principles shows, good design is inherently timeless.
“It can’t simply represent a trend or a fashion,” McCloud says.
It should also have a characteristic he describes as “elegance”. He says: “It should be a resolution to a problem.”
“The problem can be really complex, such as how you organize social housing to be more equitable, or it can be a very simple problem [such as] how do you get a spoon to a mouth without spilling fluid.”
And McCloud has another objective of good design to add to Vitruvius’s list: sustainability.
“It’s about managing resources for this generation [for the] future generations to come,” he says.
A pragmatic science
Architecturally designed homes might appear glamorous, but McCloud says architecture is a “pragmatic” science grounded in the details of everyday life for those who live within those buildings.
“Do you cook? What’s your attitude about laundry? Do you just leave it to pile up, or do you do it every day? Do you clear up your dishes after a meal, or do you leave them in the kitchen until the next morning ?
“All of these very mundane questions that architects ask of their clients lead to solutions which are very tailored.”
The result is a dwelling that is inviting, calming and easy to use.
“So many people who work hard with their architects on solving these very pragmatic questions — not about the choice of cushions or color of wallpaper — end up never wanting to leave their home because their home is so tailored to their personalities and their quirks and whims .”
McCloud is less enamored of the shift towards minimalism in interior design fueled in part by social media.
“‘I’m going to reduce everything I own to the absolute minimum while ensuring that my house is expanded to the largest possible size’ — there’s a contradiction there,” he says.
“For me, the homes that are the most magical are those which are … populated with books and records and stuff.”
However, things might change.
McCloud recalls a recent conversation with Anthony Burke, an architecture professor and co-host of ABC TV’s Grand Designs Transformations.
Burke argued that architecture is on the cusp of a new era, one where glass, white walls and polished concrete no longer dominate.
“It’s much more about humane buildings that are full of joy and fun which communicate to the street and … have a genius and a depth about them — and I think he’s right,” McCloud says.
“It’s a beautiful thing to witness because you end up with buildings that aren’t simply statements about reduction; they’re more about statements of joy.”
Finding joy in the details
That joy can emerge from the smallest details.
Twenty years ago, McCloud met a couple who designed their house based on what they’d discovered after discussing what made them happy.
Inspired, he came up with his own architectural wish list for his home in England near the Welsh border, which he’s finally getting around to executing.
“One … is a little stop that I can sit [on] when it rains and still enjoy the garden with a cup of tea, and the other is a shower outdoors where I can shower all year round,” he reveals.
“These are tiny things really — they’re not what you’d call architectural moments — but they are highly personal.”
It’s details like these that McCloud most appreciates in the homes he visits, even if they aren’t always to his taste.
“The most interesting homes are always those that are autobiographical,” he says.
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