you know, one would think so. but any other ideas/criteria I think of end up fitting into one or more of those three categories. Vitruvius is still the man.

illness.

if you mean to design around a client/user's illness, that's commodity.
if you mean to design a certain way because you as the designer have a mental illness, that's delight, albeit for only you.

i would say adaptability. with vitruvius, even well past palladio, i see architecture as being very adaptable to the needs of the inhabitant. because a person's possessions were arguably less specialized than they are today, palladian villas did not address the need for a kitchen with adjacent pantry or laundry room. now, in most cases, our way of life ( technology, appliances, storage ) require more specialized spaces. mentally compare a palladian villa to the robie house. we must think ahead to how a space might be used and how future technologies might be integrated.

no. i mean architecture should be ill.
word.

vitruvius was just trying to impress augustus by validating the values of roman imperialism.

opinion: the reason vitruvius still seems to be common sense is due to the ongoing potency of those imperial values.

I belive the lost fourth component of the Vitruvian Quadrad was Photogenics. Seems as important now as it was in Antiquity.

Yes, but isn't there a better word than "firmness"?

firmness = structurally sound

where would environment-conscious fit in?

depends on your views on environmentalism. If you are a life member of greenpeace i should think that it comes under 'delight'

sparky, you could always check out the seven lamps if you want more catagories: Sacrifice, Truth, Power, Beauty, Life, Memory, and Obedience. These are more about how an architect should behave. Basicly because Ruskin was looney who believed everything should be gothic.

I still prefer the good old tryptic myself.

I interpret firmness as physical existence. Structurally sound is a bonus though.

you can't have existence without structural balance though. Without structure you can't guarantee the architecture will stand, hence, exist.

environmentalism, more than a delight, is a necessity these days...

you know, I like that word.. delight..
its like comfortable beauty.. natural beauty..
not like techy-freaky stuff people build today..

comodity.. something that is common, easy to use.. able to be used over and over again..

firmness.. feeling of security to the inhabitant..

amazing.. vitruvius lived over 2k years ago...

the translations don't do the phrase justice (as with all translations )

"utilitas, venustas, firmitas"

isn't it so nicely encompassing. it's like phrase "pursuit of happiness" from the DoI. so simple. so well crafted. yet sublimely complex.

i wish i could do design as elegantly as those phrases.

firmness-usually
commodity-sometimes
delight-very seldom

photogenics - always

All those are better than any ...ism.

Agfa do you mean ill as in cool, sick, phat, etc.?

If so that's delight...

A center for ants (nice moniker) is right. An apt essence of any sort of artistic endeavor so simply crafted rushes past - always - any style or impulse.

Hey I like the sound of photogenics - but how did such a term arise when there was no ´photo´?

isn't photogenics under delight? since aesthetics are under delight, and photogenics are under aesthetics..........I still can't fit environmentalism in the sentence though......

environmentalism (to me) fits under commodity- the ability to accomodate something/someone- it's just expanding who/what you're trying to accomodate.

calories
fat grams
carbohydrates

firmness commodity delight what i look for in a ladee

It seems to me that there is no extra or 4th category to add. His choice of words was so encompasing that there aren't any other. I can think of some... like Value... but that falls under delight. But I think, may be, that value is almost the total conglomeration of the categories, but on an individual level.

and... strangely enough, I do agree with vado retro... It's amazing how much, these categories can be aplied to many of the choices, items, things in life that are good.

p.s. keep kickin' ass!

i think value would go with comodity..

I just remembered that Vitruvius advised architects/town planners to have medical knowledge to deal with hygienic issues (town orientation, wind, sunlight, and water quality)...........I guess these can be seen as environmental issues...........

Mr. V.............hats off to you!

V also advised not to build on swamps... US screwed that up when we built our capital city.

The problem with Modernism according to Venturi, bad math.

firmness + commodity = delight

The problem with Modernism according to Venturi, bad math.

firmness + commodity = delight

no kidding, that is bad math..

everybody knows that:

ln(delight) = (det[firmness, commodity])^(-1/pi)

and

d/d(commodity) (ln(delight)) = golden ratio




sorry... slow day at work.