Abstract

Architecture has been characterized to be a form of art by different scholars in the design field. Questions as to ‘whether architecture is always, sometimes of never an art form?’, and ‘if architecture is an art form, what makes it distinct from other art forms?’ have arisen. These questions are answered in this paper through metaphysical discussion underpinned by analytic philosophy of architecture. The argument put forward in this study provides a platform from which students of architecture and practicing architects can grasp the knowledge of the fundamental need for architecture to perform as an art and be much more than a mere aesthetic message. Thus, the study reveals architecture to be an art form which is distinct from other art forms because it goes beyond art to reveal itself as design which provides a particular functional requirement that shows responsibility for its existence.