Abstract :
The paper first examined what architecture is and how architects are trained in chronological order from antiquity to the present. Adopting logical argumentation from first principles, the paper traced the origins of theories in architecture through the written works of Vitruvius Polio to medieval period of the master masons and the renaissance period of plato s academy of art; the architect as master builder , trained practically on site with traditional materials (such as stone, bricks, timber) for construction, combining generalized skills as an artist, scientist, engineer, town planner,jurist, etc. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, with the discovery of wrought iron and reinforced concrete, engineering separated from architecture as a distinct scientific discipline, the paper affirmed. The training of the architect took a formal school (off construction site) system with the establishment of ecole de beaux-art in France and later the Bauhaus of Germany in the twentieth century. However, the impact of twenty-first century digital technology revolution in the construction industry is not only changing the education and practice of architecture but also the way building projects are procured. The paper finally concludes that the elitist nature of contemporary practice of architecture contributes to its misconception. The paper recommends diversification of practice of the profession through inter-disciplinary approach to design within the urban context and advocacy projects as awareness campaign strategy to touch on the lives of ordinary people who normally constitute overwhelming majority in most developing economies of the world.
Keywords :
architect , artist , building , engineer , shelter
