The importance of architecture in the society cannot be over emphasized.

Architecture

has proven to be an indispensable discipline in every works of life. For centuries, architecture

has played a major role in organizing the environment and solving societal problems, simply put

Architecture is the art and science of designing and supervising the construction of buildings,

cities, landscapes and built environment. This piece x-rays the usefulness of Architecture in our

society. Below are some of the usefulness of Architecture.

Architecture improves the aesthetic value of a built environment: Architecture enhances

the beauty of an environment even made easier with the invention of new styles of structures that

have emerged over the years. Different styles of structures were built for different purposes.

There have been different trends ranging from traditional architecture to the modern style of

architecture (Pruncal-Ogunsite 1993) which were all designed for various purposes including

beautification of the environment. An example of traditional style of architecture in Nigeria

could be found in northern parts of the country where buildings were covered with several domes

and were with small openings on the external walls. An example of modern style of architecture

in Nigeria can be found in Civil Engineering complex, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife,

Nigeria. These two styles of buildings enhance the beauty of their environments. Other buildings

in the other parts of the world that also have aesthetic value include; The Zaha hadid dancing

tower in Dubai, the Dancing House in Czech Republic, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai U.A.E., and the

Sydney Opera house in Australia.

Architecture connects us to the past and helps us to plan for the future: Architecture gives

us more understanding about how architecture will look like in the nearest future. When ancient

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architecture pieces are discovered, research is made on them to teach us how to provide better

modifications on how to plan for the future. An example is the Roman Arch which was designed

many centuries ago to support huge amount of weight and were used in massive structures such

as aqueducts which provided water to cities. The Roman Arch freed architects to explore into

building larger structures which are now adopted in buildings in the world right now including

the Taj Mahal in India and the U.S Capitol building in Washington.

Architecture solves societal problems: Architecture plays a major role in solving societal

and environmental problems.

Air pollution; Over the years, the record levels of air pollution has been rising and thereby

exposing human race to innumerable list of health hazards. The American Institute of Architects

(AIA) met and they came to an agreement to repeal a law that set targets for cutting fossil fuel

use in new buildings by 2030. A decorative architectural tile (Prosolve 370e ) was developed to

reduce air pollution in cities. An example of where this was used can be found in Torre de

Especialidades in Mexico city.

Natural disasters; Architects have discovered a way to design earthquake and other natural

disasters resistant structures to withstand the largest earthquake of a certain probability that is

likely to occur in a particular location often by making them excessively stiff and strong. This

ranges from sizing the structure appropriately to be strong and equipping it with a base isolation

or structural vibration control technology to maximize forces and deformations. Examples of

such application are the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels and Aeropils museum.

Architecture contributes largely to the economy of most countries in the world. It is a

leading industry in most countries of the world and it helps the countries to develop

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economically in many ways. U.A.E and France are examples of countries that take architecture

as a stimulus for economic growth. Great Architectural pieces can serve as a centre of attraction

to tourist from all over the world and thereby bringing in considerable volume of foreign

exchange into a country. (Olanusi et al 2015). Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort in Cross River

State, Nigeria has the potential to generate 100 billion naira (US$ 666 million) annually. (Ndem

2010). This was made possible as a result of the wonderful architecture of Tinapa,Calabar.

Architecture is a motivation in the economic development of a country. Architecture is concerned

with design and production of buildings either existing or new.(Amole 2004) and this role makes

it a leading industry in the economy of any country.

Furthermore, architecture is associated with all human activities and it is unavoidable in

the sense that it provides accommodation for all human activities, be it residential, commercial,

recreational, industrial and economic. Architecture allows all other disciplines or forms of

practice to take place.

From the above points, there is no doubt that architecture matters in all areas of life and

it is one discipline that is indispensable to the human society. In fact One can confidently say that

Architecture adds value to life.

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REFERENCES

Amole B. (2004) Research in Architecture: An Overview. In Amole, B (ed): Architectural

research, An introduction.A Monograph of the Association of Architectural Educators in Nigeria

(AARCHES) No.1

Bodga Pruncal-Ogunsite (1993) Classification of Nigerian Architecture. Association of

Architectural Educators in Nigeria (AARCHES)

Collins English Dictionary (1979)

James Batola (2013). Can Architects Solve Pollution Problem?

Kiarash Khodabakshi (2016) Earthquake Proof Structures.

Ndem B. (2010) Trades Investment in Nigeria.

Olanusi J.A., Akingbolugbe D.O and Muhammed Adamu (2015) Architecture as Stimulus for

Growth and Economic Development in Nigeria. Global Journal of Science Frontier Research.

Houghton Mifflin (2009) The Influence of the Roman Arch.