Vitruvian principles
Roman design ideals
Vitruvian principles are the three qualities the Roman architect Vitruvius held essential to good building: firmitas (structural soundness), utilitas (usefulness), and venustas (beauty).
These remain foundational in architecture and design theory—the idea that successful work must be sturdy, functional, and aesthetically pleasing.
The building satisfied all Vitruvian principles except beauty.
- utilityFunctional worth or purpose
- symmetryInvariance under transformation
- anthropometryScience of body measurements
- ideal proportionsOptimal size relationships
- structural integrityWholeness under load
harmony · golden ratio · sacred geometry · timeless beauty · order · modular design · firmness · aesthetic balance · functional design · Vitruvian Man · proportion · classical motifs · building codes · domes · classical columns · humanism · civic virtue · ancient wisdom
Vitruvian principlesBrutalism
Raw concrete architectural movement
functionalism · International Style · Constructivism · form follows function