Vitruvius was a celebrated 1st-century Roman architect whose treatise De Architectura (“On Architecture”), written around 27 BCE, is the oldest account of Greek/Roman architectural methods, materials and technology. He named the three essential components of architecture which are:
- utilitas: In Latin, “utility” or “function”
- firmitas: In Latin, “firmness” or “stability”
- venustas: In Latin, “beauty”
Also see Architecture index.