Laugier; Man's First Building, How It Came About And The Systemic Relationships It Embodies.

One of the theories that Laugier put forward was that the general principles of Architecture were established through simple natural intervention; in essence that nature's process dictates its own rules.

The first structure created, he describes, was made by man in his primitive state; without any support, influence nor any guidance. Starkly dissimilar from the reality that is the construction industry today.

With only his instincts to aid him, Man was initially searching for a place to rest. He found a patch of grass pleasing to the eye and he lay enjoying the comfort that this gave him. His stay was cut short; the heat from the Sun gradually became too intense.

In Man's search for shade, he found refuge within a dense forest. However, before he had the chance to admire his finding, nature once again decided against his stance and Man was driven away due to the rain.

At this point, Man came upon a cave. It protected him from the elements; proud, he praised himself for his discovery.

However, Man could not stay here long either as it was dark and there was a strong unpleasant odour. Once again, he was forced to move out and go back to his initial state.

At this point Man was sure to have felt a sense of disappointment; who wouldn`t have wanted to just give up? His instincts though, had an alternate motif. Having experienced the drawbacks of each of the elements he looked for an escape. Man had gathered a number of items from his journey; branches, leaves and the sort. He began by placing four strong branches upright to assemble a square. Another four were then laid on top of these and a further two placed on top which, inclining towards each other, met at their highest point. Man closely packed leaves collected on his earlier scavenge to cover the roof like module. Quite simplistically he had prevented any penetration from the elements...

...according to Laugier, this was the first building made by man; the rustic hut?-?"MAN WAS NOW HOUSED".

Looking back at Laugier's theory, he suggests that everything related to the built environment somehow relates to nature. His belief is that every structure should be formed from those modules that constructed the rustic hut. In his eyes, anything otherwise would be an unnatural occurrence.

The three main modules, according to Laugier, that had to be integrated are the column, the entablature and the pediment.

Laugier saw the first element as being the column, which in the early model, he defines as being the four strong upright branches. He suggests that this is the defining structural element that holds the others in place. He also says that this module had to be strictly perpendicular to get full strength out of the module and to support the load over.

He found that to show the origin of nature at its best the column must not be supported by anything else; in other words it must be free-standing. With the theory of nature taking priority in Laugier's eyes, he expresses that the column must also be round as this is the most natural shape?-?he explains that.

". nothing is made square".

An additional rule to this article is that the column should be tapered from bottom to top as this is something that is regularly found in nature.

The second element is the entablature. Within the rustic hut this comprises of four branches that lay on the uprights. This module supports itself and takes the load of the roof so it can be spread evenly across the columns. As per Laugier, each length should neither have any projections nor any corners. Systematic to nature thus far, Laugier's elemental theory is being supported.

The final element also links directly to nature, in particular the sky. It is known as the pediment; the gable of the roof. A simple rule-set accompanies this; the shape of this module must be triangular on elevation and its place must be over the entablature. Here, I think Laugier directly implies that nature is perfectly balanced; ". virtually flawless with no irregularities".

The rustic hut model is a key example of Laugier's theory; that nature has its own justification. Man's journey was faced with many a challenge however the simple embodiment of the three elements served a systematic purpose; most significantly solving each of Man's trouble -

".Laugier's theory fundamentally set the foundation for all future structures".