70 things from this book went into her brain. Here are the first 6.
Vitruvius held that a builder needs both practice and theory. Practice is skilled hands-on work, and theory is the ability to explain why the work succeeds.
Vitruvius held that honesty and not grasping for perks are what make a professional trustworthy, because no work can be done rightly without integrity.
Vitruvius advised that a well drafted contract protects both client and builder, so disputes get settled before the work starts rather than after it is finished.
Vitruvius held that a professional does not need to master every field, only to know enough of the core principles to judge the work of specialists.
Vitruvius held that good design comes from two things: reflection, meaning careful and laborious thought about the plan, and invention, meaning solving hard problems with fresh ideas.
Vitruvius defined economy as managing materials and site well and balancing cost against common sense, so a builder uses local alternatives rather than chasing what is costly to find.
Vitruvius said every good building must be durable, convenient and beautiful. Durability starts with sound foundations, and convenience means a layout that never gets in the way of use.
Vitruvius tells how Marcus Hostilius, when a town kept suffering, investigated thoroughly before acting, then moved the whole town to a better site.
In Vitruvius, Alexander turned down a showy design for a city on Mount Athos because the site could not feed it. A plan has to work in the real world, not just look good on paper.
Vitruvius described how early builders improved their shelters by watching what others made and adding their own new details, so their skill grew step by step.
Vitruvius warned that bricks used before they had properly dried would shrink and pull the finish away from the wall, so rushing materials causes failures that show up later.
Vitruvius advised letting quarried stone lie open to the weather for two years, then using the pieces that weathered badly in the foundations and only the sound ones above ground. Test before you commit.
Vitruvius criticised builders who rushed to finish the visible faces of a wall and packed the middle with loose rubble, because the hidden part is what fails. Do not skimp on the work nobody sees.
Vitruvius argued it is better to spend properly on sound construction than to save time and money with cheap methods that put people at risk later.
Vitruvius complained that good work often goes unnoticed while charm and flattery win praise, so he chose to let his knowledge speak through a written treatise.
Vitruvius praised Hermogenes for dropping inner rows of columns that added nothing, which saved cost and labour without weakening the effect. Cut what is not needed.
Vitruvius noticed that tall parts of a building look as if they lean back, so he tilted them slightly forward to appear upright. Good work is judged from where the viewer stands.
Vitruvius complained that many writers left only scattered fragments on architecture, so he set out to present the whole subject in one ordered plan.
Vitruvius tells how the Corinthian capital came from Callimachus noticing an acanthus growing around a basket on a grave. A good designer looks closely at ordinary things and finds a new idea in them.
Vitruvius held that a building's form must be justified by the truth of its structure. An element copied from a source where it could not exist has no valid reason to be in the copy.
Vitruvius held that the ideal arrangement applies only when nothing stands in the way. When the site forbids it, the principle should bend to suit the place.
Vitruvius noted that timbers laid tight against each other trap moisture and begin to rot. Leaving a small gap for air keeps a structure sound.
Vitruvius wrote briefly for readers with little leisure, explaining hard terms in short plain sentences so they could be remembered. Clear and concise beats sheer volume.
Vitruvius held that what bears the load should be stronger than what sits above it, taking his lesson from trees that are thick at the root and taper toward the top.
Vitruvius showed that dropping ornament saves labour and cost, while carrying columns unbroken to the roof lends a building dignity. Simplifying always trades something away.
Vitruvius held that a rule of proportion should bend where use demands it. When materials run short, a good builder makes sensible adjustments through practical experience, not rigid formula.
Vitruvius held that the same kind of work calls for different standards depending on its purpose. A temple needs dignity, while a public colonnade needs elegance and usefulness.
Theophrastus, quoted by Vitruvius, held that learning goes with a person anywhere, while trust in luck leaves a person unsteady. Learning is the surer support.
Vitruvius concluded that surplus is of no real use and that feeling no want is the true riches. He valued learning above money.
Vitruvius preferred a good reputation to wealth, and held that a professional should wait to be asked for work rather than chase it.
Vitruvius held that a house must be designed for its climate, and that good building can amend by art what nature would otherwise spoil.
Vitruvius observed that a building looks different close up than from a height, and that the eye can mislead, so a designer must judge what the viewer actually sees.
Vitruvius held that a small room cannot simply borrow the proportions of a large one. Scale has to be fitted to size or the room will not be usable.
Vitruvius held that a house should fit its owner's standing and daily use. Rooms open to visitors should be arranged differently from private ones, and people of ordinary means need not build grand entrances.
Vitruvius gave a simple test for daylight. Draw a line from the top of the obstructing wall to the point needing light, and if plenty of open sky shows above it, the room will be bright enough.
Vitruvius describes guest rooms with their own front doors, so visitors need not be shown into the family's rooms. Good design protects privacy while still welcoming people.
Vitruvius held that weight must sit directly over solid support, because a load resting in the middle of a span will sag and wear a building down over time.
Vitruvius advised building so that worn timbers can be replaced without propping up the whole structure. A sound design makes repairs easy.
Vitruvius judged a work under three heads: the craftsman's delicacy, the owner's generosity in spending, and the architect's design of proportion. Each earns its own credit.
Aristophanes, the librarian, exposed plagiarists by checking the recited poems against the original books on the shelves. Careful reading and checking sources is the way to see through a borrowed work.
Vitruvius said he drew on earlier writers as from springs, put no false name on their work, and aimed to go somewhat further. Building honestly on what came before is the honest way to add something new.
Vitruvius noticed that materials move as they dry and settle, so a rigid wall running into a floor will crack it. Leave room for movement rather than locking everything solid.
Vitruvius tested lime by how it clung to a hoe. Lime that sticks like glue was ready, and weak lime showed itself. Check your materials before you rely on them.
Vitruvius compared thin plaster to a thin silver plate: it cracks and fades, while a solid base takes a lasting finish. Put the strength underneath before the polish.
Vitruvius found that layering two sets of reeds at right angles stops a surface from cracking. Crossing the grain of a layer below is a simple way to hold a finish together.
Vitruvius argued that skill alone does not make a picture right. A work that shows what cannot exist should not be praised for its craft, and good work should rest on what is real.
Vitruvius observed that costly colours can hide a lack of craft, so people stop noticing refinement. Do not mistake showy materials for skill.
Vitruvius recorded that a finish which looks right indoors can fade in open sunlight. Test a finish in the conditions it will actually face.
Vitruvius held that a searcher should study the nature of each piece of ground before digging, since different soils hold their resources in different ways. Learn the terrain before you commit to the work.
Vitruvius trusted a long straightedge with plumblines over sighting tools, which he called deceptive. When wind spoils one method, he checked with a second, such as a water groove.
Vitruvius split a city's water into tanks by use, so private taking could not drain the public supply, and asked the users to help pay to keep the system running.
Vitruvius advised lowering a lit lamp into a well before anyone climbs down. If the flame goes out, the air is unsafe, so ventilate first. Test for danger before you enter.
Vitruvius argued that writers whose books sharpen the minds of many deserve honour as much as athletes, whose gains end with themselves.
Vitruvius tells how Archimedes checked a crown's gold by the water it pushed aside. Sometimes a stuck problem gives way to a fresh way of measuring it.
Vitruvius admired Democritus for setting down only the principles he had himself put to the test. Share what you have actually proven, not just what sounds right.
Aristarchus of Samos, as Vitruvius reports him, held that the moon has no light of her own and shines only by reflecting the sun, so her phases follow her position relative to it.
Vitruvius credits Thales, Anaxagoras, Pythagoras and others with working out nature's laws by patient study, with each generation building on the last.
Vitruvius says a sundial has to be laid out for its own place, because the equinox shadow of the same upright pin differs from town to town.
Vitruvius tells how Ctesibius, a barber's son, tinkered with a hidden cord to lift a shop mirror, and that play with a small problem led him to the principles of compressed air.
Vitruvius describes an old law in Ephesus where an architect who names a price for public work must cover any overrun from his own property, and he wishes Rome had the same rule.
