Evolutionary Architecture: 6. Principles for Good Architecture
We’ve seen that the evolution of our species has left us with innate aesthetic preferences — We’re evolved to like certain types of symmetry and ornament, including ornament that involves human and animal representations, foliage, flowers and spirals. We've also seen how architecture evolved through aesthetic selection. This gives us certain principles that, if followed, will result in beautiful architecture.
Principle 1: Maximise symmetry
What we know: Humans are hardwired to love symmetry.
What to do: Make buildings symmetrical from as many viewpoints as possible. Avoid any asymmetries with no structural benefit.
The more viewing positions that reveal symmetry, the more beautiful the building.
Principle 2: Add ornamentation (the right kind)
What we know: Humans need ornament, especially natural forms like:
Leaves and flowers
Human and animal figures
Spirals and curves
Clear borders and frames
What to do: Ensure viewers see ornament from every position.
This means:
Decorate at multiple scales (tiny details up close, bold patterns from afar)
Use natural forms that our brains recognise as safe
Frame decorated areas with clear borders
Never leave large surfaces completely blank
The more positions from which people can see appropriate ornament, the more beautiful the building.
Principle 3: Copy what works
What we know: Architecture evolved toward beauty over centuries through trial and error. Most of the best solutions have already been found.
What to do: Copy successful designs and respect evolved conventions.
This means:
Study beautiful existing buildings
Use proven proportions (like classical column ratios)
Follow established style conventions
Make small variations, not radical departures
Choose beauty over uniqueness
The more beautiful existing architecture is, the less you should try to deviate from it.
Why these rules work
These aren't arbitrary preferences or cultural trends. They're based on:
Human evolution — Our brains evolved to find certain features beautiful
Architectural evolution — Architectural evolution towards beauty is logically inevitable under certain conditions. Centuries of selection refined architectural conventions and designs that modernism discarded
Universal validation — Every culture independently arrived at these same rules, consciously or not. These rules are inevitable when striving for beauty.
Research showing that beauty matters — Architectural beauty matters for mental and physical health, childhood brain development and real estate values. As article 8 will explain, people prefer to live around traditional architectural beauty and are willing to pay for it.
The creativity paradox
"But doesn't this limit creativity?"
Actually, it directs creativity toward creating value. Consider:
Without rules: Architects create random novelties, most of which fail
With rules: Architects innovate within proven frameworks, creating variations that work
The great Art Nouveau architects followed these principles while creating something entirely new. They used symmetry, natural ornament, and proven proportions — but in fresh combinations. The result was a new style that was both innovative and beautiful.
The uniqueness trap
Modern architecture pursues uniqueness above beauty. This is backwards because:
Uniqueness and beauty usually conflict — What hasn't been done often hasn't been done for good reason
The closer existing solutions are to perfection, the less room there is for improvement — You can't improve much on a Greek column after 2,500 years of refinement, for example
Copying beautiful designs creates more beauty — Originality for its own sake has the risk of resulting in ugliness. It’s best to stick to what’s proven to be pretty.
Imagine if every chef refused to use existing recipes and insisted on inventing every dish from scratch. Most meals would be inedible.
What this means for architects
Stop trying to be unique. Aim for beauty instead.
This means:
Study beautiful pre-modern designs
Keep in mind the importance of symmetry, ornamentation and the position of the viewer
Copy and draw inspiration from what looks pretty. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel
Only make small improvements if any
Test with real viewers
Keep what succeeds
Discard what fails
This is how architecture evolved for millennia. It's how beauty emerges naturally.
The bottom line
Beautiful architecture isn't mysterious or subjective. It follows clear rules based on human nature. These rules are:
Universal (true for almost all humans, consideration being due for some natural variation in human preferences)
Permanent
Proven (validated by research, historical data and logic)
Ignore them, and you get modern architecture's failures. Follow them, and you get buildings people love. The choice is that simple.
What’s next
In the next article, we’ll dive more deeply into modern architecture and what sets it apart from traditional architecture.
Click here for the next article of this series.