Beauty for Truth's Sake: On the Re-enchantment of Education

by Stratford Caldecott

The practical implications were summarized in 1989 by HRH Prince Charles in a book called A Vision of Britain.19 His ten perennial principles for good architecture and town planning based on the concept of service and a sensitivity to the human meaning of buildings were as follows: Place. By this he meant be sensitive to location and setting. One place is not the same as another. “Don’t rape the landscape.” Hierarchy. The composition of a building should lead the eye to its most important elements. “If a building can’t express itself, how can we understand it?” Scale. “Buildings must relate first of all to human proportions and then respect the scale of the buildings around them.” Harmony. “Sing with the choir and not against it.” Enclosure. “A community spirit is born far more easily in a well-formed square or courtyard than in a random sampling of developers’ plots.” Materials. “Let where it is be what it’s made of.” Decoration. “We need to reinstate architecture as the mistress of the arts and crafts.” Art. “Sculpture and painting play an essential role in conferring on public buildings their unique social and symbolic identity, which architecture alone cannot.” Signs and Lights. “We should bury as many wires as possible and remember that when it comes to lighting and signs the standard solution is never enough.” Community. “Let the people who will have to live with what you build help guide your hand.”