Architecture: Grammar, Vocabulary, and Meaning

Like any art form, architecture has specialized grammar and vocabulary that have helped define the subject and which have evolved across time and styles. Terms like axis, structure, plan, elevation, perspective, and procession pertain as much to the pyramids as they do to the most modern skyscrapers. This class will help give attendees an overview of the parts and pieces of architecture that can be identified, considered and then articulated to others so that the subject can be discussed in a meaningful and coherent way. Because the local community is such a treasure trove of architectural masterpieces, we will often use examples from Newport to discuss the concepts, but we will also go wider afield to see other examples of how the various ideas of architectural grammar and vocabulary apply equally to buildings around the world and across history. This class will serve as an excellent introduction to anyone interested in looking at, thoughtfully considering, or talking about Architecture, not only here in Newport but also as we travel around the world. 

Ross Cann, RA, AIA, LEEP AP, is an architect, author, teacher and architectural historian who earned degrees in Architecture and Architectural History from Yale, Cambridge, and Columbia Universities. He studied with Vincent Scully and Maya Lin at Yale, served as teaching assistant to noted architectural historians Kenneth Frampton and Robert A.M. Stern (among others) at Columbia, and has taught in the Circle of Scholars program at Salve for more than a decade. He has been a licensed architect for over 30 years, completing hundreds of projects around the country and is the founding principal at A4 Architecture, headquartered in Newport, Rhode Island.