Architecture is unquestionably one of the arts, and certainly not a lesser one, but dealing with it purely as an art would be very incomplete. For, more than other arts, it depends heavily on technology as concerns materials used, construction techniques, and new technological possibilities in other fields. There is also a commercial aspect, as cost matters in many - if not quite all - cases. Meanwhile, broader trends in society and politics impinge on just what will be built, while aesthetic currents and even fads determine what style will be adopted…