I think the best architecture comes from a synthesis of all the elements that separately comprise a building: the structure that holds it up; the services that allow it to function; its ecology; the quality of natural light; the symbolism of the form; the relationship of the building to the skyline or the streetscape; and, perhaps most importantly, the client's vision and the user's needs.
The purpose of abstraction is not to be vague, but to create a new semantic level in which one can be absolutely precise.
富贵不能使我的思想迷乱,贫贱不能使我改变志向,威武不能使我节操屈服,这样的人才称得上大丈夫。