Hi, I’m Doug Patt and this is 50 ways to design like an architect, short videos with tips about how the architect does their job. This is part one, symmetry. Symmetry in Architecture means that corresponding parts exist on opposite sides of an axis. Symmetry has been used for thousands of years as an integral part of design and has become the tell tale sign that something has been thoughtfully considered from the pyramids in Egypt to the many soaring cathedrals of the world, from the Taj Mahal to the works of the Renaissance, from the temples of Asia to ancient Greece and Rome as well as many of the cities of the world today. It follows then that we find symmetry in the works of the great modern architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van de Roh, Louis Kahn, Philip Johnson, Aero Saarinen or more recently—symmetry is an integral part of creating something of beauty and the inspiration. Interestingly, while many things in nature appear symmetrical, it’s well known that upon closer look, the human form for example, is simply not perfectly symmetrical. It follows then that perhaps this is why the idea of symmetry remains such an important pursuit in the creation of beautiful objects. We’ll see you next time.