Send us Fan Mail The Timeless Principles of "Venustas, Firmitas, and Utilitas" (Vitruvius, 1st century BC) is one way to analyse any product, may it be craft or architecture, in terms of the quality and how good that design is. In the history of architectural theory, few ideas have proven as enduring as the Roman principles articulated by Vitruvius: Venustas (beauty or delight), Firmitas (firmness or structural strength), and Utilitas (utility or function, sometimes called commodity). These c...