The work opens with an expansive dedication to Imperator Caesar, outlining the vast scope of architecture and arguing that the true architect must be broadly educated in geometry, history, philosophy, medicine, and astronomy. Vitruvius defines the fundamental principles of the discipline, emphasizing order, arrangement, eurythmy, symmetry, propriety, and economy. He details the ideal selection of healthy sites for fortified cities, the construction of walls and towers, and the precise orientation of streets to avoid harmful winds.
Transitioning to practical materials, the author examines the properties of bricks, sand, lime, pozzolana, stone, and timber. He provides rigorous instructions on the proper seasons for felling trees, the slaking of lime, and the creation of durable masonry. The treatise then classifies the structural styles of temples, detailing the rules of intercolumniation and proportion, such as the pycnostyle, systyle, diastyle, araeostyle, and eustyle arrangements. Special attention is given to the distinct orders—Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—along with the mythological origins of their ornamental details.
Moving beyond sacred structures, the text addresses the design of public works, including fora, basilicas, treasuries, prisons, and senate houses. A detailed examination of acoustics in theatres follows, incorporating mathematical harmonics and the placement of bronze sounding vessels to amplify the human voice. Vitruvius then outlines the construction of baths, palaestrae, harbours, and breakwaters, emphasizing both structural integrity and public health.
In the later books, the focus shifts to private architecture, examining how climates dictate home design, the symmetrical proportions of atriums and peristyles, and the appropriate exposures for rooms. The treatise concludes with technical guidance on polished finishings, floors, vaultings, and the proper rendering of stucco work. Throughout, the author maintains that architectural excellence requires the harmonious integration of scientific theory and hands-on practice, ensuring works endure for posterity.
