ARCHITECTURE THEORY

Assignment_3a/First Draft
Name: SWARAJ PATIL
Roll Number: 16089

Aim
To study how form and function play an important role in a structure.

Objective
 Areas or masses which define objects in space are known as ‘Form’.
 Function is the use or the purpose of the space for which it is designed in a
structure.
 Form and function are two different things. The form is related to the
structure, the architect of something whereas a function is the product of a
structure which plays any specific role.
 Form and function are associated with a proverb which is ‘form follows
function’ that is associated with modern architecture and industrial design in
the 20th century.
 The shape of a building should be primarily based on its intended function or
purpose.
 Architectural history has design of buildings that were easy to build but were
unfunctional or were elevationally exciting at the cost of function.
 There is a systematic process where the function leads to the form of the
building structure.

Scope
 By designing structures following this principle people get more and more
interested in buildings where they can do a number of different activities.
 Living experience becomes a lot more enhanced when function is given more
importance while designing.

Limitation
 This principle often limits how things, or in what way, structures can be built
as there are a number of new trends in architecture in present day.
 By just paying attention on the form and neglecting the internal functioning,
climate change can affect the way it has been designed.

Abstract

FORM IN A STRUCTURE IS THE OUTER FACE OR IN

ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE ‘THE FAÇADE’ OF THE BUILDING. AS
THE VIEWER LOOKS AT THE BUILDING, THE FIRST IMPRESSION IS
CAUSED BY THE LOOK OR THE FORM OF THE BUILDING. FUNCTION
OF A STRUCTURE IS THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE BUILDING FOR
WHICH IT IS DESIGNED. THE PURPOSE WHICH IS UNDERTAKEN
INSIDE A STRUCTURE OR THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH THE INTERIOR
OF THE BUILDING IS DESIGNED IS KNOWN AS THE FORM OF THE
BUILDING.

AFTER MODERNISM, THE FORM OF THE BUILDING STARTED TO

AFFECT THE FUNCTION OF THE BUILDING. THEREFORE, THE
SAYING ‘FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION’ BECAME POPULAR IN THOSE
TIMES. MANY ARCHITECTS APPLIED THIS PRINCIPLE IN THEIR
DESIGN, BUT SOME OF THEM GAVE MORE IMPORTANCE TO THE FORM
OF THEIR BUILDING AS IT GAVE THE FIRST IMPRESSION. IF THE
FORM IS GIVEN FIRST PRIORITY, THEN THE INTERNAL FUNCTION
MAY COME AT A RISK AND GET COMPROMISED. THERE ARE SOME
BUILDINGS THAT ARE A TREAT TO THE EYES FROM THE OUTSIDE,
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ITS FUNCTIONING, THE SPACES INSIDE
ARE UNINHABITABLE. INSTEAD, THE BUILDINGS SHOULD BE
DESIGNED IN SUCH A WAY THAT WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE SHOULD BE
REFLECTED IN THE OUTER FORM.

HENCE, THE OUTER ORNAMENTATION BECAME LESS ESSENTIAL

AFTER MODERNISM AS THE PEOPLE NEEDED MODERN HOMES
APPROPRIATE TO THEM AN THEIR ACTIVITIES. THIS GAVE MORE
IMPORTANCE TO THE INTERNAL SPACES OF A STRUCTURE THAN THE
FORM. SO, FROM THIS WE CAN CONCLUDE THAT THE OUTER FORM
OF THE BUILDING SHOULD BE REFLECTED FROM THE INNER
FUNCTIONALITY AND HENCE THE SAYING ‘FORM FOLLOWS
FUNCTION’.

The Essay (1000 words)

‘Form follows function’ is noted by the architect Louis Sullivan. It explains that a

building should be designed to suit its purpose. When a house is built, it is most
important to design and assign the spaces according to its functionality so that there is

family interaction and harmony in the house.

It was also argued that the buidings exterior design i.e. the form should reflect the

activities and the functions that take place inside the walls of the building. But it is not

always possible that a building may reflect its internal functions. Many times it

happens that when a building is been designed, the external look is given importance

because of the principles on which the design is based on. But no matter how

appropriate the structure may appear according to its principles, the interior is always

compromised. The environment inside the structure may become uninhabitable due to

various side effects of design. There have also been examples of structures which

were designed to be functional but didn’t function the way it was supposed to

function. Though there may be innumerable debates on whether form follows function

or vice versa, if the form is decided before even giving it a function, the it maybe

difficult later to assign functions to that form. When talking about the function of a

building, it generally relates to its use or utility. In the architectural history there were

designs that were easy to build as the fuction was not thought about while designing

it. Hence, such buildings were unfunctional or the elevations were interesting which

came at the cost of function. “The essence of things is taking shape in the matter of

things” said by Sullivan. For him the essence of the building illustrated the form

which he explained that its taking place in the matter of things that can be called as he

functionality of the structure. In the times of Sullivan, progress and functionalism

were the core principles. The form and function of a building either influenced each

other or went in their separate ways.

Before modernism, function didn’t play an important role as the design was

associated with expensive materials that was the form of the building. Decoration and
styling of the facades of the buildings was the main agenda while designing. So,

functionality did not play an important role before modernism. But after modernism,

modern people needed modern home appropriate to him and his activities and his

time. As the development in architecture took place, this proverb ‘form follows

function’ didn’t seem mandatory in the designing process. There were many other

issues on which the design was dependant, such as culture, landscape and the desire of

the client. It all depends on different factors as if we observe some buildings, they

were built for a specific purpose but are used for a completely different purpose now.

So, such observations can conclude that function can also follow form sometimes.

Form follows function, however, there are also other factors that influence the form of

the building. They provide new vision of the relations between form and function.

The first factor that influences on the form of the building is the culture of the society.

The form of the building may differ on the basis of different grounds and the kind of

people and their ideologies. The form of the building which is mostly the visual

representation of the building can be considered as the skin which houses all the

organs which help it function internally. But what happens internally defines the outer

form i.e. the skin of the structure.  Mankind started architecture for its needs and they

always look for the best ways which can serve their need and answer their

requirements. When it is the case, the relationship between form and function has

been an ongoing topic in architecture circle. Especially, in the architecture period of

Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance nearly all buildings had ornamentation or figurative

decoration. Building’s façades or form was used as a way of expression.With time

function of this ornamentation started to questioning. Then the idea of functionalism

started to spread in the 18th century. The principle of functionalism is designing a

building according to the purpose of building with the other words function of the
building. According to the perspective of functionalism, buildings should design as a

unity of pure, unornamented form which is the combination of rhythmically unified

various patterns. In the progress of time, the relationship of form and function turn

into a contradiction which occupies an important place in architectural history with

the contributions of lots of important architects.

Without having a function, ornamentation was found at buildings. This expensive

expression had served only the individual aesthetic taste. The aim was to demonstrate

the lack of necessity of ornamentation or decoration. Having pure form or creating a

form should only be following its function. Without serving any function, creating a

form or decoration or ornament was only waste of time and money. The functional

and structural requirements of a building should be proportional to the artistic goals of

the design.In brief, the idea of creating the functional design is having a functional

form that serves as its usage and representation of inside life in the design process, not

finding a form of building that follows its function without concerning functional,

structural requirements and only respecting the inner life and order. Thus, this brings

down the fact and as some of the architects call it a law, that ‘form always follows

function’ As of the experience of living in a space that is well planned according to

the suitable activities is more pleasing to the human mind than its outer ornamentation

which is equally important only if it follows and depicts of what functionalism is

consisted in the structure.

Bibliography

www.thoughtco.com/form-follows-function-177237
https://ivypanda.com/essays/form-follows-function-relationship-between-form-and-

structure/