Should Form Always Follow Function??

by

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], hereby declare that this research is my own un aided work and it has not been earlier submitted for any educational purpose. The ideas of this dissertation are mine and not of the university.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

In late 19th Century the shape of the tall steel skyscraper was developed by Sullivan. The taste, economic forces and technology met violently and it directed the architects to think in a new style and let go the earlier style. As per Sullivan the new shape of the building was going to be the purpose of the building as the shape was to be distinct and not the traditional style. It was like form follows functions as compared to the much opposed form follows precedent. The assistant of the Sullivan Frank Lloyd Wright took up and followed his teacher as well. He did so because the new principle gave them more authority to be different and do more experiments. Research will be conducted on famous architect Frank Gehry's work piece in Dundee, Scotland, the Maggie Centre and Walter Gropious only piece of work in Impington, Cambridgeshire called Impington Village college as a case study to explore the different design style and the contrast of architectural practice to identify whether form is more important than function or the other way round.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Architecture1

Weakness and strength2

Advantages2

The Oppositions2

Research objectives3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW5

Brief introduction of architectural practice5

Background of modern architecture6

Origins6

Modernism as a dominant style7

Characteristics8

Background of De constructivism and its relationship with form and function9

Frank Gehry10

Architectural style10

Criticism10

Walter Gropius11

Early career11

Bauhaus period11

Selected Works12

Comparison between the approaches of these 2 different architectural styles12

Architectural review of The Maggie Centre by Frank Gehry13

Maggie's Cancer Center - Background13

Architecture14

Maggie's Centre - Building Context14

Maggie's Centre - Volume & Landscape14

Architectural review of Impington Village College15

Viewing Impington Village College15

Henry Morris on the village college17

Key design elements17

Building Appearance20

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY21

Data Analysis21

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION23

History of form follows function24

Modernists adopt the notion of function25

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION33

REFERENCES35

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background

Although Louis Sullivan an American architect formulated the theory in 1896 but it is often confused with Horatio Greenough an American sculptor. This theory was presented in the article The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered by Louis. In this article Louis quoted it as form ever follow function but it was retained in memory as form ever follow function. According to Louis this theory had no exception and the full form of the theory is given as:

It is the encompassing law of all things organic and inorganic,Of all things physical and metaphysical,Of all things human and all things super-human,Of all true manifestations of the head,Of the heart, of the soul,That the life is recognizable in its expression,That form ever follows function.

Architecture

After the 1930s phrase "form (ever) follows function" by Sullivan's turned out to be Modernist architect's battle-cry. This philosophy said that ornament which ...