The Function Of Form): The Function Of Form?

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The purpose of this text is to discuss the notion of form follows function. To do so, I have selected two texts from which I will draw examples and from. The first is “Building Utopia” an extract from the book, Modernism: Designing a New World. The second text “The Function of Form” by Farshid Moussavi, taken from the book The Function of Form. I will compare the text discuss the texts and explain how they relate to a chosen object. The object in discussion will be The Barcelona Pavilion which is the work of Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, one of the pioneering architects in modern design.

The term “Form Follows Function” was first coined by Sarah Sullivan in the 19th century, modernist would later adopt the dictum in the twentieth century. For …show more content…

The author says that the building belonged to none of the traditional style. He notes the commonly used construction materials of this time would have included stone, brick and wood but these building did not use the same materials, instead they used a combination of steel, glass and concrete. The structures forms did not follow recognised architectural styles and their interiors were not divided by traditional rooms, they were open and spacious. The buildings were lacking in ornamentation or decoration which was unusual in comparison to the more avant garde styles of this time.

We know that the author is describing is the emergence of the modern approach to architecture and indeed, the modernist movement itself. The author discuss the modernist views that there was a real need for social reform. That society itself ought to be re-evaluated and re-shaped. Modernists believed that their “machine aesthetic” and ideas of mass production were the only way in which society could propel itself toward a more progressive …show more content…

The building was to to produced for the German Reich and was part of the international exhibition in 1929. Interestingly, before construction “neither mies nor his client had any idea what would actually be displayed in the pavilion, or what, if any, message it was supposed to convey”. Many modern architects had concerns as this meant that function was not dictating form, this was interesting to me as we see Mies somewhat bend his own rules of ornamentation. The is constructed using an 8 column grid. The grid is used to determine positiong of the the wall seperations and travertine pavers. The walls force a change of direction for the viewer which results in a new experience of space as the rooms themselves are not fully enclosed like traditional rooms had

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