Form & Function II
Relationship between form & function over the lifespan of an architectural work?
Form and function, still a popular topic to being discuss by everyone related to this profession through the years beginning from the classical to the postmodern period. What is form? “Form, may refer to shape, structure, or appearance: custom or conduct; a document or outline; linguistics; or fitness or health” by Adrian Forty. What is function? Function, which came as encompassing all criteria of use, perception, and enjoyment of a building, not only the practical aspects but also in aesthetic, psychological, and cultural. Believe that the relationship between form and function is unseparate in architecture work, this is because the combination of both will achieve a more high efficiency and high performance in building design.
To be more understand with the different between purpose, function and use, it comes out with the philosophy text by Richard Hill. He defined the hierarchical relationship, where “purpose” is the overarching reason of a building exists, “function” is the intended outcome of a building, and “use” involves the constituent parts and activities of a building.
In both three articles from Frank L. Wright, Peter Eisenman and Richard Hill, we have understand that a building not only design based on the functionality. Instead, it should be merge with others theory such as humanism, form and purpose as a complete in architecture design.
How does the relationship between form and function affect the buildings are
both designed initially and transformed later?
One of the obvious example is renovation and adaptive reuse. Which, adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing when the existing old building become unsuitable for their programmatic requirements. Adaptive reuse help to create the new life cycle of the structure and achieve to the sustainability goals. Adaptive reuse is changing either the form, function or both form and function of the building due to the human activities.
Sekeping Victoria, Penang
One of the best contemporary case studies to describe adaptive reuse is the project by Ng Sek San. Most of the Sekeping’s project are reusing the old existing heritage building into a new contemporary retreat by using the traditional (timber, brick) and modern (glass, concrete and steel) materials. The expert technique in using the materials and space planning, result where the form is less changing but the function and program of the building is completely change.
Sekeping Victoria, Penang
Another example is Youth Hotel in iDtown, Shenzhen, China by O-office Architects. The building originally was a dormitory building called as Honghua Dying Factory. In 2012, local authority decided to transform it in to an urban incubator for art and culture, including the youth hotel. The architect tried to minimise the new intervention and therefore maintain the originality of the building in all aspect. This project gives a new-fashioned spatial experience but still inline with the original structure, which means the function change but he form still remain.
In my own point of view, Both form and function are equally important in contemporary architecture design and cannot be neglected for the other’s sake. It is all depending on personal perception and resolving. From the understanding that structure can stand for years, is just the definition of the building is depending by the human needs, which means the transforming of form, function, use and program all depends on the users.
