Authors: Eric Burton
Mentors: Brandon Ro
Insitution: Utah Valley University
Which approach creates more interesting and beautiful buildings: Those who utilize ‘form following function’, or ‘function following form’? When an architect designs only using form following function, the building can have an excess of the utilitarian, resulting in a building that is very useful but can suffer in its overall design aesthetic, lacking attention to beauty. When the opposite occurs, the building can be an incredible work of art, but perhaps suffer in its usage. For an architect to be successful, there needs to be a balance of both methods.
In the field of architecture, many architects and designers follow the adage ‘form ever follows function’. While the purpose of this research project is not to discredit this philosophy, the goal is to prove that the other side of the architectural coin, so to speak, has value and that there are multiple philosophies to consider.
The research methodology for this project was comparing the buildings of architects that utilize differing philosophies with various building types, and utilizing eye tracking software to help determine which philosophy is more engaging, and beautiful to the average person.
The results show that function following form typically produces buildings that are considered more pleasing to the eye, when it comes to the building facades that are evaluated. Building with form in mind first will allow for the designs to better fit their perceived building typology.
There is worth at looking into different perspectives. When one is approaching design, they should be willing to implement multiple methods to achieve the best version of their building. Function following form is one method that can help us attain a more beautiful building experience that will impact the world for generations to come.