Chicken or the Egg

Form and function are the two major components of architecture. Which one came first?

Thursday
Sitting in a concept meeting allowed by the gracious principals of my firm, I contemplated the relation between form and function. Architects must work in the confines of the form that is provided of the venue or the landscape on which they are building the venue. On the other hand, they must also shape the form of the interior and exterior to fit the intended function.

As an extern, I had expected to sit in on this meeting as a quiet fly on the wall or even an undetected part of the furnishing. To my surprise, I sat at the conference table facing the three principals of the firm and three other architects working on the project. This instantly dissipated my worry that I would not be exposed to the central work done at the firm.

It turns out, I had been pulled to sit through the meeting, not only to observe as an intern, but to also provide my insight as a teenager--the project dealt with teenagers. Unfortunately, beyond that, I may not disclose more information, but general observations I made--I can disclose:

1) Architectural planning is NOT easy.

• Architects have to consider an extraordinary number of variables. 
• lighting
• plumbing
• legal restrictions
• electricity
• aesthetic appeal 
• budget
• activity of users
• business appeal
• spacing of venue
• and the list goes on....
• Would it be practical to add psychology into this potpourri of factors to consider when designing? The option of having a psychology consultant rather than all architects being trained in psychology is looking more practical...

2) Form and function can come in any order.

• As the project architects put their heads together and created a whirlpool of innovative ideas, whether form followed function or function followed form became hazy. I decided either way worked as long as the idea was logical and feasible. 
• With the introduction of psychology, form following function would be analogous to manipulating design to fit the psychological needs of the users. Function following form would be analogous to manipulating the activity in a space because the design or environment is the most suitable for that activity and psychological state. 

If you haven't already, check out the firm's website! They have awesome past and working projects that will get you to think about their intended functions (;

Roll your cursor next to this arrow to see the firm's link--> WORKSBUREAU