ARTICLE READING
LECTURE 07
What is the relationship between form & function over the lifespan of an architectural work? Meaning how does renovation, adaptive reuse, etc, affect how building are both designed initially and transformed later?
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“Form and function thus become one in design and execution if nature of materials and method and purpose are all in unison” by Frank L. Wright. from this quote, I learned that Form and function are inseparable both have to be work together along side to achieve maximum efficiency but that is old type of form and function. What about now? How form and function are related to each other?
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Architecture in this century, somehow has changed in some particular way to adapt the changes of human needs. As renovation, restoration and adaptive reuse had affected buildings around us designed to be different from the initial and after transformed. As a building slowly aging the "old" function and form of the building is not sustainable anymore, therefore renovation and concept of adaptive reuse take place. For instance, some old industrial buildings getting a second chance to being rehabilitated into green gems as the latest trend in architecture is to take on adaptive reuse to go “twice green,” not just re-purposing an older building, but making it even more environmentally friendly in its new life.
Adaptive reuse improve and give the existing buildings entirely new function. As the need of human changed, different thoughts and ideas will then be discovered, and will eventually bring into the new design to transform the existing building. In some case, form change, the of the whole arrangement change, program and function within the space also change.
A building can have more than one function over the span of time. For example, If the owner of a residential unit wants to switch it into a hotel, the function of the space and form will then have to change together in order to adapt the new function of the building.
In contemporary architecture, a well-built building can provide exciting and perfect opportunities for rehabitation and reuse, even though it has become worn as time pass. Kirchplatz Office + Residence in Basel, it is originally a farmhouse which then being converted and serves as an office for an architectural design company, provides community meeting space, and serves as a compelling link to a new, adjacent private residence.
To adapt the new function of it which is an office + studio, the new design aimed to provide a fresh interpretation to the existing traditional features of the historic farmhouse building and it’s interior. This is achieved by creating new openings for natural daylight and by using a crisp white finish in the interiors, which juxtapose against the texture of the old wood and through the way in which the spaces open up, overlap, and merge together with one another.
In conclusion, form and function are always work integral in contemporary architecture today. Form the studies above i learned how form changed as functionality changes when there is a change in program, it proves Richards hills “purpose, funtion, use” in his article, structure can stand for years but the definition of the building is determined by the human wants.
The project also included the design of a new single family house adjacent to the adaptively re-used historic farmhouse that was converted into the office. This elegant contemporary residential structure juxtaposes with the historic building. The new and old share commonalities of materials and colors, yet have distinctly different expressions with the interplay of modern and historic delighting the senses.
The farmhouse was once built to serve as a country residential, but now it was totally transformed and evolve into an modern elegant office, form and function changed while most of the original structure remains.