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THE BEAUTY OF FUNCTION
and
THE FUNCTION OF BEAUTY
Jayen Pancholi
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Architecture has always had its reason and has always been a necessity due to
its function. Throughout history it has been a necessary element, not only in terms of
domesticity but also for society. I think that through the nature of architecture being
largely subjective and shaped in this way, by the eyes of the architect, and not only by
its functions and location, it begins to become an art. Architecture is not formulated in
a way that is rigid and requires critical and analytical thinking and this generates a
subjective response to a wide range of conditions. Additional conditions which add to
this development towards a unique architecture are any specific requirements of the
client and so a second subjective view is added. All of this gives each building its own
uniqueness. This is then further enhanced after the design process and during the
construction process. However the long processes that architecture goes through is not
the only factor adding to this uniqueness. Architecture creates feelings in people in
ways that they often lack awareness of, as do other arts, and this unique feeling
created by each building points it to being something of an art. The materiality of a
building and the light that it receives can play a large role in enhancing this feeling. I
want to research this dilemma of architecture being purely of function or a social art
as well as for function through the use of the villa both historically and
contemporarily.
There are many people who would cast architecture outright as purely
functional. The only way in which its economic setback could be so great, yet
necessary, is that it would provide a great deal of function, one that is an absolute
requirement of life. Logically, this would come entirely first before any aesthetic
reasons for architecture. CIAM, or the International Congresses of Modern
Architecture, was hugely influential during its time, and strongly believed that
architecture was something purely under economic, political and functional influence.
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"1. sex life, 2. sleeping habits, 3. pets, 4. gardening, 5. personal hygiene, 6. weather
protection, 7. hygiene in the home, 8. car maintenance, 9. cooking, 10. heating, 11.
exposure to the sun, 12. services - these are the only motives when building a house.”
(Meyer, 1928) (Leeuwen, 71) Here Hannes Meyer lists what he believes to be the
only factors in the process of designing a house. However this appears to me to be
very generic and unsuitable for every application or house. Aesthetics affect the
buildings’ users, often subtly, creating slight emotional differences and altering
perception. “We examine the daily routine of everyone who lives in the house and this
gives us the functional diagram - the functional diagram and the economic programme
are the determining principles of the building project."(Meyer, 1928) (Leeuwen, 71)
He goes on to talk about how the function is developed and is then combined with the
economic constraints to influence the building. I feel that this narrow line of influence
alone would not be enough to create a unique building unless the architects’
subjective thoughts were also applied. He also mentions only weather and sun
exposure when talking about the site. The sites opportunities and constraints are
neglected.
Hannes Meyer was a director of the Bauhaus school from 1928 till 1930. His
philosophy on building was already fundamental within the Bauhaus, Bauhaus
literally meaning house of construction or school of building. The school became
famous for its approach to design which it taught and publicised. The Bauhaus
website says of Hannes Meyer once saying that “Building is just organisation: social,
technical, economic and physical organisation.” (Hannes Meyer)(Bauhaus Online) He
talks of architecture being purely a combination of the organisation of four elements.
This kind of thinking I think leads to the ideas and theories of form following function
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which is something widely discussed and proclaimed by the modernist manifesto. A
form following function can be given beauty as well however.
He “began his architectural career in 1905 with training as a mason and
construction draughtsman in Basel. He also attended construction courses at the
vocational school there.” (Bauhaus Online) I think that, because his career began with
construction first, this had a great impact on his thinking and methods as an architect.
There may have been a lack of creativity initially, and there was only construction to
provide an influence, which could have led to his unique approach towards
architecture and his lack of desire towards the beauty of it.
His ideas were so strong that not only was he interested in designing around
function, but so much so that he was against the influence of art. “An important goal
for Meyer was to “curtail the influence of the artist”.” (Bauhaus Online) He disliked
the idea of beauty for the sake of beauty, and pressed that the form should be a result
only of the function as well as what the budget would allow, the economics behind a
project.
His ideals and approach to architecture also have a connection with
constructivism and functionalism. “He experimented in 1926/27 with constructivist
forms and functionalist methods.” (Bauhaus Online) I think that the strong connection
is apparent and many of his ideas lend themselves to or from these two additional
styles. Another style that shares connections with these others is structuralism.
Constructivism shared a lot with the ideas of Hannes Meyer, and had great influence
on him. It combined advanced technologies with engineering and also had a
communist social approach. This communist social approach was something that
Hannes Meyer took on; he also claimed that he was a Marxist.
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Front, detail, towards the patio at Lovell Beach House
Lovell House, Newport Beach
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Lovell Beach house is a constructivist building, by the architect Rudolph
Schindler. Though entirely constructivist within modern architecture, it displays a
sense of beauty, through its exposure of structure and construction. Its form is
uniquely adapted to its site and function. The way the building interacts with the light
through its basic forms it creates a sense of beauty, complemented by the colour
scheme applied to the building. Function still however is primary in this building with
structure fitting around function. The beauty was not necessarily designed or perhaps
even intended but it remains that it can be result of the function and structure.
Houselife is a film about Rem Koolhaas/OMA’s Maison A Bordeaux. It
primarily features people involved with maintenance in the house who are unnamed,
particularly the cleaner of the house.
Looking up towards the porthole
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The house at first sight appears to me to be something beautiful, elegant in the
way in which it divides its three floors with great contrast and creates this illusion of
the upper floor being much heavier than the middle. It appears as if it should not be
able to hold up, yet it does.
The elevator platform
The building overall is primarily a product of designing for function. It was designed
for a wealthy couple; the man was disabled and required a wheelchair. The disabled
man’s considerations were clearly at the forefront of the design process. The house
featured a specific room, or station, which was essentially a large elevator platform
for the man, which would go up and down through the three floors of the house, each
designed for specific activities. The house was in effect “three houses on top of each
other.” (OMA) The movement of the elevator alters the architecture of the house.
Koolhaas says about the house, “A machine is its heart.” (OMA)
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In this house, the design through means of functionality has given it its beauty.
However, there are signs that beauty has been sought after in some aspects,
particularly in those where function appears to lack. The gardener or care taker of
house speaks a section of grass near to the house “You see, this is not real earth…
...does not keep the humidity… …the grass has burnt here.” (Ila Beka and Louise
Lemoine) The grass had burnt due to being very close to a reflective part of the house,
which was reflecting an overdose of light and heat onto a specific patch of grass. He
goes onto say “Here, you will find Art! Not…” (Ila Beka and Louise Lemoine) This
poor placement of grass would have served no function, other than to look beautiful.
The cleaner of the house speaks highly of it and likes it very much despite the
many problems of it that she herself sometimes unintentionally, points out. “The
house was only made for him. You see. Only for him. Because of his disability.” (Ila
Beka and Louise Lemoine) The fact that the house was purpose built and specifically
for a couple, but primarily the man, made it highly functional and ideal for them.
However this meant that after their lifetimes the house would not be nearly as
functional for other people of future generations.
An aspect of the house which I found particularly ill designed but filled with a
sense of elegance and beauty is the foot bridge. The footbridge leading from one part
of the building to another is a small exterior bridge, which has two outwards opening
doors parallel to each other. The doors’ swings intersect each other and this causes a
great impracticality when using the footbridge. The movement between the adjacent
rooms is awkward because of this. The function has not been fully achieved here.
Other flaws in the building consist of many leaks and glazing related
problems. One of the large windows once shattered because its frame had contracted,
causing pressure on the glass. The formwork of the concrete was not used to any
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effect and one of the holes was left unfilled, resulting in leaking water pouring
through it. The floor in various places where leaked water has landed and rested has
blistered up, creating an uneven surface. I believe these issues could all be a result of
a wanting for beauty but it not being fully resolved in terms of functionality and
construction.
Maison A Bordeaux Plans
They created an illusion of a heavy, massive object resting on very little; the
top, opaque floor on top of the middle, transparent floor. “I don’t know, the house,
you see, it’s hanging. Ah! No! There are no walls, I don’t know how it holds.” (Ila
Beka and Louise Lemoine) This great contrast in visibility and weighting creates this
sense of awe and makes people question as to how it works. This arrangement was
initially all about organisation of interior space, making it functional. The bottom
floor appears as a heavy volume carved into the hill. It is hidden away where all the
intimate activities of the house happen. The middle floor is the most revealed and
occupied space. It houses the living area and can be used for many different activities
because of its open plan. The top floor is again opaque, keeping the bedrooms of the
family hidden. However it has penetrations through the walls, giving views out from
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the rooms. “The views are superb.” (Ila Beka and Louise Lemoine) I think that the
way in which the exterior is allowed to be seen from all around the house effectively
brings the beauty of the outdoors in.
A fundamental aspect of the design is the large openable porthole looking over
all of Bordeaux. I feel that although very special, it is limited, both by the door and its
shape as well as the fact that it is the only view from the top floor over Bordeaux.
The cleaner finds a lack of interestingness to one aspect of the interior spaces;
the kitchen. “You see, the kitchen, is all concrete!” (Ila Beka and Louise Lemoine)
The lack of colour makes the space bland and deficient in feeling. The overuse of grey
is too much for the cleaner and she admits that if she was to design it, it wouldn’t be
like it is. “It’s too grey. It’s all grey!” (Ila Beka and Louise Lemoine) This shows that
despite all the functionality of the space the lack of beauty affects its users.
Vitruvius wrote in the first century B.C. of the three essential components of
architectural design being Utilitas, Firmitas and Venustas. These translate to solid,
useful and beautiful. Solidity and usefulness are elements covered within the building
philosophy of Hannes Meyer and the Bauhaus as structure and function; however the
beauty of a building is not. It is this beauty which often makes a building unique.
The beauty of a building has often historically, before the modernist
movement, been completely intentional. Robert Tavernor talks about Palladio’s views
towards maintaining beauty in terms of length, height and breadth, “ensuring that it
will remain ‘beautiful to the eye.’” (42) He goes on to say that “This is typical of his
approach.” Palladio clearly valued the beauty of his buildings and felt that it was of
great importance that proportions and ratios were aesthetically pleasing. He felt this
so much so that he created his own methodology based on his ideal objectives, and
then simplified this and created practical methods to achieve similar results to the
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ideals. Tavernor says that Palladio simplified “down the ‘laws of nature’ to the
essential required by architects.”(42)
This methodology was applied by Palladio in the Villa Barbaro in Maser.
Although beauty and aesthetics were of great importance to him, this did not imply
that function was of any less. The functionality of the building was something he saw
to maximize. One such way in which Palladio did this was by making use of the
existing natural spring fountain at the back of the Villa Barbaro. This was done by
extending the first floor of the villa back as it was on the slope of a small hill. This
helped to increase the functionality of the villa further, forming an open terrace area
as well as a semi circular nymphaeum to collect water from the natural spring behind.
Plan and elevation of Villa Barbaro, Maser
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This elegant and integral increase in functionality shows that the beauty of a
building may not necessarily be physical, but a result of its response to its
surroundings or the way in which it fulfils its function.
Palladio sought to follow the Vitruvian triad and believed that the three
elements were of upmost importance in his architecture. He was also strongly for
maintaining symmetry within his buildings, both internally and externally, keeping
unity within his architecture.
Villa La Rotonda in Vicenza
Palladio’s most famous and well renowned work, the Villa Almerico Capra,
also known as the Villa Rotunda, follows many of the principles as his other works as
well as being inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. The design, as many of Palladio’s
other buildings, was one of complete symmetry. It was to be square in plan with four
facades, each with its own portico. Each of the porticos have their own steps, leading
up into the villa and eventually leading to the domed central hall through a small
cabinet or corridor. Like Vitruvius, Palladio used mathematics and proportions in
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precision according to his own rules of architecture which he published as Quattro
Libri dell’Architettura, The Four Books of Architecture. The rules within his book
were heavily influenced by Vitruvius.
Plan and part elevation/section of the Villa Rotonda
Unfortunately Palladio died in 1580, before the completion of the project and
so another architect, Vicenzo Scamozzi, was employed to continue it. A major change
made to the original design by Scamozzi, was to modify the central double height
space. He changed it from the intended high semicircular dome to a lower dome with
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an oculus, however this was later changed and the dome was completed with a cupola.
Through these changes the function remained the same but Scamozzi wanted to alter
the design to give it his own beauty.
Villa Rotonda Section by Scamozzi
The villa’s parts were designed using Palladio’s modular system of
proportions which relate to the dimensions of the individual columns. The columns in
turn relate to the scale and proportions of the human form. In his treatise on
architecture, Palladio said, “But the most beautiful and most regular forms, from
which the others derive, are the circle and quadrangle…” (Palladio) These forms were
used primarily to shape the plan of the building, and give it its regularity and
symmetry. Palladio says that they are beautiful despite them being simple geometric
forms and relating to function. In The Ten Books on Architecture, Vitruvius said that
beauty was a result of form and the relationship between the parts of a building.
It cannot be denied that there is a sense of beauty within nature, and Vitruvius’
thinking was that architecture should be inspired by nature. “For Nature leads to
Beauty, which fundamental to the practice of architecture, once Utility and Strength
have been achieved in a building.” (Tavernor, 11-12) Referring back to the Vitruvian
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triad, here a hierarchy of them is implied. Utility and strength are put first here but the
fact that beauty is still considered essential gives it great importance nonetheless.
“You can’t have one without the other.” (Melvyn Bragg, Serafina Cuomo, Robert
Tavernor, Alice Koenig) Of the Vitruvian triad, Tavernor emphasises here that all
three components are equal in requirement and so the hierarchy is merely the order in
which the three should be resolved.
“The body was a microcosm of universal harmony, and so it was an analogy
for all that was perfect in nature” (Melvyn Bragg, Serafina Cuomo, Robert Tavernor,
Alice Koenig) Vitruvius read texts of Pythagoras and Plato. He noticed that the
perfect numbers, such as six and ten, occurred in nature and in the human body. A
foot is one sixth of the height of the ideal man and we each have ten fingers and ten
toes. These numbers were described as being perfect because six is achieved through
the addition of one, two and three. Ten is made up of one, two, three and four.
Vitruvius noticed such occurrences within the human form, and also said that
geometry was essentially derived from the human form, which Learnado later
illustrated through his Vitruvian man.
Vitruvius wanted to use these perfect numbers, derived from nature, within
architecture to create perfect buildings. “Combining perfect numbers, perfect
geometry and putting them together, you create an architecture which reflects the
natural world.” (Melvyn Bragg, Serafina Cuomo, Robert Tavernor, Alice Koenig)
Vitruvius was heavily interested in nature and was influenced greatly by it. He
believed that if perfect numbers occurred in nature, that they should be used within
architecture to create something responsive to nature and worthy in terms of form and
beauty.
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The interrelationships between the numbers used to form the Vitruvian man
created a modular system. “Vitruvius’ notion based on that was that a modular system
should be applied to architecture to create a coherent, homogenous whole.” (Melvyn
Bragg, Serafina Cuomo, Robert Tavernor, Alice Koenig)
“Interested in making sure every room in every house is fit for purpose.”
(Melvyn Bragg, Serafina Cuomo, Robert Tavernor, Alice Koenig) He talked of
libraries facing north so that the books wouldn’t get damp, and dining rooms facing
west to enjoy the setting sun in the evenings during dinner. Pure function was not
something he sought, however was something greatly valued.
I believe that architecture is an art, one which is crafted and shaped through
designing for specific functions. Without function architecture would be no more than
a large sculpture, one that is interactive, but without purpose. It would be
unnecessary. Additionally, beauty does not have to be ocular; it can also be
experienced through the other senses. I think that functionality can give architecture
its beauty. People adore beauty and so beauty is functional.
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Bibliography
Leeuwen, Theo Van (2004). Introducing Social Semiotics. London: Routledge.
Palladio, Andrea (2002). The Four Books of Architecture. (trans. Tavernor, Robert
and Schofield, Richard). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Pollio, Vitruvius (1998). The ten books on architecture. (trans. Hicky Morgan,
Morris) New York: Dover Publications.
Ruskin, John (2006). The Poetry of Architecture Or, the Architecture of the Nations of
Europe Considered in its Association with Natural Scenery and National Character .
Public Domain Books. Kindle Edition.
Tavernor, Robert (1991). Palladio and Palladianism. London: Thames and Hudson
Ltd.
Bauhaus Online. Hannes Meyer, Bauhaus Online. Web. [http://bauhaus-
online.de/en/atlas/personen/hannes-meyer] 6 April 2012.
OMA. Maison A Bordeaux, France, Bordeaux, 1998 . Web.
[http://oma.eu/projects/1998/maison-%C3%A0-bordeaux] 21 April 2012.
Melvyn Bragg, Serafina Cuomo, Robert Tavernor, Alice Koenig. (2012) Vitruvius
[podcast]. BBC Radio 4, 15th March. Available from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/iot#playepisode4 [12th April 2012]
Koolhaas Houselife (2008) Film. Directed by ILA BEKA and LOUISE LEMOINE.
France: BekaFilms.
Illustrations
Palladio (c. 1550-58) Plan and elevation. [Architectural drawings]. In: Tavernor,
Robert. (1991). Palladio and Palladianism. London: Thames and Hudson.
Palladio (1565/66) Plan and part elevation/section of the Villa Rotonda.
[Architectural drawings]. In: Tavernor, Robert. (1991). Palladio and Palladianism.
London: Thames and Hudson.
Hans Werlermann (1998) Maison A Bordeaux, Looking up towards the Porthole.
[Online image]. Available from: http://oma.eu/contentimages/projects/1998-
MAISON-%C3%80-BORDEAUX/Bordeaux-0275-008_big.jpg [Accessed
21/04/2012]
Hans Werlermann (1998) Maison A Bordeaux, the Elevator Platform. [Online image].
Available from: http://oma.eu/contentimages/projects/1998-MAISON-%C3%80-
BORDEAUX/Bordeaux-bxdiapo6x6-085_big.jpg [Accessed 21/04/2012]
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ikkoskinen (2006) Front, detail, towards the patio. [Online image]. Available from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Lovell_Beach_House_04.jpg
[Accessed 16/04/2012]
ikkoskinen (2006) Lovell House, Newport Beach #1. [Online image]. Available from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Lovell_Beach_House_01.jpg[Accessed 17/04/2012]
Marco Bagarella (2009) Villa La Rotonda in Vicenza. [Online image]. Available
from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Larotonda2009.JPG
[Accessed 17/04/2012]
Ottavio Bertotti Scamozzi (1778) Villa Rotonda Section by Scamozzi. [Online Image].
Available from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Palladio_Rotonda_seccion_Sca
mozzi_1778.jpg [Accessed 17/04/2012]
Rem Koolhaas (1998) Maison A Bordeaux Plans. [Online image]. Available from:
http://photos1.blogger.com/img/133/6247/1024/RK-c.jpg [Accessed 21/04/2012]
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