Lecture 06 | toad

FORM AND FUNCTION 2.0

in the architecture today, what is more important between ‘form’ and ‘function’ ? Believing everyone has their own interpretation and reason for it, it has no wrong nor right. It is just all about the trend in the particular era. From the time of modernism architecture, to post-modernism, to post-functionalism, what architecture emphasize on the most had never change, which is humanism.

Some of the people arguing that, functionalism is the basic design requirement when we doing an architecture. But, what make functionalism? Still. -Humanism. Architecture are meant to be design to fix with the human behaviour, to provide the most comfortable, secure, safe shelter for human being. But does this mean that, a building must be design base on the function and program that’s going to introduce to it? Or actually, a building that design base on pure architecture without function in mind will be more preferred and appreciated?

For me, it would be an absolutely YES. How if one day, the program / the function of the building need to be changed and the new one need to be implement into that particular building? We need to demolish the whole building and rebuild it again? Isnt this action is a waste of time, energy and money? It would be better for us to have a building that is suitable to carry several programs and functions in it aren’t it? Isn’t it much more environmental friendly, more economic and time saving? That why there is a way of doing architecture call “adaptive reuse” now-a-days.

For example, in the beginning of this semester, we had had a site visit to The Row KL.

This is a place where previously known as ‘The Asian Heritage Row’. It is once a popular nightlife district that underwent massive refurbishment. The Charm of this street was eventually loosen partly due to indiscriminate renovation and additions, and it has been once plagued by violent crime before turning into “The Row KL”.

And the major transformation was carried in the year of 2015. After the transformation, it becomes a development that blends the charisma of pre-war architecture with modern functionalities. It is now more focus on F&B, living SOHOs and offices, as well as a plaza for the public to enjoy.

From this example, it prove, building can be design to fix several program in it, shows the plasticity and successful of it. There are still thousands of successful examples of adaptive reuse. Why this thing can be happen actually? Because when the architects of The Heritage design it, it is base on humanism. Allow the ease of human movement, the art movement, and it economic movement. Therefore, it is allow to plug-in the new function into the building even though it was not originally design for it.

Conclusion, a good architecture should create a space which provides flexibility, plasticity, possibility for either economic use, community use, residential or even religious ect. As long as when the initial design is base on the humanity, it has the potential to convert into any other type of building base on the creativity!

3/3/2017