Shadowing Practice: Form Follows Function in Architecture - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Form follows function in architecture by Roberts Architecture Form follows function is one of the most important ideas in modern architecture,
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Form follows function in architecture by Roberts Architecture Form follows function is one of the most important ideas in modern architecture,
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yet most architects don't fully understand its core concept.
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It has been interpreted and misinterpreted so many times that its meaning has been distorted.
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Developed in architecture, this concept is used in product design,
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UX design, engineering, and so many other fields that understanding it is essential for any designer.
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In this video, we will look at the evolution of the idea of Form Follows Function,
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how it has evolved through modernism into post-modernism and contemporary architecture and design.
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Form Follows Function was first coined by the architect Louis Sullivan,
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but did not mean what it does today.
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His understanding was form follows function organically,
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like a seed grows into a tree,
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from initial forces of the project.
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A project should not copy styles and forms from history,
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but should be authentic of its place and time.
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Forms should arise organically from the needs of the project.
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He gives the example of a bank looking like a Greek temple.
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He argues, did ancient Greeks come over to the United States and start building banks?
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No, a bank in the United States has different initial forces than a Greek temple in Athens.
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Thus a bank should not copy the form of a Greek temple.
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This was radical for his age and a precursor to modernism,
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but was not the modern understanding we know today.
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Frank Lloyd Wright, an apprentice to Sullivan,
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perhaps said it best, form and function are one.
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form and function of a building should be so intertwined that they are inseparable.
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The way we understand form follows function today is through the German functionalist movement and the Bauhaus,
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specifically Mies van der Rohe who made form follows function famous along with less is more.
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In this new concept, the form of a building followed the functional layout
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and design based on on the program or a client's brief.
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All spaces in a building had a functional purpose.
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The design technique was to use adjacency diagrams to lay out functional relationships in space.
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The other side of this concept was to eliminate non-functional space.
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Social spaces, spaces of encounter,
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spaces for multiple uses, and undefined spaces were abandoned.
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All space in modern functionalism must be productive.
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Traditional Design In traditional architecture,
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form and function were not differentiated.
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Building form arose from a system of social production,
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a system of exchange, symbols and signs, and functional use.
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No attempt was made to separate these into different categories.
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Social production involved tradesmen, organizations of labor,
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the practice of planning, design, and construction of projects.
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This was always a social project involving many different groups.
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Traditional building always had intrinsic symbols and signs embedded into the work.
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Architectural styles define the symbols used.
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Functional use of space was subordinate to these other factors.
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Space This was conceived of as an empty container,
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like a cup, where many contents could be poured.
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Architecture was a utilitarian object first,
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and then a symbol that expressed ideas second.
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Modernism
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Modern architecture reacted to mass production and scientific breakthroughs of industrial building materials by making the environment a machine for living in.
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This required designing space around Fordism and factory production.
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It was not enough to use mass production techniques such as glass and steel,
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but also to symbolically express these concepts.
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Architects looked for ways to express this new spirit of the age.
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They stripped off ornamentation from buildings to reveal pure shapes and forms.
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They used diagrams to turn a building into a machine,
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much like a factory assembly line.
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Functional diagramming
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and expressing the building form of the diagram became the way to express the hand of the architect
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and turn a building into a machine for living in.
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Architects expressed the science of architecture by functionally laying out spaces and created complex patterns of adjacencies.
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from the building form were any references to social production in the form of craft and tradesmanship.
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Systems of exchange were eliminated by making buildings look like they had been created beyond the forces of money and capitalism.
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Symbols and signs were eliminated by eradicating ornament on buildings.
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Social expression was eliminated to express the machine.
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Functionalism in architecture and urban planning is the principle
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that the building environment should be designed solely based on the needs of the user
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and the institutions and its intended social function.
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Form follows function is the process by where use is determined and the architect's brief or program is based on these needs.
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The building form is determined by the program.
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This involves creation of a functional diagram and designing the building around this diagram.
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Functionalism projects on the ground plane a program of social action with the goal of programming individual and institutional life.
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This spatially organizes production, consumption,
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and distribution into a practice of social relationships.
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Functionalism is a spatial practice essential for regulating everyday life.
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It links the daily routine of the individual to urban networks of institutions, services, and utilities.
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Functionalist spaces are like trees,
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mathematical structures where no element is ever connected to other elements,
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except the medium of a unit as a whole.
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This leads to social segregation.
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Functionalist urbanism stems not from scientific analysis,
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but the practice of designers to give up on complex structures of traditional cities that contain overlap,
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ambiguity, and multiplicity.
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Functionalism renders alienation tactile.
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In modern architecture, there are four main functions.
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Living, working, recreation, and transportation.
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These can be broken down further,
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and many modern systems do.
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The Athens Charter by Le Corbusier broke down urban planning into 12 needs.
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Nutrition, hygiene, nursing, religion, science,
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art, protection, welfare, politics, administration, and upbringing.
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What is the relationship between function and the needs and wants of the inhabitants?
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There is always a disconnect between the functional design and the lived experience of the people.
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Modern architects cannot escape functionalism.
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They must start with an analysis of need,
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a problem statement, a problem, and a client's brief.
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This has become standard practice for any architect.
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But what about social needs,
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the needs for housing, the need for human intimacy?
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These are lost in a modern city.
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Postmodernism.
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The principle of form follows function may be The form of the object must make function possible
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and also communicate that function clear enough to make it usable and desirable.
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Umberto Eco.
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Function and Sign.
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Social production of signs, symbols, and brands.
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Postmodern architects and city planners challenge the theory of architecture as meeting human needs.
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Le Corbusier said, all men have the same needs.
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But was this actually true?
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Was the goal of architecture to meet universal human needs or was it something more?
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In postmodernism, form follows signs and symbols.
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Architecture in postmodernity is reduced to signs,
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signs of its own function,
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and signs referring to other systems of signs.
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Architecture was reinterpreted to be a form of communication, a pattern language.
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The built environment became signs and symbols.
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Functionalism was either rejected outright or became a sign and symbol.
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Form follows function was reinterpreted as the form of the object must make function possible,
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but also communicate that function clearly enough to make it usable and desirable.
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In this reformulation, function is subordinate to the sign.
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We see this transition from modernism to postmodernism,
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most pronounced in Christopher Alexander,
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an architect and educator who taught at the University of California in Berkeley.
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His first book, Notes on the Synthesis of Form,
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teaches us how to do functional diagramming as part of the architectural design process.
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He learned this technique at Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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During his time at Harvard and MIT,
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he was a devout modernist,
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thinking that architectural diagramming was both mathematical and scientific.
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This is what was being taught at Harvard at the time and comes directly from German functionalism and the Bauhaus.
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Alexander says, The ultimate object of design is form.
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What makes a design problem in real-world cases is
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that we are trying to make a diagram for forces whose field we don't understand.
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In other words, form follows function creates a requirements diagram
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and links it to a form diagram creating a bridge between requirements and form.
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The designer thinks like a scientist and their design is a hypothesis.
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The modern designers first task is to strip the problem of preconceptions which names,
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signs, and symbols introduce.
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But there's a huge backlash against this Bauhaus methodology in the late 1960s and by the 1970s functionalism was abandoned for postmodernism.
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The book The Decorated Diagram came out that asserted that that Harvard's diagramming technique basically decorated a diagram with architectural elements.
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It wasn't a true building,
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but abstract concepts loosely tied together with a building form.
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Postmodern architects were turning from functionalism to see architecture as signs, symbols, and brands.
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In 1977, Alexander publishes the book A Pattern Language,
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which defines architectural design not as problem solving,
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meeting user needs and functional diagramming,
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but instead as creating a language of patterns.
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Although Alexander thought of this architectural pattern making as being a timeless way of building,
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it was in fact postmodernism.
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He says, in this book,
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we present one possible pattern language of the kind called for in the timeless way.
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The elements of this language are entities called patterns.
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Each pattern describes a problem which occurs over and over again in our environment,
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and then describes the core of the solutions to
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that problem in such a way you can use a solution
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a million times over without ever doing it the same way twice.
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Alexander completely abandons functional diagramming and returns back to what he calls a timeless way of designing,
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basing forms on human patterns of inhabitation and historical precedent,
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precedent, something he expressly rejected in his modern functionalist period as
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not allowing the designer to think about the problem to be solved.
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Postmodernism's critique is the inhabitation in modern cities is mechanized by function.
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People gave up their autonomy,
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becoming cogs in a great factory that is the modern city.
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Social structures such as families,
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communities, and social groups are lost in the industrial city.
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Postmodernists argue that the city must be conceived of as a community,
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a set of social relationships,
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not as a functional machine.
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In modern functionalism, a building is a machine for living in.
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In postmodernism, a building is a model developed by circumstances and social forces over time.
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Buildings are socially inherited models.
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Modifications of a model and the course of an architectural work,
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both collective and individual, is produced.
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The postmodernists believe that our society has developed into one of pure consumption.
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Architects in this regime are creating cities for people to become consumers.
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People's real needs are not being addressed in any substantive way.
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Rather, they are being forced to consume on an endless treadmill of work and overproduction and overconsumption.
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Modernism assume that the physical and psychological needs of the people could be analyzed
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and technology could be mobilized to satisfy those needs.
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Instead, what is happening in post-industrial cities is the creation of false needs in consumers.
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Advertising, branding, selling of signs over real objects shows that in a post-industrial society,
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products are not developed out of needs and functions,
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but rather they create the needs to force people to consume.
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Architects role in postmodern society is not to satisfy human needs.
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Engineers do that, but rather to create signs,
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symbols, and brands to recreate the need to consume.
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In other words, architects create buildings as a brand,
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making people have false needs so they can consume space and cities.
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The role of an architect is to brand,
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advertise, and sell signs over real experiences so people will consume.
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The city becomes a high-end product for consumption,
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with cities like New York,
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London, and San Francisco becoming these elite brands.
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In the postmodern period, function follows form.
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The postmodern architect creates the form of the building,
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and any function can go inside.
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Star architects are there just to create interesting forms,
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and the function is decided by others.
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We see this with all the famous architects today.
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Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Bajark,
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Ingalls, and even Norman Foster.
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Is this really architecture, or is it just image and branding?
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You decide.
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Leave your comments below.
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What do you think?
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Are you a traditional designer and don't believe in form follows function?
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Do you believe the art and craft of architecture is enough to design a building?
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Are you a modern designer and think form follows function?
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Do you problem solve and design for the needs of your client?
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Are you a postmodern designer and think form follows signs and symbols?
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Do you design brands and images and buildings as iconic symbols for your clients?
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Leave your comments below.
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I'm Jamie Roberts.
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If you like this video,
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please give a thumbs up and subscribe.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
This video titled "Form Follows Function in Architecture" offers a deep dive into a central idea in modern architecture which is invaluable for anyone interested in design or architecture. Engaging with this material through speaking practice can enhance your ability to articulate complex concepts clearly and confidently. By incorporating the shadowing technique during viewing, you will not only mimic the speaker's pace but also grasp the nuances of architectural language in context. This practice is especially beneficial for those preparing for IELTS speaking practice as it equips you with the terminology and expressions necessary to discuss sophisticated topics.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the video, several key grammatical structures and expressions illuminate the speaker's points:
- Past Perfect Tense: The speaker uses this tense to indicate the evolution of concepts, as seen in phrases like, “Form Follows Function was first coined...”. This structure allows learners to express ideas that have developed over time.
- Conditionals: The use of conditionals in examples such as “if ancient Greeks had come...” helps in showcasing hypothetical situations, a useful expression type for articulating complex arguments.
- Passive Voice: Phrases like “has been interpreted...” suggest an ongoing process without specifying the doer, which can add a layer of sophistication to your speaking.
- Comparative Structures: When contrasting traditional and modern architecture, the speaker employs phrases like “was not the modern understanding we know today,” promoting effective comparative language skills.
Common Pronunciation Traps
While practicing with the video, pay attention to the following tricky words and phrases that may present pronunciation challenges:
- Architectural - Often mispronounced, the emphasis should be clear: ar-ki-TEC-tural.
- Functionality - Watch for the syllable stress: func-tion-AL-i-ty.
- Contemporary - This word is often shortened in casual speech, but practice saying it in full: con-TEMP-or-ar-y.
- Modernism - Distinguishing between “mod” and “ern” can help avoid common slips: MOD-ern-ism.
By applying these insights during your english speaking practice, you will not only enhance your vocabulary but also your confidence in discussing intricate topics like architecture. The shadowspeak method, used in conjunction with the shadowing technique, can foster a more authentic speaking experience, paving the way for fluency and eloquence.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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