Expression of Truth and Beauty/Conceptual Bridge

Theory / Conceptual Issues:

The relationship of form and function has been a central theme in architecture since the enlightenment. The core issue is whether a building's form should truthfully express its function or should it be independent of its function. The outcome of this issue provides a rational for architectural design. 17th century architect Claude Perrault was one of the first architectural theorists to separate the issue in this thesis of positive beauty and arbitrary beauty. According to Perrault, positive beauty plays a normative role of standardization and perfection in design that typically is expressed through the classical rules and language of architecture. Arbitrary beauty on the other hand is expressive of function and its particular circumstances and requirements. Modernist architect Mies van der Rohe coined the phrase, "form follows function," to justify his architecture but his work largely treated function as a surreal entity that could be poured into almost any glass and steel container that fit the program.