In Nature The Forms Of Things Have Significance

In nature the forms of things have significance. Louis H. Sullivan explains that all things in nature have a shape that is to say, a form that tells us what they are. These things express the inner life, the native quality and nature through form. Similarly, Mario Salvadori states that nature knows well the principles of strength through architectural form. Like the form of large curved roofs made with natural materials used whenever possible to protect life.

Sullivan states in his theory that nature expresses the inner life of things through form. That it is easy to perceive those natural characteristics of a bird, animal, tree, fish and the like. These natural qualities of the form tells us what they are and it helps distinguish them from ourselves and each other. “Yet the moment we peer beneath this surface of things, the moment we look through the tranquil reflection of ourselves and the clouds above us, down into the clear, fluent, unfathomable depth of nature, how startling the silence of it, how amazing the flow of life, how absorbing the mystery”. All these forms express the life of matter of things and this essential process is called nature. Life in nature is recognizable in its expression of form.

In addition, Salvadori explains in his theory that nature uses its principles of strength through curved forms in order to protect life. He also adds that in order to achieve large roofs, domes were made by means of natural or man-made materials. The curvature form is strength and it is used as a structural element to preserve life in nature. “The egg is a strong home for the developing chick, even though its shell weighs only a fraction of an ounce. The seashell protects the mollusk from its voracious enemy and can, in addition, sustain the pressure of deep water thanks to its curved surfaces. The same protection is given snails and turtles, tortoises and armadillos”. All these beings in nature have a form that protects them to reassure their survival. It is easy to see how nature uses the form of curvature as a means of strength to preserve life with minimum material.

To conclude, both authors Louis H. Sullivan and Salvadori explain how form is used in nature. Sullivan states that form in nature is used to distinguish and to convey how the matter of things are from one another. Whereas, Salvadori explains that nature uses form as a means of strength to protect beings and that this form is curvature.