Frame and Form

The Spanish publisher Actar presenta The Function of Form, book with which the influential architect Farshid Moussavi intends to conduct a detailed study relating the structural typologies and their role in the built form.

The Function of Form proposes a study of the structural types based on analysis of the role of forms. Moussavi explores beyond the famous ‘form follows function‘ structures and functions attributed to cross to the resistant. Thus, and teselación and combination of basic structural units facilitate interactions between the forms and contexts, possessing the ability to convey different feelings and effects. This interesting approach to the built forms attached to the main functions of multiple structures,putting resistant function at the level of the sensory without the need to use the ornament for this.

The book is the result of a series of seminars conducted by Moussavi over the past two years in the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in which delved into the origin and development of the most common structural types. This experience is reflected in an extremely eloquent organization of formal and cognitive analysis of historical works, since the Middle Ages to the present modern. The book is organized by analyzing structural systems frames and shutters, domes, domes, plates, blades, membrane tensile and pneumatic membranes.

Having analyzed the basic geometric durable unit of each type,considering different real cases and generated where the unit is developed by repetition horizontal, the vertical curve. Having exposed the structural function of each system, Examples of proposed structural forms are analyzed according to the effect that convey sensory. As a simple example explaining the structural unit could take barrel vault Moussavi that rightly describes as the extrusion line of the bow and which can tessellate or repeat horizontally, forming a straight vessel as depicted in the first example of chapter, and Lisbon Cathedral. As proposed by the author, Cathedral of the Portuguese capital would allow an analysis of sensory function, found the optical effects of extrusion and rib, and the acoustic effects of diffusion, damping and echo.

Lisbon Cathedral © Isaac Garcia

One of the strengths of the book is inexhaustible combination of basic structural units showing, alternating between large digital historical works and proposals for its novelty astounding formal. It shows how, maintaining the formal rigor of the basic units resistant, repeating elements can combine in different axes to achieve built forms that convey tangible sensory properties that give the work its own right.

Below these lines you can browse a few pages of the book in digital (recommend full screen).

The Function of Form

Actar & Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Author: Farshid Moussavi

Language: English, ISBN: [978-84-96954-73-1]

Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.8 x 1.6 inches

Pages: 520

Price: 35.00 €