The principle that a building's shape should arise from its purpose, stated by Louis Sullivan in his 1896 essay The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered as form ever follows function. Adopted as a battle cry by the modern movement, it was later answered by postmodern critics for whom function alone never explained why buildings look as they do.
Facts
Concept Domain Formulated Year Domain
Domain (category)Philosophical / Theoretical 1 FAQs
Who coined the phrase form follows function?
Louis Sullivan, in his 1896 essay The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered.
The American architect Louis Sullivan coined it, in his 1896 essay The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered, where he wrote that form ever follows function.
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He coined the phrase in his 1896 essay on the tall office building.
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
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Sources
1. Form follows function (Wikipedia)
- intro: "a principle of design"
Lead section
Form follows function is a principle of design associated with late 19th- and early 20th-century architecture and industrial design in general, which states that the appearance and structure of a building or object (architectural form) should primarily relate to its intended function or purpose.
View the Source2. Encyclopedia Britannica
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