Function: The Implications as Seen

¶ … Function: The Implications as Seen Through Key Structures

Physical surroundings are a determinant factor in the defining the human experience. The communities, neighborhoods and buildings where we find familiarity and comfort are also those same hosts upon which we rely for sustenance, socialization and survival. And to that end, the interaction between man and nature defines the shape taken by each of these pursuits. Though such is a premise which has always persisted as an overarching theme in the infinite architectural philosophies that have adorned and scarred the earth, today's architectural dilemmas suggest that the emphases on nature and humanism have become destructively obscured by economic factors.

Some historical examples of architecture, such as the Colloseum in Rome and the proposed 1 World Trade Center are a direct reflection of this condition while others, such as the Basilica of St. Sernin in Toulouse, France and Fallingwater in rural Pennsylvania.

The Colloseum is likely the most prominent of these instances, with its sheer enormity implicating its function as a meeting place for sport, spectatorship and public gathering. The circular form and the cleared out arena tell a crucial narrative about both Roman society and the architectural capabilities which it had attained. We may observe that form follows function here with its grandness today denoting as much about the people who used it as about its modes of usage.

The basilica of St. Sernin is another particularly compelling example of this because its form deviates so particularly from the parameters of Christian architecture even as it is designed for many of the same purposes. The distinguishing feature of this structure is its relative enormity, making it an anomaly in 1060 when it first rose to its peak elevation. Its vaulted ceilings and the various satellite chapels which flank the grand sanctuary are a demonstration of the increasing proliferation of Christianity. The scale of the building would confer upon it the function of a pilgrimage destination, setting it apart from the regionally serving monuments to Christianity which had previously been more modest in scale.

And with respect to the eschewing of modesty, the new World Trade Center which is currently under construction in New York City proposes soon to be the tallest building in the United States. This is a demonstration of a form which follows a complex set of functions, both philosophically and practically. To the latter, there is an interest in housing a significant population of businesses, agencies, organizations and priorities. As it replaces the Twin Towers felled by a terrorist attack in 2001, 1 World Trade Center must serve functions of usage that are quite diverse and implicating many people. Philosophically, the enormity of form may be regarded as following the function of patriotism, with the structure also designed to make a statement of determination and resilience for an America previously humbled by attack. Its function is to reassert the persistence of modernity.