FORM AND FUNCTION
Today, in this event of technology and the existence of an information society, we are actually reshaping the fundamental concepts of architectural form and functions. History might suggest the importance of the environment and events in the shaping of form in architecture and buildings. I think that form does not solely follow the function but it is also the environment that shapes the resulting form.
“Architects of the twenty-first century will still shape, arrange and connect spaces to satisfy human needs. They will still care about the qualities of visual and ambient environments. They will still seek commodity, firmness and delight. But commodity will be as much a matter of software functions and interface designs as it is of floor plans and construction materials.” William J. Mitchel
As computers and humans are more and more adapting towards one another, buildings are just becoming a matter of platform to satisfy the needs of allocating the hardware and software. For example, there is more consideration given towards ‘wiring’ up the homes and offices as everything must be compatible with the connectivity of internet and other wireless devices. While more thought are given on these aspects, the exterior and built forms of some of the ‘high-connectivity’ buildings are not so convincing.
Computer and internet have already replaced the conventional functions of our daily activities that usually require a walk down the road, for example shopping your groceries, dropping your letters at the nearest post-box, borrowing books from the library and so on. These activities have been replaced by online shopping, e-mail technology and web surfing for information or downloading e-books for that purpose. Technology has changed the basic requirements for space in a building. Less space is needed for example for storage purposes as these are replaced by computer software and hardware. Therefore, this might be the one of the reasons behind the concept of recombination of functions in ordinary buildings. ‘Recombinant architecture’ in which ‘telecommunication systems replaced circulation systems, and the solvent of digital information decomposes traditional building types,’ the process of creating digital places can be thought of as ‘recombinant design’. Buildings are more flexible in form and functions, and these new breeds of buildings are increasingly becoming popular. Banks are also a built-in coffee house, and more residential houses have replaced the role of office buildings. Whatever you’ll find in an office could be found in most houses in towns and even villages. The role of building form as the sole representation of its function are no longer the issues. Probably, nowadays most people are only concern on what the building will offer as a service to them, regardless of how it looks.
Reihoku Community Hall
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The aim of this project was to create a compact, high-efficiency box which combines the functions of a public auditorium and a community center in the same space. This overlap of program increases spatial efficiency and yet each function only becomes apparent when necessary. The resulting volume consists of one large open area, in which the main activities are housed, and a collection of smaller volumes along the perimeter to accommodate ancillary functions.
As the boundary between physical and virtual cyberspace are fading away day by day, architecture and building forms are facing more challenges than ever before. Recombinant architecture could be a sign of less number of buildings but with more functions and utilities. This could be a good sign for the environment as less constructed structures could mean a more preserved environment to the community. But buildings would be impossible to fade into the atmosphere as people are constantly changing the events and technologies. Building would be more intelligently constructed in the future in sync with the advent of new technologies.