Architecture and Design Atlas

How Space Is Shaped
Concepts

Form Follows Function

Also Known As Form Ever Follows Function
Design Principle

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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
Design principle 1
Formulated Year
1896 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

He coined the phrase in his 1896 essay on the tall office building.

Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationThe Tall Office Building Artistically Considered, 1896
Quote, The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered, 1896
form ever follows function, and this is the law
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