The appearance of a building is more important than its function. Do you agree or disagree?
A lot of modern buildings around the world are famous for their special and meaningful forms. Some people argue that the exterior of structure is prior to its function. I totally disagree with this argument because the appearance of building should be considered as same important as other architecture factors including functionality.
The purpose of constructing any buildings is for practical use but not only for just watching from the outside. For example, in practice, architects should design the buildings according to the requirements specifications of buildings. These documents usually include the purposes of the buildings, such as an office building, a house, an apartment building or a stadium, and the functionalities the buildings should have, like shedding water, heating and cooling. In addition, the design of a building involves far more than its appearance since buildings must also be safe, economical and environmental friendly. Therefore, the exterior of buildings is only one of the essential architecture factors which need to be considered and should not be dominated.
Furthermore, excessive design in architecture needs special techniques and much more time and material resources to achieve than usual. But sometimes it may not be satisfied by the public if the safety issues are concerned. This can be best illustrated with the example of a famous modern building in Beijing - CCTV new site, which has a marvelous form with a large area impending in the air. Due to its unique design of appearance, the total cost is more than 20 billion dollars and it takes more than 10 years to complete. However, most people in China do not seem to be interested in the appearance of this construction but worried about its safety since it had experienced a serious accident several years ago. Moreover, even if the building have been proved to be safe now, people who sit in the impending offices could feel nervous that cause negative effects on their working efficiency.
In conclusion, admittedly people do like buildings that have aesthetic appeal, but it should not come at the cost of the appropriate function, time, financial resources and safety. Consequently, architects need to find a balance between architectural idea and built reality.
A lot of modern buildings around the world are famous for their special and meaningful forms. Some people argue that the exterior of structure is prior to its function. I totally disagree with this argument because the appearance of building should be considered as same important as other architecture factors including functionality.
The purpose of constructing any buildings is for practical use but not only for just watching from the outside. For example, in practice, architects should design the buildings according to the requirements specifications of buildings. These documents usually include the purposes of the buildings, such as an office building, a house, an apartment building or a stadium, and the functionalities the buildings should have, like shedding water, heating and cooling. In addition, the design of a building involves far more than its appearance since buildings must also be safe, economical and environmental friendly. Therefore, the exterior of buildings is only one of the essential architecture factors which need to be considered and should not be dominated.
Furthermore, excessive design in architecture needs special techniques and much more time and material resources to achieve than usual. But sometimes it may not be satisfied by the public if the safety issues are concerned. This can be best illustrated with the example of a famous modern building in Beijing - CCTV new site, which has a marvelous form with a large area impending in the air. Due to its unique design of appearance, the total cost is more than 20 billion dollars and it takes more than 10 years to complete. However, most people in China do not seem to be interested in the appearance of this construction but worried about its safety since it had experienced a serious accident several years ago. Moreover, even if the building have been proved to be safe now, people who sit in the impending offices could feel nervous that cause negative effects on their working efficiency.
In conclusion, admittedly people do like buildings that have aesthetic appeal, but it should not come at the cost of the appropriate function, time, financial resources and safety. Consequently, architects need to find a balance between architectural idea and built reality.
