Episode 14 - Form Follows Function

This episode unpacks one of the most famous and often misunderstood phrases in architecture: "form ever follows function." The discussion begins by tracing the phrase back to its originator, the American architect Louis Sullivan, and argues that its common interpretation as a call for stark, unadorned utilitarianism is a gross oversimplification. For Sullivan, the phrase was not about stripping away beauty but about finding a deeper, more organic relationship between a building's purpose, its structure, and its aesthetic expression.

The episode explores Sullivan's own work, particularly his pioneering skyscrapers, to illustrate his true intent. His designs were not minimalist boxes; they were often richly ornamented, with intricate, nature-inspired details. The key, the discussion argues, is that this ornamentation was not arbitrary or merely applied; it was an "efflorescence," a flowering forth from the building's inner life and purpose. Sullivan believed that a building's form should be a truthful, honest expression of its function, and that this honesty, in turn, would lead to a more profound and enduring beauty.

The conversation then contrasts Sullivan's holistic vision with the more rigid, often dogmatic, functionalism that came later, particularly in the work of architects like Le Corbusier. It shows how the phrase "form follows function" was co-opted and reinterpreted to justify a more machine-like, often sterile, aesthetic. The episode concludes by reaffirming Sullivan's original, more poetic, and ultimately more humane, understanding of the phrase, suggesting that it remains a powerful guide for creating architecture that is both beautiful and true to itself.