AW: Function follows form?

[Visuelle Protokolle]

Hi Dough,

My two cents:

Christopher Alexander, an architect an re-searcher, studied the relation between form and function for years and years. His Book "A Pattern Language" is a source for me if I want to dive into this field. Basically he found out, that both form and function follow, or maybe better form patterns, which are related. Some of these patterns are archetypical, and true for all of us, and the forgotten pattern language could make life a lot more human.

So you have forms or patterns of life or behaviour, and corresponding physical forms or patterns, which can support the soft life forms/patterns or hinder their functions.

If you use 'form' for groups, for their shape, size, coherence, or for methods, types of communication, hierarchies, it seems to me, that you look at the structures. So different structures have an impact on the quality of the outcome, I think.

 So who comes first? Structure or quality? Who is master, who is servant? My choice is clear, but it seems not to be the main stream choice.

Mit freundlichen Gruessen
Best regards

Reinhard

VISUELLE PROTOKOLLE
Kuchenmueller & Dr.Stifel

Munich Germany

Tel: +49-89-202 447 48

http://www.visuelle-protokolle.de



-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] Im Auftrag von Douglas D. Germann, Sr.
Gesendet: Freitag, 3. September 2004 16:39
An: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Betreff: Function follows form?


Hi good friends--

Florian once sent me an article about an architect and about how we got the notion in our western culture that Form follows function.

Rob Lehman, Chair of the Fetzer Institute, in the latest issue of the IONS journal Shift, raises the question that function can follow form, as it relates to groups: that the group (that is, the form) can stir up from the pot its truth and from that flows its action (function). So in my view it is a circle and you can jump in where form is creating the function. And why not, logically? Our house with its strange floor plan has changed how we work and live and we think for the better.

Is this not what we see in groups? They come together as a collection
(form) of individuals. Their work (function) going forward flows from that form. Then overnight--literally--they become one. And this seems to flow from their function (that is the announced topic, "Issues and Opportunities for..."), but also their function flows from their form--that is their coming together and how they come together. A circle from stirring the pot.

                              :-Doug.
                              Know any Have-Tos?

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