If we look at any plant, animal, or organism on the planet, it is apparent that the necessary function has always taken precedent, but through evolution has made some extremely beautiful outcomes. A swan, a lily, and even an amoeba can be considered aesthetically beautiful, but their designer (evolution, divine intervention, whatever you want to call it) created a living, functioning organism whose beauty only supports its functionality. I think that Louis Sullivan alludes to this in his writings about ornamentation; that the way ornamentation was approached historically was by overlaying a veneer of decoration, but he argues that ornamentation must be an inherent part of the building itself.
If we look at the three main parts of any building (and any organism as well), one notices that these components must be integrated in order to be successful:
Form
Construction
Materiality
A bird's shape is made for aerodynamics, its bones are hollow to be light and flexible, and its feathers are waterproof and lightweight to repel rain and allow for flight. In comparison, there are many buildings that do not understand the rules of choosing a form, construction method and materials that will suit its individuality. Every tower should not just be a glass block and every house should not be wood-sided. Every building should not be steel, nor should it be stick-framed. Today we have an infinite combination of forms, materials and construction methods, but an architect's responsibility (if somewhat inordinate) is to understand these combinations and be able to made unique decisions for every building they design. Anything less than making appropriate decisions in these three categories in response to environment, program, usage, sustainability and site is not living up to the responsibility of the architect.
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