Aesthetics overriding Function

The visual qualities of an architectural design have always had popular appeal. All through the history, architects have borrowed heavily from the classical tradition in order to replicate its visual appeal. All this is quite acceptable in case one is designing a building type that was part of the classical tradition like a church, as the function of the building remains unchanged. But when someone tries to design a corporate building in the classical tradition, there are bound to be problems with the functional aspects of design.

This is what happened when an architect tried to design of a bank building based on Parthenon. This was the Girard Trust Corn Exchange Bank (now part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art) in Philadelphia, designed by architects McKim, Mead & White in the early 20th century. The building was explicitly modeled on the Parthenon style, featuring a massive, open, columned banking hall (or "cella") on the ground floor to maintain classical purity.

The manager of the bank wanted to have his cabin and partitions for the staff on the main floor, but the architect refused to subdivide this space with modern partitions, believing it would violate the aesthetic integrity of the classical design. The owner sided with the architect's vision to maintain the monumental, open-floor "temple" aesthetic. As a result of this refusal to disturb the open hall, the bank manager was reportedly forced to have his office in the basement.

The second story is about La Scala, an Opera House in Milan, Italy, which was designed by Giuseppe Piermarini. After it was opened in 1778, people found out that there were a number of seats in this theatre which had no view of the stage. When the architect was asked about the flaw, he argued that in an opera theatre it is impossible to plan for everyone to have a look at the stage and some people will have to be content by listening to the music alone. Though the acoustic design of the place was good, this kind of reply by an architect would be unimaginable today.

It was buildings like this which led to the modern insistence on function, and the reason for F. L. Wright to specify 'Form follows function' or for Le Corbusier to define 'house as a machine to live in'