Form & Function
Expressions of Truth & Beauty
The relationship of form and function is a central theme in architecture. The main debate is whether a building's form should "truthfully" express its function or should it be "independent" of its function. This project will analyze the relationship between form and function through design. My goal was to achieve a workable function that also illustrated beauty of a truss bridge.
Conceptual Bridge Spans
My Inspirations
The following are my chosen conceptual spans that I picked for portraying form and function. The left is a truss bridge, which ended up being my final design displayed above. It is a load-bearing superstructure composed of a truss, usually forming triangular units. The middle is a Cantilever bridge, which is built out sideways from piers. The right is an Arch bridge, which relies on a semi-circle curve for support, making them a great attraction because they can span large distances without posts.
For this project I needed to incorporate a household item with a complex movement. I chose an umbrella, cork screw opener, and step stool for my movement analogies. These everyday items were my inspirations to draw movement mechanisms within my conceptual span designs. My final chosen component was the umbrella.
Conceptual Combination Table
The following drawing is my 3x3 table, which joined my conceptual bridge span and household item inspirations into one.  For each prototype I designed a moveable mechanism using the household items. This assignment helped me generate my ideas into a realistic design that was both functional and unique.
Conceptual Combination Table
The following drawing is my 3x3 table, which joined my conceptual bridge span and household item inspirations into one.  For each prototype I designed a moveable mechanism using the household items. This assignment helped me generate my ideas into a realistic design that was both functional and unique.
2D and 3DÂ Movement Mechanisms of Umbrella
I created an authentic mechanism that was both praqctical and displayed beauty using the umbrella as my prototype.
2D Preliminary Design
After choosing my bridge and movement prototype I was able to create a realistic truss bridge in form and function.
3D Preliminary Design
I created a 3D model of my truss bridge using my 2D preliminary design
Final Design
Below is an illustration of my final 3D design model with moveable parts.
