Farshid Moussavi, co-founder of Foreign Office Architects (FOA) and a professor at Harvard GSD, wrote this book as a follow-up to her earlier work, The Function of Ornament. In this body of work, she argues against the traditional, subjective view of style as merely a "fashion" or a "period look." Instead, she proposes a more functionalist and technical approach.
Here is a useful breakdown of the core arguments in The Function of Style, which will help you navigate the text if you are studying it:
The core argument of the book dismantles the false dichotomy between "functional" engineering and "aesthetic" style. Moussavi writes: “Style is not an end in itself, nor a pre-existing repertoire of forms; it is produced as the means by which architects speculate on new forms of life.”
In other words, style is the vehicle through which architecture adapts to cultural, social, and economic shifts. It is not about reviving Georgian or Gothic motifs; it is about finding formal responses to contemporary conditions.
Traditional architecture relies on types (a church looks like a church; a library looks like a library). Moussavi argues that in the contemporary city, programs are fluid. Therefore, architects must work with topologies (continuous surfaces that bend, fold, or bulge to accommodate different functions).
Example: A floor that bulges up to become a bench, then folds over to become a ceiling. The style (the bulge, the fold) is the function. You don't add a bench; the floor becomes the bench through stylistic manipulation.
Since its release, The Function of Style has become required reading in design studios worldwide. Critics have praised Moussavi for finally giving architects a language to defend aesthetic choices without reverting to decoration for decoration’s sake.
However, some detractors argue that the book is too optimistic. By framing style purely as a "speculative function," Moussavi ignores the economic realities of construction. Developers do not want "specific styles"; they want cheap, repeatable systems.
Nevertheless, for the student, the PDF remains a toolkit for resistance against the banality of the global generic. It teaches you to look at a facade not as a mask, but as a breathing, functional organ.
Farshid Moussavi, co-founder of Foreign Office Architects (FOA) and a professor at Harvard GSD, wrote this book as a follow-up to her earlier work, The Function of Ornament. In this body of work, she argues against the traditional, subjective view of style as merely a "fashion" or a "period look." Instead, she proposes a more functionalist and technical approach.
Here is a useful breakdown of the core arguments in The Function of Style, which will help you navigate the text if you are studying it:
The core argument of the book dismantles the false dichotomy between "functional" engineering and "aesthetic" style. Moussavi writes: “Style is not an end in itself, nor a pre-existing repertoire of forms; it is produced as the means by which architects speculate on new forms of life.” the function of style farshid moussavi pdf
In other words, style is the vehicle through which architecture adapts to cultural, social, and economic shifts. It is not about reviving Georgian or Gothic motifs; it is about finding formal responses to contemporary conditions.
Traditional architecture relies on types (a church looks like a church; a library looks like a library). Moussavi argues that in the contemporary city, programs are fluid. Therefore, architects must work with topologies (continuous surfaces that bend, fold, or bulge to accommodate different functions). Moussavi writes: “Style is not an end in
Example: A floor that bulges up to become a bench, then folds over to become a ceiling. The style (the bulge, the fold) is the function. You don't add a bench; the floor becomes the bench through stylistic manipulation.
Since its release, The Function of Style has become required reading in design studios worldwide. Critics have praised Moussavi for finally giving architects a language to defend aesthetic choices without reverting to decoration for decoration’s sake. The Shift from "Type" to "Topology" Traditional architecture
However, some detractors argue that the book is too optimistic. By framing style purely as a "speculative function," Moussavi ignores the economic realities of construction. Developers do not want "specific styles"; they want cheap, repeatable systems.
Nevertheless, for the student, the PDF remains a toolkit for resistance against the banality of the global generic. It teaches you to look at a facade not as a mask, but as a breathing, functional organ.