Can design, in its purest expression, be truly functional? To ask the question is to answer it, at least in part.
Designers’ main mission is to express their feelings, their visions, to offer experiences through an art form. Conversely, when design becomes a concept in the functional domain, it becomes much ‘trickier’, even if there are well-known counterexamples, notably demonstrated by our Italian friends: famous cars, boats and certain types of furniture are the best examples of this.
Can the same principle be applied to interior design or real estate?
Certainly, and to stay with Italy, there are world-famous architects who create architectural feats with bold and inspiring designs. We shouldn’t pit design against functionality, but rather find the best possible way of meeting requirements that often go beyond 30-40 years of operation.
The problem often lies at the highest hierarchical levels of institutions and companies. Everyone knows: all the top managers are experts in real estate and design and know the subtleties of functional design better than anyone!
Now that we’ve got the humour out of the way, we need to ask ourselves at least 2-3 questions:
• What is the motivation for having a building or interior with a “strong design”? What do we want it to show?
• Are we aware that our choices are going to have an impact on the way things work on the operating costs and on the facilities - or not - for staff for 30-40 years or more?
• Are we prepared to assume the financial and operational consequences over the long term?
• Are we aware that building a museum or an administrative building has different constraints and objectives?
• Do we have the flexibility to reorganise the space if this becomes necessary as a result of organisational or structural changes?
• Have we bought a concept, an idea, a plan, a finished building, etc.? bearing in mind that certain options have enormous legal and financial consequences, preventing any changes without the designer’s authorisation.
Again, the point is not to pit design against functionality, but to emphasise the importance of both in the choices made by senior management. The problem lies in the fact that in most cases, the top managers have long since disappeared from the radar, while the ‘linchpins’ are still busy correcting or managing the mistakes…
The “it’s wonderful, but it’s not at all practical” line has been heard so many times, it’s astonishing that it’s still possible to reach this level of misunderstanding today: the egos of both sides are certainly the source and must be incompatible with the minimum of common sense.
Many people insist - and rightly so - on sustainable development, on thinking about future generations, on making good use of resources. Perhaps we should do the same in the field of construction and interior design?
When major projects are being designed, the naysayers and critics are often not invited to the discussion table. It’s a mistake that pays for itself later…
Enjoy the process, happy reading and see you soon.