Design Quote

"It’s not uncommon for designers to confuse a beautiful looking product with one that works beautifully."

— BRADEN KOWITZSource: article

This quote goes towards my fundamental thinking of architecture and design, it doesn't matter how amazing something looks, if it's functionally useless. This quote seems to apply more to design of products, but it can apply to building principles also. This quote wouldn't be something that Zaha Hadid would adopt. She didn't care what the function of a building was, as long as it looked beautiful to the eyes walking past. Personally, I find this sense rather odd. I identify with the quote, as I see it pointless to create anything that is not useful to it's purpose. Living in a beautiful building is nice, but if it constantly disrupts or hinders the environment of the inhabitants, is it truly beautiful? A design that satisfies the client's every need in the best possible way, is beautiful.
Everything I design, I want it to have purpose. Surely I could draw a bunch of lines on a paper and make it look nice, but if I designed those lines in a perfect order then it's really beautiful. I would prefer to make a building that looks like a warehouse on the outside, and functionally perfect on the inside. Car manufactures don't want a building that looks nice, they want a building that is going to work. That's what is beautiful.

Zaha Hadid

Dubai Opera House (not built) 

So my first thought: what the hell is it? Zaha Hadid's work left many people thinking this, but that's the reason her work is so great. Hadid pushed boundaries on what was even thought of, she constantly dismantled the box of ordinary thought to create beautiful and fanciful designs. Zaha Hadid died on March 31, 2016, but not without leaving behind a legacy that will carry on for generations.

When looking at Hadid’s work I filled with both awe and confusion. While I think the designs are beautiful, I think she goes above and beyond past ridiculousness. The curves and flows grab my eye and pull me in, but when I’m able to take a step back and simply ask, why? Some of the design principles just don’t make much sense. Reading into Hadid’s life, I can see that Hadid did whatever she wanted. She constantly ignored cost limitations, and even construction limitations. This is something that divides me on her and her work. I’m extremely logical, and this makes me hate her designs, but they’re just stunning. I wanted to be able to go admire at all of the buildings that she has designed, whether they be just drawings or actual be built.

While many are divided on her work, it’s hard to deny that she has left a legacy. She challenges future architects to push the boundaries of what is possible and done before. Not only has that, but she challenged engineered to think outside of the box. Engineers need to adapt to what the architect sees, and this is something that will be continued forward for many years.