Prestinenza Puglisi on the evolution of functionalism in architecture

Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi explores the concept of 'function' in architecture, tracing its evolution from the Modern Movement to contemporary parametricism. He argues that functionalism, as a strict doctrine, emerged with early 20th-century machinism and the Modern Movement, particularly its radical wing, which sought rational criteria for industrial metropolises. Key figures like Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe are discussed: Le Corbusier's 'machine for living' metaphor and Mies's focus on formal exactness. Post-WWII, the horrors of war led to a rejection of rigid functionalism, with architects like Le Corbusier himself (Ronchamp) and later groups such as Superstudio, Archizoom, Ettore Sottsass, and Alessandro Mendini prioritizing imagination and 'useless' beauty. Puglisi identifies three styles derived from functionalism: minimalism (e.g., Mies's Farnsworth House), Hi-Tech (e.g., Centre Pompidou by Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava), and parametric architecture (introduced by Luigi Moretti, later theorized by Patrick Schumacher). He distinguishes between real functionality and perceived functionality, noting that communicative impact often relies on appearance. The article concludes that function is now a prerequisite, not the dominant criterion, and that contemporary architecture (e.g., Frank Gehry, Diller Scofidio + Renfro) transcends functionalist evaluation.