ornaments
the function of ornament
architecture needs mechanisms that allow it to become connected to culture . it achieves this by continually capturing the forces that shape society . this book is a graphic guide to ornaments in the twentieth century . it unveils the function of ornament as the agent for specific affects dismantling the idea that ornament is applied to buildings as a discrete or non essential entity . each case exploits specific synergies between the exterior and the interior constructing an internal order between ornament and material . these internal orders produce expressions that are contemporary yet whose affects are resilient in time . initiated as a seminar at the harvard university graduate school of design . farshid moussavi is a partner in leading london based firm foreign office architects .