A Psychological Meta-Analysis of the Form-Function Relation in Architectural Design Process from the Perspective of Creativity

Context: Architecture is an impressive event in human life with the nature that returns to the design process in any way, and therefore, the significant role of creativity is inevitable in its various aspects. Generally, the design is a motivated effort to satisfy human needs, which focuses on two main principles, form and function, on huge scale view in architecture. Thus, the relation between them is the matter always considered due to the architectural essence. Accordingly, it is important to pay attention to the prominent role of architectural creativity in recognizing and redefining this fundamental connectivity. the main aim of the present research is investigating the quiddity of the form-function relation and identifying its affecting factors based on a recognizing approach to the existence levels of human as the main user of architecture, focusing on the niche of creativity. This research was conducted with a descriptive method and subsequently a qualitative content analysis equipped with a comparative-interpretative approach to identify key variables involved in related theories. Furthermore, we tried to make adequate and redefine this relationship between these concepts with logical reasoning and critical thinking. Since the analytical scrutiny of our research is developed based on the previous theoreticians’ analytical processes, it could be considered as a qualitative meta-analysis study focuses on the related anthropological dimensions. According to the content unity of concepts design and creativity, particularly in art and architecture, it seems to be logical that apply the concept of creativity to explain the form-function relation comprehensively. Finally, a conceptual model and associated manifest were presented that covers all of the studied theories. Explaining that the form is created on the basis of various human demands and makes possible to satisfy the basic and higher needs of mankind, by affording the functions and meta-functions in corresponding to the different dimensions of creativity used.