Should form follow function or function follow form?

It’s a timeless debate, but this idea by Choi and Shine Architects for a series of giant electric pylons for the Icelandic Pylon Competition surely exemplifies a perfect marriage of the two. If the role of design is not just to create utility but also to enhance our visual surrounds, then this example definitely hits the mark.

Does anyone know an Australian power supplier that would like this idea? Perhaps it could even be given an Australian ‘twist’; an Aussie lifesaver holding a life-line above their head, for example. Now I’d like to see that.

Julian Jones is a Senior Designer at Wellmark.