Some people think that the appearance of a building is more important than its function. To what extend do you agree or disagree?

Nowadays, many people believe that the value of a construct would more lie in its attractive appearance instead of its actual functions. I think that overall, I do not agree with the view. Undoubtedly, a good appearance might increase the cultural and commercial value of a building. Building exteriors form part of the cityscape and bring artistic experiences into people’s daily life. A visually pleasing building may make its users feel comfortable and help them to work more energetically. At the same time, in the design process of some commercial buildings, the clients may request unique or unusual exteriors to make their structures distinctive from others in order to attract more business. Nevertheless, the priority in building design should be to produce functionally efficient buildings. The fundamental reason is that the function of buildings, in modern times, is far more complex than just sheltering people from bad weather, but the layout, structure and building materials of a residential build not only need to make the users feel comfortable but also to offer them well-equipped and efficient user experiences. For example, without enough digital reading rooms, libraries would be difficult to satisfy many students’ needs to search for relevant e-books. If some industrial buildings cannot provide manufacturers with large places to produce, their running costs would rise. This is likely to lead to financial loss for the owner of the buildings and waste of land resources for governments. To summarize, I believe that compared with the aesthetic consideration of a building, the practical functions of the building should be paid more attention by architects.