Whenever architects design buildings and city planners envision urban life, an increasing mass of regulations accompany them. Laws, regulations and standardised norms have become key factors in the design process, which ought to be grounds for public debate.
The exhibition ‘Form Follows Rule’ brings the regulations to the fore, regulations which are themselves rarely featured in an architecture museum, directing attention critically but also unavoidably humorously to the legal subtext of architecture and urban development. Case studies, explanations of terminology, historical and international comparisons show how strongly legislative compendia and reams of standardised norms have a significant impact on the design process. Interviews with architects, project developers, experts and building authority representatives shed light on the current situation in all of its complexity and incongruities, exploring leeway for interpretation that is also exploited in numerous workarounds.
