Form Follows Numbers: The Dual Axis of Numerical Sovereignty in the Dictation of Urban Space and Architectural Form
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Purpose – This study challenges the modernist axiom “form follows function” by introducing “Form Follows Numbers” (FFN), a paradigm that explains how specific numerical values dictate contemporary urban morphology and monumental architecture.Methodology – Drawing on numerical sovereignty, the production of abstract space, and architectural sign-value, the study uses a comparative multiple-case analysis to examine instances in which numerical metrics override structural and economic rationalities, arranging them along a dual axis of sovereign and hegemonic power.Findings – Numbers function as sovereign spatial signifiers that materialise political memory, demographic proportionality, and cosmic harmony. Turkey exemplifies the rational-bureaucratic axis, whereas East Asian and global cases reveal the cultural-cosmological axis.Conclusions – Rather than universally replacing functionalism, the numerical dictation of form is a specialised morphological condition in which functionalist pragmatism is deliberately set aside in favour of symbolic communication.Keywords: Form Follows Numbers (FFN), Numerical Sovereignty, Spatial Signifier, Monumentality, Spatialisation.JEL Codes: R14, R52, Z13
Author: Mücahit Navruz
Institution: Selçuk University
Language: Turkish
Subfield: Architecture
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7224118997