Designing Form: An Evaluation of Form Knowledge in Architectural Education Through the Lens of Urban Furniture

This study examines how form knowledge informs design decisions in architectural education, focusing on the relationship between formal transformations, function, and user needs. It investigates whether students integrate form-generation skills with functional and user-centered considerations. The research was conducted during the spring semester of 2025–2026 in the “Form in Architecture” course at Karabük University. Data comprised 20 student-designed urban furniture projects, analyzed through qualitative content analysis and typological comparison of drawings, physical models, and interim critiques. The findings show that addition, subtraction, and repetition were the most frequently used form operations, often in combination. These operations were commonly associated with seating, shading, rain protection, and waiting. However, human scale, safety, and sensory experience received less attention. The study emphasizes that architectural form education should extend beyond developing formal skills to integrate form, space, function, and user needs within the design process.