Generic function

Generic function is the first of the three ‘filters’ through which buildings are designed. The first, generic function, refers to the simple logic of the space: its design for the fact of occupation and the fact of movement. It imposes restraints on what is spatially viable, and this is responsible for what all buildings have in common as spatial design. (The second filter is cultural and the third is the individual properties of the building).

Sources

Hillier, B. (1996, 2007), Space is the Machine: A Configurational Theory of Architecture. Space Syntax: London, UK. pp.5-6