Working on a research paper under the topic "Causal Nexus of Globalization in Architecture". Looking forward for your thought on Globalization in Architecture. Both, positive and negative comments are welcomed.
Causal Nexus is the relation between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effects or consequences), where the second event is understood as a physical consequence of the first. Onset of this dissertation is with the idea that there exists a strong relationship between Architecture and Globalization at various scales. In the present day context, cities and regions are facing great challenges as a consequence of globalization. There are two set of forces in this social realm – anti global and pro global. The tension between these forces has long existed with two opposing forces affecting Architectural globalization. One force seeks to safeguard and promulgate established indigenous architectural traditions, forms and technologies advocating the historical continuity, cultural diversity and preservation of identity, symbolized by a particular architectural vocabulary, just as spoken languages and local dialects. The other force promotes the invention and dissemination of new forms using new technologies and materials in response to changing functional needs and sensibilities, placing a premium on systemization, standardization and homogeneity which is something against the human nature. Some see Globalization as generating increasing homogeneity, while others see it producing diversity and heterogeneity. Thus, there exists a strong need to study and validate the causalities and synchronicities in Architectural Globalization. The impacts of Globalization is different (may be positive) in a developed country whereas the impacts on a developing country or an under developed country is entirely different (mostly negatives). And the thought about Globalization varies from person to person, place to place with respect to time. Here I want your opinion on what Globalization is, according to you. Is it good or bad?
"Globalization" has existed for hundreds of years; it is nothing new. It used to be called "slavery". In the US the architecture of the Mid-Atlantic states, New Orleans, Mobile, and others was strongly influenced by African roots intertwined with English and French customs. Same for much of the the Caribbean. The blending of the cultures created a new architecture unique to the new place.
Well, Globalization is nothing new. May be that's right for a developed country like United States, which neither had its own vernacular sense or style in Architecture nor a strong historic background in terms of Architecture.That's is what i specified in my previous comment, Architectural Globalization is TOTALLY NEW to the developing countries and to many under developed countries, which are yet to be affected. Ranging from Mesopotamian Architecture to Neoclassical Architecture, there were very many Architectural styles that existed in world history. In fact, many Architectural styles got its name from the place and people to whom it belonged to. [ Romanesque, Greek, Dravidian, etc.]. But at present, the existence of so many architectural styles is diminishing gradually and there is a rise in SINGULARITY, in the name of Modern Architecture, where every thing is getting homogenized, standardized and globalized. There is a huge lack in skilled labors to produce such master works. All those architectural wealth are now put into the Heritage list - World heritage site and very few buildings with such unique architectural styles/ language are still in use.
Look at these images. This was the theme of Venice Biennial 2014 - "Fundamentals", proposed by Rem koolhas.
This is what I meant by SINGULARITY.
Should this change be considered as a positive growth for any region or a city or a country? Is it ok if a region loses its identity or its originality? In better words, is it ok if a region develops without its own architectural identity? What will happen in future if the same continues? Monotony.
You are touching on a very interestong topic related to the branding of coties. I did some research with Dr. Anna Klingmann who has written extensively onthe subject of brandism... She calls it the "introverted icon."
Siddharth I like how you keep coming back and working out your thoughts, the archinectors who provoked you were useful..........Volunteer aren't you worried about Globalization of sweet little Charleston, SC? Is that when time stopped for you?............@siddarth. I would reach a little outside of standard architecture texts and look at some of Douglas Coupland 's recent writing and then go back 2 decades and look at Paul Virillio ' writings. I would say Globalization in one aspect is considerably much different these days than the past due to the Internet mainly.......a high rise tower can only be built in so many ways, yet Cesar Pelli's Petronas Towers. Do read Regional. Another old concept and text to maybe rehash in your work is Frampton 's Critical Regionalism........I am an American born and partially raised in another country and according to Ancestry.com DNA various versions of white - mainly British and Scandanavian......so for the most part I don't understand this local cultural issue as I am a product of an earlier version of Globalization. ....the monotony will occur as finances continue to align with efficiency of engineering and construction and this I think a guy like Rem Koolhaas misses or doesn't stress enough, it's in the details and the economic infrastructure and not necessarily the program or symbolism. ....for this see Norman Foster's. Hong Kong bank - for the most part NOT built in Hong Kong........think about the evolution of the phone - two parts to hold and a rotary , then one handset to hold and push buttons, then a handset with push buttons, a bulky wireless one handset with buttons, a flip phone, a touchscreen phone...don't all cell phones look same now? Local culture similar to religion is interesting for their often strange or nuanced rituals and methods for thinking about and presenting something - something you might call - personality. Occasionally some cultures and religions find its better to loose a few historic rituals to adapt to what is called "progress"? So what is "progress" then? It's what many fear and many strive for, but what is it? Is Globalization progress?
You're a bit late to the party, this has been going on in earnest for the last 50 years. And it's not architecture, which is just the symbol of the real driving force.
None of the photos of the "modern" buildings you have shown are thought of very highly by the citizens of those cities. Paris has relegated them all to their own ghetto on the outskirts of the city. Washington DC has done much the same . Here, though, is Paris' city hall which was rebuilt after a fire about 170 years ago. People come to skate in the winter and sit at outdoor cafes in the spring and summer. The interior houses the best in French painting and sculpture. http://1drv.ms/1vwIKQr
The modern buildings whose photos you posted reflect the inability of architects to design for today with a respect for the past and a hopeful eye on the future. Modern architects could not design a building like the Paris City Hall today, even a modern version of it, because they have no interest in, education of, or affection for the historical forms shown, nor do they have the ability . In short, it is the architects who are uneducated and illiterate, not their patrons.
It's not a matter of historicism... it's a matter of importing styles, ideas, means and methods of construction that are not in touch with the local cultures of the places in which these glass boxes are built.... and I don't mean that we should be building pagodas in asia just because a project is in asia... and I don't mean that we should build buildings that carry the motifs of pagodas.... what I mean is that we should consider people's culture, the available materials, their expertise in making when operating outside of our immediate surroundings.
True that. Provocateurs do keep us alive most of the time. I agree to the fact that Globalization highly contributes to the so called "Progress" of a region or a country, not only in terms of Architecture but also in many other fields. But, I think the progress began 70,000 years ago when Homo sapiens, gifted with an intellect that allowed for adaptation to an alien environment, walked out of Africa. Progress is recorded since that time but humans tended to progress with their own identity irrespective of time. Other than religion and rituals, they(we) had their own food habits which suited our health and geography, they had our own clothing, they had their own shelters which progressed over time and resulted in all those architectural styles which I mentioned in the previous comment. Its better to call it "identity" rather than calling it personality. And our example of cellular phone is a good. But unfortunately the purpose of cell phone is same throughout the world whereas the purpose of architecture is NOT.
@Miles Jaffe - I am a bit late to the Party? Yes I am just 21 year old and I am looking at the world only now. There does not seem to be enough substantiation on what you are talking about. I would like you to explain what you mean by "Those buildings are not a reflection of architecture as much as they are of economics"
bulgar, i don't think anna klingmann is thought of very highly. perhaps in the global context this is where we talk about servitude and slavery of the working class. you want to build great things? start by not paying your interns, am i right? if you wanted to build a nice building in charleston a couple hundred years ago, you bought some slaves. neo-liberalism is the new black and all that.
if you had to choose between 'traditionalism' or whatever and 'modernism,' but 'traditionalism' came with the price of involuntary or otherwise unpaid servitude, would it be worth it? if you were the one forced into free labor, would it still be worth it?
I volunteered my time to do research... I was paid to do CD's...
That being said.... yes- interning for free is something I despise and believe it should be banned... She had an intern from Asia commute 2 hours every day from another city to work for free....
Her business practices, as bad as they may be, do not discredit her status as a pundit on the issue of branding in architecture. You have to be able to separate the two...
Frank Lloyd Wright, Wagner (among others) were racists... does that mean we should discredit their work?
it kind of does bulgar. what she sees as 'branding in architecture' is based in part on her belief that people should serve her without being paid, doesn't it?
what she does is built on relying on charity from people like you. there isn't content in her work without that. there is no branding in architecture without free labor. there are not introverted icons without her belief that people are expected to serve her.
Don't forget the advent of trade, commerce, and mega corporations with massive industrial production. Not all that long ago, you sort of needed to use locally or regionally produced materials.
Now add instant publications and photos at your fingertips to see what the latest trend is... How long has real mass publishing been around with photos? How fast can a great new idea spread across the globe? How many of us have been exposed to foreign cultures and buildings that our predecessors would never have beyond fictional storybooks and their own imaginations about what that far off place might look like?
The result is the decay of regionalism. Some of us hold onto that because we feel it gives you a sense of place and context.
Siddarth - Globalization is the homogenization of the world into a single market dominated by huge multinational corporations that exercise varying degrees of control over formerly sovereign governments. Thus US wars for oil, half the EU squeezing the other half to death, global distribution of consumer products, etc.
Everything is driven by economics. So instead of looking at particular building styles, look at who owns them, who built them and what they are purposed for. The architect just supplied a skin that was fashionable, symbolic, outlandish, etc. as required by the client.
McDonalds look the same in every country and tastes like shit everywhere. That's globalization.
"But unfortunately the purpose of cell phone is same throughout the world whereas the purpose of architecture is NOT"................see Miles post above - no it is becoming the same,an economic purpose all the time ......also see Mightyaa as on how to mask the economics with fast global trends.
There... I see a strong contradiction in what Volunteer and Miles Jaffe has commented.
Volunteer - the inability of architects to design for today with a respect for the past and a hopeful eye on the future. Modern architects could not design a building like the Paris City Hall today, even a modern version of it, because they have no interest in, education of, or affection for the historical forms shown, nor do they have the ability . In short, it is the architects who are uneducated and illiterate, not their patrons. (sounds like Architects are the chief reason behind all these issues)
Miles Jaffe - Everything is driven by economics. So instead of looking at particular building styles, look at who owns them, who built them and what they are purposed for. The architect just supplied a skin that was fashionable, symbolic, outlandish, etc. as required by the client. (sounds like architect does not have any role in these issues)
According to Miles Jaffe's comment architects look like the victims who caught in the hands of Masters behind all the economics. Whereas Volunteer has straightly put that Architects are REASON behind all the mischief. How would you both conclude this?
My opinion is that, since time immemorial all the master works are done only for the riches and emperors ranging from Giza Pyramid to Bhuj Khalifa. If Architects are least responsible for all these changes and Globalization in Architecture is driven my so many other factors(as you all say). . Is it ok if a country or a city develops without its own architectural identity? Is there any major movement or protest happening against all these globally? What will happen in future if the same continues and what according to you is the root cause of all these? I know its quite stupid and vast question to be asked. But I want to tweak this further for a better understanding. You people are worried about your little Charleston SC, I am worried about my entire country which has its own Architectural identity and many such cities are loosing its qualities.
These are very few of the many cities which are very beautiful and are at the verge of extinction.
IMO - the decay of regionalism has more to do with the architecture that results from societies planning their infrastructure around automobility (cars) than it does with the infrastructure of internet/cell phones, etc... Places that are less car-dependant tend to retain some local vernacular and character more so than downtown financial districts and car-centric exurbs.
^ Agreed in part, but economics are again the driving force. Who is paying who, and who benefits?
The head of the local planning department here opened a presentation about a new development (on behalf of the developers?) about the failure of 1950's zoning and commercial corridors along highways. Then he proceeded to lay out a plan for a commercial corridor along the main thoroughfare.
Architectural Globalization - A Storm or a Breeze?
Working on a research paper under the topic "Causal Nexus of Globalization in Architecture". Looking forward for your thought on Globalization in Architecture. Both, positive and negative comments are welcomed.
"Causal Nexus of Globalization in Architecture: A Fart in a Windstorm"
A nexus is a causal connection. What exactly are you asking?
architecture will continue to exist on the globe.
You should retitle your paper to be more succinct.
Unconcerned connection of international integration in the practice of designing and constructing buildings.
Patrik Schumacher would be proud.
What exactly is a "Nasal Lexus"? And will we be cited in the bibliography?
Ever heard of Rem Koolhaas?
"Globalizationis Nexus Causalis in Architectura"
Sounds better in Latin.
Causal Nexus is the relation between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effects or consequences), where the second event is understood as a physical consequence of the first. Onset of this dissertation is with the idea that there exists a strong relationship between Architecture and Globalization at various scales. In the present day context, cities and regions are facing great challenges as a consequence of globalization. There are two set of forces in this social realm – anti global and pro global. The tension between these forces has long existed with two opposing forces affecting Architectural globalization. One force seeks to safeguard and promulgate established indigenous architectural traditions, forms and technologies advocating the historical continuity, cultural diversity and preservation of identity, symbolized by a particular architectural vocabulary, just as spoken languages and local dialects. The other force promotes the invention and dissemination of new forms using new technologies and materials in response to changing functional needs and sensibilities, placing a premium on systemization, standardization and homogeneity which is something against the human nature. Some see Globalization as generating increasing homogeneity, while others see it producing diversity and heterogeneity. Thus, there exists a strong need to study and validate the causalities and synchronicities in Architectural Globalization. The impacts of Globalization is different (may be positive) in a developed country whereas the impacts on a developing country or an under developed country is entirely different (mostly negatives). And the thought about Globalization varies from person to person, place to place with respect to time. Here I want your opinion on what Globalization is, according to you. Is it good or bad?
@Volunteer I hope my description answers your question.
@Miles Jaffe Thanks. But why unconcerned connection?
"Globalization" has existed for hundreds of years; it is nothing new. It used to be called "slavery". In the US the architecture of the Mid-Atlantic states, New Orleans, Mobile, and others was strongly influenced by African roots intertwined with English and French customs. Same for much of the the Caribbean. The blending of the cultures created a new architecture unique to the new place.
@ Volunteer
Well, Globalization is nothing new. May be that's right for a developed country like United States, which neither had its own vernacular sense or style in Architecture nor a strong historic background in terms of Architecture.That's is what i specified in my previous comment, Architectural Globalization is TOTALLY NEW to the developing countries and to many under developed countries, which are yet to be affected. Ranging from Mesopotamian Architecture to Neoclassical Architecture, there were very many Architectural styles that existed in world history. In fact, many Architectural styles got its name from the place and people to whom it belonged to. [ Romanesque, Greek, Dravidian, etc.]. But at present, the existence of so many architectural styles is diminishing gradually and there is a rise in SINGULARITY, in the name of Modern Architecture, where every thing is getting homogenized, standardized and globalized. There is a huge lack in skilled labors to produce such master works. All those architectural wealth are now put into the Heritage list - World heritage site and very few buildings with such unique architectural styles/ language are still in use.
Look at these images. This was the theme of Venice Biennial 2014 - "Fundamentals", proposed by Rem koolhas.
This is what I meant by SINGULARITY.
Should this change be considered as a positive growth for any region or a city or a country? Is it ok if a region loses its identity or its originality? In better words, is it ok if a region develops without its own architectural identity? What will happen in future if the same continues? Monotony.
You are touching on a very interestong topic related to the branding of coties. I did some research with Dr. Anna Klingmann who has written extensively onthe subject of brandism... She calls it the "introverted icon."
Google "introverted icon essay anna klingmann"... The essay is exactly about what you are talking about..
Siddharth I like how you keep coming back and working out your thoughts, the archinectors who provoked you were useful..........Volunteer aren't you worried about Globalization of sweet little Charleston, SC? Is that when time stopped for you?............@siddarth. I would reach a little outside of standard architecture texts and look at some of Douglas Coupland 's recent writing and then go back 2 decades and look at Paul Virillio ' writings. I would say Globalization in one aspect is considerably much different these days than the past due to the Internet mainly.......a high rise tower can only be built in so many ways, yet Cesar Pelli's Petronas Towers. Do read Regional. Another old concept and text to maybe rehash in your work is Frampton 's Critical Regionalism........I am an American born and partially raised in another country and according to Ancestry.com DNA various versions of white - mainly British and Scandanavian......so for the most part I don't understand this local cultural issue as I am a product of an earlier version of Globalization. ....the monotony will occur as finances continue to align with efficiency of engineering and construction and this I think a guy like Rem Koolhaas misses or doesn't stress enough, it's in the details and the economic infrastructure and not necessarily the program or symbolism. ....for this see Norman Foster's. Hong Kong bank - for the most part NOT built in Hong Kong........think about the evolution of the phone - two parts to hold and a rotary , then one handset to hold and push buttons, then a handset with push buttons, a bulky wireless one handset with buttons, a flip phone, a touchscreen phone...don't all cell phones look same now? Local culture similar to religion is interesting for their often strange or nuanced rituals and methods for thinking about and presenting something - something you might call - personality. Occasionally some cultures and religions find its better to loose a few historic rituals to adapt to what is called "progress"? So what is "progress" then? It's what many fear and many strive for, but what is it? Is Globalization progress?
Thanks a lot, Burglar Blogger. I would love to hear YOUR personal opinion on this.
This is what I meant by SINGULARITY.
You're a bit late to the party, this has been going on in earnest for the last 50 years. And it's not architecture, which is just the symbol of the real driving force.
Siddarth,
None of the photos of the "modern" buildings you have shown are thought of very highly by the citizens of those cities. Paris has relegated them all to their own ghetto on the outskirts of the city. Washington DC has done much the same . Here, though, is Paris' city hall which was rebuilt after a fire about 170 years ago. People come to skate in the winter and sit at outdoor cafes in the spring and summer. The interior houses the best in French painting and sculpture. http://1drv.ms/1vwIKQr
The modern buildings whose photos you posted reflect the inability of architects to design for today with a respect for the past and a hopeful eye on the future. Modern architects could not design a building like the Paris City Hall today, even a modern version of it, because they have no interest in, education of, or affection for the historical forms shown, nor do they have the ability . In short, it is the architects who are uneducated and illiterate, not their patrons.
^ Those buildings are not a reflection of architecture as much as they are of economics.
Is globalization a yearning towards homogeneity, because that's what those images seem to suggest.
In 1980 Tokyo, Tony Lama cowboy boots were for sale in store windows.
They were also for sale in 1988 East Berlin, before the wall came down.
It's not a matter of historicism... it's a matter of importing styles, ideas, means and methods of construction that are not in touch with the local cultures of the places in which these glass boxes are built.... and I don't mean that we should be building pagodas in asia just because a project is in asia... and I don't mean that we should build buildings that carry the motifs of pagodas.... what I mean is that we should consider people's culture, the available materials, their expertise in making when operating outside of our immediate surroundings.
@Olaf Design Ninja
True that. Provocateurs do keep us alive most of the time. I agree to the fact that Globalization highly contributes to the so called "Progress" of a region or a country, not only in terms of Architecture but also in many other fields. But, I think the progress began 70,000 years ago when Homo sapiens, gifted with an intellect that allowed for adaptation to an alien environment, walked out of Africa. Progress is recorded since that time but humans tended to progress with their own identity irrespective of time. Other than religion and rituals, they(we) had their own food habits which suited our health and geography, they had our own clothing, they had their own shelters which progressed over time and resulted in all those architectural styles which I mentioned in the previous comment. Its better to call it "identity" rather than calling it personality. And our example of cellular phone is a good. But unfortunately the purpose of cell phone is same throughout the world whereas the purpose of architecture is NOT.
@Miles Jaffe - I am a bit late to the Party? Yes I am just 21 year old and I am looking at the world only now. There does not seem to be enough substantiation on what you are talking about. I would like you to explain what you mean by "Those buildings are not a reflection of architecture as much as they are of economics"
bulgar, i don't think anna klingmann is thought of very highly. perhaps in the global context this is where we talk about servitude and slavery of the working class. you want to build great things? start by not paying your interns, am i right? if you wanted to build a nice building in charleston a couple hundred years ago, you bought some slaves. neo-liberalism is the new black and all that.
if you had to choose between 'traditionalism' or whatever and 'modernism,' but 'traditionalism' came with the price of involuntary or otherwise unpaid servitude, would it be worth it? if you were the one forced into free labor, would it still be worth it?
http://archinect.com/forum/thread/83604117/archinect-needs-to-ban-unpaid-interships-postings
Curtkram-
I volunteered my time to do research... I was paid to do CD's...
That being said.... yes- interning for free is something I despise and believe it should be banned... She had an intern from Asia commute 2 hours every day from another city to work for free....
Her business practices, as bad as they may be, do not discredit her status as a pundit on the issue of branding in architecture. You have to be able to separate the two...
Frank Lloyd Wright, Wagner (among others) were racists... does that mean we should discredit their work?
it kind of does bulgar. what she sees as 'branding in architecture' is based in part on her belief that people should serve her without being paid, doesn't it?
what she does is built on relying on charity from people like you. there isn't content in her work without that. there is no branding in architecture without free labor. there are not introverted icons without her belief that people are expected to serve her.
Don't forget the advent of trade, commerce, and mega corporations with massive industrial production. Not all that long ago, you sort of needed to use locally or regionally produced materials.
Now add instant publications and photos at your fingertips to see what the latest trend is... How long has real mass publishing been around with photos? How fast can a great new idea spread across the globe? How many of us have been exposed to foreign cultures and buildings that our predecessors would never have beyond fictional storybooks and their own imaginations about what that far off place might look like?
The result is the decay of regionalism. Some of us hold onto that because we feel it gives you a sense of place and context.
Siddarth - Globalization is the homogenization of the world into a single market dominated by huge multinational corporations that exercise varying degrees of control over formerly sovereign governments. Thus US wars for oil, half the EU squeezing the other half to death, global distribution of consumer products, etc.
Everything is driven by economics. So instead of looking at particular building styles, look at who owns them, who built them and what they are purposed for. The architect just supplied a skin that was fashionable, symbolic, outlandish, etc. as required by the client.
McDonalds look the same in every country and tastes like shit everywhere. That's globalization.
"But unfortunately the purpose of cell phone is same throughout the world whereas the purpose of architecture is NOT"................see Miles post above - no it is becoming the same,an economic purpose all the time ......also see Mightyaa as on how to mask the economics with fast global trends.
There... I see a strong contradiction in what Volunteer and Miles Jaffe has commented.
Volunteer - the inability of architects to design for today with a respect for the past and a hopeful eye on the future. Modern architects could not design a building like the Paris City Hall today, even a modern version of it, because they have no interest in, education of, or affection for the historical forms shown, nor do they have the ability . In short, it is the architects who are uneducated and illiterate, not their patrons. (sounds like Architects are the chief reason behind all these issues)
Miles Jaffe - Everything is driven by economics. So instead of looking at particular building styles, look at who owns them, who built them and what they are purposed for. The architect just supplied a skin that was fashionable, symbolic, outlandish, etc. as required by the client. (sounds like architect does not have any role in these issues)
According to Miles Jaffe's comment architects look like the victims who caught in the hands of Masters behind all the economics. Whereas Volunteer has straightly put that Architects are REASON behind all the mischief. How would you both conclude this?
My opinion is that, since time immemorial all the master works are done only for the riches and emperors ranging from Giza Pyramid to Bhuj Khalifa. If Architects are least responsible for all these changes and Globalization in Architecture is driven my so many other factors(as you all say). . Is it ok if a country or a city develops without its own architectural identity? Is there any major movement or protest happening against all these globally? What will happen in future if the same continues and what according to you is the root cause of all these? I know its quite stupid and vast question to be asked. But I want to tweak this further for a better understanding. You people are worried about your little Charleston SC, I am worried about my entire country which has its own Architectural identity and many such cities are loosing its qualities.
These are very few of the many cities which are very beautiful and are at the verge of extinction.
IMO - the decay of regionalism has more to do with the architecture that results from societies planning their infrastructure around automobility (cars) than it does with the infrastructure of internet/cell phones, etc... Places that are less car-dependant tend to retain some local vernacular and character more so than downtown financial districts and car-centric exurbs.
^ Agreed in part, but economics are again the driving force. Who is paying who, and who benefits?
The head of the local planning department here opened a presentation about a new development (on behalf of the developers?) about the failure of 1950's zoning and commercial corridors along highways. Then he proceeded to lay out a plan for a commercial corridor along the main thoroughfare.
what is Preparedness and infrastructure requirements for global practice
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