ABSTRACT

Reconsideration of the context of architecture Although architecture is inherently a place-bound activity that manifests in tangible buildings in specific locations, it has become increasingly enmeshed in global forces. Particularly glaring evidence of this relationship is provided by the global banking crisis triggered in September 2008 in large part by the collapse of subprime real estate loans. While it is easy enough to dismiss such financing issues as outside the proper realm of architectural concern, I propose that the economic systems that underlie decisions about what does and does not get built are in fact endemic to the context and ethics within which architecture operates. This is particularly apparent when we look at architecture in the context of globalization and its catalysts; mobile capital and digital media. If we also consider this trio under the umbrella of the post-industrial economy and post-industrial culture, we can begin to recognize better both the limitations and the potential opportunities architectural decisions at the local scale have to impact these larger, global systems.