BETWEEN RESPONSIBILITY AND STARCHITECTURE arch. PhD. Raluca Niculae Spiru Haret University, Faculty of Architecture, Bucharest, Romania

Frank Gehry /Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain Daniel Libeskind/ the Imperial War Museum in Manchester, UK Lord Norman Foster/ ‘the Gherkin’ TOPICS architects as brand buildings with brand value the building as a tool for brand promotion [ ] starchitect/ure

architects as brand (transmitters of valuable concepts / creators of recognizable forms with landmark potential) etymology, common characteristics starchitect= star+architect whose celebrity associated with avant-gardism is worldwide acknowledged and reached the idol status among the piers and general public. characteristics: - starchitect and its derivations have arisen around 2001 associated with the “Bilbao effect” - the status is dependent on visibility/ publicity in the media - starchitects are renowned for a particular ‘signature’ design: starchitecture refers to a building becoming particularly famous, “iconic” and highly visible within the site or context (the so-called “wow factor”)

(image source: “starchitect”, masculine noun?

Frank Gehry/ Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao Bilbao effect. → symbol of urban regeneration and urban marketing; identity landmark of Bilbao → the transformation of an old industrial city into a cultural magnet for tourists → new architecture revitalizes the city in economic decline. → the public reaction/ interest can invest the building with brand valence (Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao; the Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House etc.) (image source: museum-bilbao-profile-6485#!buildings-media/2) buildings with brand value (socio-cultural/ historical/ economic landmarks at community/ regional/ territorial/ national level)

(image source: no preschools, social housing, warehouses among architecture’s future icons ?

the building as a tool for brand promotion → retrieving brand identity elements and processing them at "shell" level of the architectural product. Perforated metal cladding takes the pattern used in products marketed by the company Louis Vuitton. Explicit facade decoration is both a visual way to promote the brand and reference to the art deco district of Ginza (Tokyo). → buildings used as pawns in commercial activities leading to the development of iconic landmarks (image source: associates-louis-vuitton-tokyo-perforated- monogrammed-facade/) Aoki Jun & co / Louis Vuitton, Tokyo

are architects and urban designers to blame for poverty, social tension and urban violence? does architecture have the power to change people’s behavior? what are the responsibility parameters of architects and urban planners for the social developments within the neighborhoods they design? social responsibility activist architects

recently, media perpetuates a common image of high-rated architects as individualistic, social insensitive, unethical and destructive* but… no architect can build a spectacular building without a client demand, a city authority approval and a public building and embracing it also true… most buildings are commended by private interests disregarding social ones * Santiago Calatrava blamed for his overdue and over budget World Trade Center transportation hub; Zaha Hadid for her dismissive comments about construction deaths at her Qatar soccer stadium (claimed as misleading press information?); SHoP Architects for its Domino Sugar Factory 55-story development extravaganza in Brooklyn

after the 2008 world economic crisis lesson, pursuing sustainability issues, public opinion questions how our buildings perform socially, environmentally and economically over the long term but… social housing blocks or preschools aren’t starchitect’s specialties as opposed to museums or corporate headquarters

starchitecture has the global impact advantage but doesn’t resonate with local reality or homegrown design is it the time for architects to became socially responsible, address real social issues and offer living solutions to those communities that have no access to a well-designed environment? a new architect species named “activist” works in slums or disadvantaged communities, with minimal budget and local resources, responding to urgent community needs where the state has abdicated its responsibility. He designs schools, public spaces and residential buildings closely collaborating with local communities, incorporating traditional materials and technologies. without signaling the end of “starchitecture”, a very different kind of movement has been emerging within contemporary architecture, one that aims to tackle social issues within a global society

future scenario… starchitecture will dim, locatecture will arise architects will search for interdisciplinary framework to address real community issues will and will turn to ecological, economic and social sustainability toolbox architecture will embrace collaboration and civic participation