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A pioneering look at the ways in which contemporary architecture serves the interests of the capitalist class, from global North to South and through to the petro-cities of the Gulf States.In the last quarter century, a new form of iconic architecture has appeared throughout the world's major cities. Typically designed by globe-trotting "starchitects" or by a few large transnational architectural firms, these projects are almost always driven by private interests.In The Icon Project, sociologist Leslie Sklair focuses on ways in which capitalist globalization is produced and represented all over the world, especially in globalizing cities. Sklair traces how the iconic buildings of our era - elaborate shopping malls, spectacular museums and vast urban megaprojects - constitute the triumphal "Icon Project" of contemporary global capitalism, promoting increasing inequality and hyperconsumerism. He sets out to explain how the architecture industry organizes the social production and marketing of iconic structures and how corporations increasingly dominate the built environment and promote the trend towards globalizing, consumerist cities. The Icon Project, Sklair argues, is a weapon in the struggle to solidify capitalist hegemony as well as reinforce transnational capitalist control of where we live, what we consume, and how we think.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• List of Figures(p. vii)
• List of Tables(p. ix)
• Acknowledgements(p. xi)
• Introduction(p. 1)
• The Argument(p. 4)
• Sources(p. 5)
• Structure of the Book(p. 7)
• 1 Iconic Architecture and Capitalist Globalization(p. 9)
• Architecture, Power, Aesthetics(p. 11)
• The Icon: History and Theory of an Idea(p. 15)
• Iconic for When(p. 26)
• Iconic for Whom(p. 33)
• Iconic for Where(p. 40)
• 2 Two Types of Iconic Architecture: Unique and Typical(p. 53)
• The Rise of Iconic Architecture(p. 53)
• Iconicity Claims of Top Firms(p. 57)
• Starchitects and Signature Architects(p. 62)
• Architecture Theme Parks and Other Iconic Projects(p. 69)
• 3 The Architecture Industry and Typical Icons(p. 77)
• The Sociology of Architecture(p. 77)
• The Architecture Industry in the New Millennium(p. 83)
• Successful Typical Icons(p. 93)
• Celebrity Infrastructure(p. 95)
• Bridges and Tunnels(p. 96)
• Transportation Infrastructure(p. 102)
• Water-Based Infrastructure(p. 107)
• 4 Corporate Starchitects and Unique Icons(p. 111)
• Frank Lloyd Wright and the Frank Lloyd Wright Industry(p. 112)
• Le Corbusier and the Corb Industry(p. 118)
• The Rise of the Starchitects(p. 122)
• Frank Gehry (Home Office Los Angeles)(p. 129)
• Norman Foster (Home Office London)(p. 133)
• Rem Koolhaas (Home Office Rotterdam)(p. 139)
• Zaha Hadid (Home Office London)(p. 144)
• 5 The Politics of Iconic Architecture(p. 150)
• Architectural Iconicity and Identities(p. 154)
• Politics and the Architecture of Transnational Social Spaces(p. 165)
• Iconic Architecture in Urban Megaprojects(p. 170)
• Paris: The Ongoing Saga of the Grands Projets(p. 178)
• China: The Biggest Urban Megaproject in Human History(p. 183)
• 6 Architects as Professionals and Ideologues(p. 194)
• The Criticality Debate(p. 198)
• Third World Modernism and Postcolonialisms(p. 200)
• Postcolonialist Understandings of Architecture(p. 207)
• Disney. China, and India(p. 211)
• Sustainability, Human Rights, and the Architect's Place in Society(p. 220)
• 7 Architecture and the Culture-Ideology of Consumerism(p. 225)
• Consumerist Space in the City of Capitalist Globalization(p. 226)
• Architecture, Consumerism, and the Media(p. 233)
• Iconic Architecture and Shopping(p. 236)
• Performance Spaces(p. 243)
• Displacement(p. 251)
• 8 Architecture, Cities, and Alternative Globalizations(p. 255)
• Appendix: Interview Codes(p. 267)
• Notes(p. 269)
• Bibliography(p. 293)
• Index(p. 319)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Sklair (The Transnational Capitalist Class; Globalization: Capitalism and Its Alternatives) has retired from teaching sociology at the London School of Economics, specializing in the transnational capitalist class, which has long met annually in Davos, Switzerland, and tends to dominate global social organization. Like Bernie Sanders, the author is by no means supportive of the overarching interests of this class. Sklair understands that universal consumption is unsustainable and undemocratic, leading to environmental apocalypse, and he encourages societies that are more functionalist and emancipatory. This book stems from an early realization in the author's career of "the universality of iconic architecture," namely modern architecture. It contains a well-studied global sociological survey of contemporary design over the past 100 years, beginning with great individuals such as Frank Lloyd Wright and ending with the architectural firm Gensler, responsible for the Gensler Building in Shanghai, China-the tallest and arguably most beautiful office building on the planet. Sociologically, the author clarifies the development of modern architecture, putting it in "relief." VERDICT Recommended for larger academic and public libraries with strong interests in sociology and architecture.-Peter S. Kaufman, Boston Architectural Ctr., MA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Leslie Sklair is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the London School of Economics. He worked in a cotton mill outside Glasgow for two years before going to university to study sociology and philosophy. Both experiences fostered a life-long interest in how capitalist society works in different ways for different groups of people. In particular his long-standing interest in architecture and cities sharpened his vision on the power of the built environment to shape our lives.