Going to school in the one of the most renowned cities in the world, we are surrounded by one marvelous building after another. In his book, “The Edifice Complex,” Deyan Sudjic asserts “architecture is about power” and that the powerful construct buildings for the simple reason that they have the money to do so. Furthermore, he claims “architecture is the means to tell a story about those who build it.” Sudjic strongly believes that the powerful bypass the architect’s innovativeness and try to incorporate their own ideas into the construction of a building by demanding the architect follow their guidelines or suggestions. To back up his assertion, Sudjic spends a good portion of the first chapter discussing Saddam Hussein’s influence on the architecture present in Iraq, specifically the Mother of All Battles Mosque. Sudjic reveals that the architecture of the mosque has subtle militaristic references, which may be ideas Hussein wanted implemented in the structures.

In today’s world, we all witness how much money plays a role in our lives. Unfortunately, most of the middle class and lower class citizens don’t have the experience of sanctioning their own building projects. I think Sudjic has a valid point when he states that most of the buildings constructed are through ideas conceived by the rich and then carried out by the architects. A sector of society where this is particularly noticeable to me is with professional sports players. Take for instance Michael Jordan who recently put his house in Chicago up for sale. Michael Jordan’s private property is furnished with an indoor basketball court as well as a home theater, card room, cigar room, and is even surrounded by trees which create a barrier from the outside world. Although the architect may had some say in the design of the property, I believe Michael had most of the power in deciding what he wanted the house to feature and what he didn’t want in the house. Ultimately, Michael Jordan probably wanted to live in a world that he imagined and with his wealth and status was able to construct the ideal house he envisioned. As Sudjic said, “[Designing a building] is the way to create a physical version of an idea or emotion.” Those with money and power are able to oversee and implement their desires through architecture. In some scenarios, this can perhaps have negative effects on those without a say in a project. Architects may know best in the future when it comes to planning for a new climate or population, so there should definitely be a check in power so that one person does not dominate the construction of important projects.