Navtej S. Ahuja
Professor Maciuika
Shaping the Future of NYC
17 February, 2014
We build to fulfill a need, and that need is what can be seen through what we build. According to Sudjic, there are many reasons why people build. Whether it is to cement personal glory (as Saddam Hussein did during his years of power in Iraq) or for emotional and psychological purposes (as the United States has done after 9/11 in regards to the Freedom Towers), architecture always tends to convey a message. Who controls this message is where Sudjic makes a mistake in his argument, however.
Throughout the chapter, the author portrays the sentiment that architecture and the message it conveys is controlled by the powerful in a society. According to him, design can be an instrument for control. While this is true in some cases, Sudjic misses out on two key aspects.
The first, being not as important, is the concept of the simple functionality of architecture. The simple fact remains that not every building is designed to send a message, but rather to serve a purpose. Whether or not the purpose of the building is to send a message depends on the architects, however.
The second aspect lies in his inability to recognize the architecture of the “other half.” For every magnificent skyscraper in a city, there are just as many hovels beneath the city’s skyline. For example, if one goes to a major city such as New Delhi, the types of buildings in which the poor of the city live also shapes the city’s personality. Therefore, it is not just the rich that provide the message sent through buildings. The economic diversity is something that can easily be viewed through the lens of architecture, and makes for an interesting perspective on social issues such as class differences and social structure within a society.
While the rich and powerful have great influence on history, they are not the only ones that shape the world as we see it. While a skyline can give a certain personality to a city when glanced over, the true personality of a city can be seen when one looks from the inside out, and takes into account the make up of the city as a whole
