Brave New World
Tao Li
The worship of capital has always been one of the functions of skyscrapers.
From the perspective of city, the constant reconstruction of urban space by capitalism leads to the fragmentation and stratification of space.Capital is constantly eroding the public space of the city, making the space differentiated and at the same time making the urban space with various attributes have strong exclusiveness, independence and closure. This “privileged space structure” is actually the embodiment of capital and power.Due to the single use of space, this has led to the formation of “urban island effect” in many large cities.
The process of changing urban spatial attributes is also a process of social differentiation.Inside the building space, different levels and sizes of interior spaces represent different identities and classes. In the city itself, upscale communities, civilian communities and slums also mark different levels of spatial patterns.
“Each district in Paris has its own ‘model’ that reveals who you are, your job, your background and the goals you are pursuing.（Harvey D. Paris, capital of modernity[M]. Routledge, 2004.）
For capitalists and business owners, the differentiation of this urban space is more beneficial than harm.Different levels of urban space, each space is stable inside. Each space is isolated and exclusive of each other. This will maximize the efficiency of production.From the level of urban space to the level of space users, differentiated space can better and more reasonably classify and assimilate ordinary individuals and unify them. In this process, individual differences are eliminated to a certain extent and the existence of “strangers” is reduced. （According to the definition mentioned by Zygmunt Bauman in Modernity and Ambivalence, a stranger here is not a person unknown to human relations, but one who is “uncertain” to the social group of people themselves.）
In postmodern times, labor has been regarded as a commodity, and society strictly follows the production and consumption activities based on profit.Urban space will become more and more differentiated, and with the infinite expansion of urbanization, according to this trend, what will our society become?This project is based on the building interior space of a financial company, exploring the possibility of future office environment development under the control of capital.Research an exaggerated but reasonable space combination and management system to create profits and power in a limited space. To satirize the increasingly strong erosion of urban space and social relations by capital.
In the living space, there is also power and surveillance, but power is more subtle and invisible than in the workspace.
Power here is manifested in two ways. One is to create a space atmosphere of “discipline”, in which several design strategies are used. 1. Integrate individual behavior into a whole group. This group is both a comparison and a distinction, and it is also a criterion that must be observed. 2. All the time, from the value of creativity to distinguish each person’s ability and level, which is used to create a neat pressure. 3. Reduce the existence of multi-functional areas, and define specific boundaries and usage time for each functional area. Everyone must follow the timetable to operate.
In addition to the space atmosphere of discipline, people need to monitor each other. I use the height difference here to achieve this function. People standing on the heights have a broader perspective. At the same time, he also has the right to temporarily monitor others. Because people are constantly moving, anyone can stand on the high ground to monitor others, and anyone can be monitored.
In the living space, there is also power and surveillance, but power is more subtle and invisible than in the work space.
Power here is manifested in two ways. One is to create a space atmosphere of “discipline”, in which several design strategies are used. 1.Integrate individual behavior into a whole group. This group is both a comparison and a distinction, and it is also a criterion that must be observed. 2. All the time, from the value of creation to distinguish each person’s ability and level, which is used to create a neat pressure. 3. Reduce the existence of multi-functional areas, and define specific boundaries and usage time for each functional area. Everyone must follow the timetable to operate.
In addition to the space atmosphere of discipline, people need to monitor each other. I use height difference here to achieve this function. People standing on the heights have a broader perspective. At the same time, he also has the right to temporarily monitor others. . Because people are constantly moving, anyone can stand on the high ground to monitor others, and anyone can be monitored.
