Case Studies in Architectural Criticism

Social media changes social life, and it creates alienation. According to the article, people will spend far more time on smartphones than with their partners. So, social media has become part of their lives. And the social interaction between people will decrease. People spend most of their time looking at a screen without any interaction. Also, they do not have a chance to choose images on the net. On the other hand, they have to look at the pictures that social media brings in front of them. That remembers me "media architecture". In media architecture, the façade of the building serves as digital artwork. People who use the street expose the features displayed on the façade. It can count as public art, but still, there is insisting. Different from traditional exhibitions, people cannot choose to see it or not. The artwork will become part of the daily routine. On the contrary, it gives a different language to architecture and makes static architecture more dynamic, and th...

People spend time in social media almost half of the day, so it becomes part of their lives. While checking their Instagram posts or surfing on Facebook, they expose several images based on ads and consumerism. They desire the world they saw on the screen, and they want to be part of it. Social media algorithms also help that process. They show what manufacturers want to buy to the users according to their interests. When users see products over and over, they start to think that they need that product. That also increases the interaction between manufacturer and user. People can reach products that they wanted to use and communicate with brand represents. Also, they can see different products from different companies and enable to compare them according to their capacities. So that their awareness will increase. That awareness can be considered in positive or negative ways since it is based on capitalism. However, I want to give an example from a positive perspective. For instance, İs...

  Baudrillard and Debord emphasize how consumerism affects social culture and creates an unreal world based on simulations and images. That creates differences in social life as social status. Also, it destroys urban tissue. New urban life occurs inside the buildings, such as entertainment places, shopping centers, and airports. On the contrary, architectural websites do not consider these aspects and give architectural information and their success. Here, there are three examples of consumption-based spaces. The first example is Walt Disney's thematic park. It is one of the simulated spaces and a fantasy world that was created based on cartoons. When one person can enter the world by buying a ticket; s/he will become isolated from the real world. In this aspect, they enter simulacra of Baudrillard. Visitors become a part of the created world. Post-truth takes the real world's place, and simulations and icons become their new reality. Visitors can interact with the structure...

Debord states that commodity, which is  consumerism  and unity, acts as spectacle itself. And there are two different models, "concentrated spectacle" and "diffused spectacle." During the post-world-war era, economic and political power affected these two spectacles and combined them as "integrated spectacle." It shows the consumer society, which has seen itself in a spectacular global market. When it achieves to lead the social life, it becomes a sign of the ultimate end-product of the system. For this reason, the spectacle can be considered as a representation of consumerism. It focuses people's attention on consumption. People's interest plays an active role in determining product value. When they want more, the consumption world gets bigger and bigger. We can see that this growing world is also affecting architecture. Commercial spaces like shops and cafes become part of the architecture. For example, airports are transition spaces. People use ...

Debord states that commodity, which is  consumerism  and unity, acts as spectacle itself. And there are two different models, "concentrated spectacle" and "diffused spectacle." During the post-world-war era, economic and political power affected these two spectacles and combined them as "integrated spectacle." It shows the consumer society, which has seen itself in a spectacular global market. When it achieves to lead the social life, it becomes a sign of the ultimate end-product of the system. For this reason, the spectacle can be considered as a representation of consumerism. It focuses people's attention on consumption. People's interest plays an active role in determining product value. When they want more, the consumption world gets bigger and bigger. We can see that this growing world is also affecting architecture.  Shopping centers are one of the examples of spectacle spaces. The only experience provided in shopping malls is consumerism. Pe...

   "Images precede reality" is one of the most proper ways to describe Jean Baudrillard's simulacra. According to his thoughts, simulation and icons become a new reality of the world. It can be seen in many fields like art, architecture, and urban life. Abstract replace concrete, and post-truth is created with the help of unreal images and expressions. In that manner, Disneyland can be an example of simulacra. It is an entertainment place which serves thousands of people every day. It is like a city inside a city. However, it is entirely far from reality. It is a fantasy world created by a person. It is composed of many simulations and cartoon characters, and it presents that world as a real world. One can have a chance to enter the world, can experience the features. Moreover, visitors interact with the structures in Disneyland because of their imaginary bonds, and they get attention to fantastic images and the connotations they evoke. Still, they do not become intereste...

"Images precede reality" is one of the most proper ways to describe the simulacra of Jean Baudrillard. According to his thoughts, simulation and icons become a new reality of the world. It can be seen in many fields like art, architecture, and urban life. Abstract replace concrete, and post-truth is created with the help of unreal images and expressions. In that manner, "Dubaileşme" can be a topic that example of simulacra. After stock companies discover Dubai, it becomes one of the symbols of power and consumption. Artificial heaven is created by the stock companies, and the city becomes well-known as a global city icon. However, some other countries also want to show themselves as an icon and try to be like Dubai. They don't understand the concept and try to create their imaginary city. However, each city has its own character. The authorities should protect that city's soul. When they start to regenerate the city with the image they had in their minds, th...

  Because of the video limit, I uploaded the presentation to YouTube,  Here is the link;   https://youtu.be/2yo7apGecPA

Because of the video limit, I uploaded the presentation to YouTube,  Here is the link;   https://youtu.be/5moakXugTwo   -The building was described as the 8th ugliest building on a travel page. After that, every news was announced its ugliness. However, as a professional, we never describe a building as ugly or beautiful. We generally mention positive and negative aspects and criticize the project through these aspects. Criticizing a building being ugly doesn't make any sense. It is very subjective and creates unreal discussions. 

     Advertisements are generally based on a "message". As Baudrillard said, it tries to convince consumers that the product will make them special. It emphasizes that the product will give them a different life or status, or the product is personalized and unique for the customer. Also, it represents kind of an imaginary world and shows the product's potentials. Like the other cases, Nef also uses this message idea in its projects. It emphasizes that you as a customer are unique so that we (Nef) think every single detail of our project for your benefit. They try to draw attention to the feeling of importance, and they focus on the personal ego. Also, in Nef Reserve Kandilli Project, each information part underlines that this project is special and designed for special people. For example, the "personal rooms and spaces designed by worldwide known designers." sentence supports the uniqueness idea. Also, they start to explain the project from concept idea to rend...

       Advertisements generally based on a “message”. Like Baudrillard said it tries to convince consumers that the product will make them special. It emphasizes that product will give them a different life, or status; or the product is personalized and unique for the customer.  Also, it represents kind of an imaginary world and shows the product's potentials. In Sinpaş Marina Project advertisements, there is a well-known singer in Turkey who is Hülya Avşar. She tells the opportunities of the projects like activities and views; however, the advertisement also gives the message that a well-known singer can be your neighbor. In another scene, she plays with her daughter and there is a conversation that ends with that “if there is no sea, there is Marina.” She counts as the sea and The Marina project the same. It gives the message that “you are different than other people who live in Ankara, but you have a sea.” It does not represent the reality because the pool ha...