Architectural Being and Architectural Doing

SID: 440390053

Architectural Being and Architectural Doing The Shift from a Professional Autonomy to Heterogeneity and the Implications for Global Practice

“Do as I say, not as I do” is the wryly spoken comment by nearly every respected teacher I have had the opportunity to study under. Its surface value speaks with a self-deprecating humor with notes of a hyper-aware hypocrisy.

However, it is the self-awareness of such statements that strengthen the character of those by whom it is spoken; an awareness that there are limitations in the translation of rhetoric to realisation particularly with a shifting playing field or architectural identity.

The dynamics of being and doing signify the construction of a professional identity in terms of alignment between architectural theory and practice. For twentieth century socialists the process of being is core to the profession: it is both the development of a unique set of knowledge and skills and the understanding of implementation in creative and design practice 1. The rhetoric and discourse of being within the profession hark to an era of autonomous practice where an emphasis on talent is viewed greater than demonstrations of how we objectively increase the social value of our designs. Our highest accolade, the Pritzker prize honors the hero architect, reinforcing the mystique of architectural authorship2. The image of the architect as the lone-creative genius is still evident today with its modified title; the Starchitect3. However, the sentiments of being do not always align with the realities of doing. Sounding a strong resonance with Peggy Deamer’s aptly titles paper on ‘Works’, we need to assess the manner in which we as an architectural professionals have created a discord between the theory, or being that underpins the profession and the work or doing though which we labor, engage and produce4,5.

1. We Work Within A Globalised And Capitalist Market.

2. The Romance And Relevance of The Autonomous Architect is Becoming Outmoded.

Architecture is not the autonomous art that it was once perceived as. To effectively engage with a global market we are dependent upon numerous other processes, institutions and professionals 6 , 7 . The challenges and 1

Judith R. Blau, Architects and Firms : A Sociological Perspective on Architectural Practice(Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1984).

Hilde Heyen, "Genius, Gender and Architecture: The Star System as Exemplified in the Pritzker Prize," Architectureal Theory Review 17, no.

2 (2012).

3 Donald McNeill, The Global Architect : Firms, Fame and Urban Form(New York: Routledge, 2009).

4 Peggy Deamer, ed. The Architect as Worker : Immaterial Labor, the Creative Class, and the Politics of Design(London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015).

5 Peggy Deamer and Phillip Bernstein, Building (in) the Future : Recasting Labor in Architecture(New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2010).

6 Kris Olds, Globalization and Urban Change : Capital, Culture, and Pacific Rim Mega-Projects, Oxford Geographical and Environmental Studies (Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2001).

7 Neil Leach, Rethinking Architecture : A Reader in Cultural Theory(New York: Routledge, 1997).

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transformations to our professional identity that are ensuing are vast, particularly when the process of seeing a design realised is entangled within the wider issues concerning the nature and social integrity of the client, and the geopolitical context in which they are operating.

If we understand globalisation to mean no more than architects designing structures for foreign lands, getting design approved, or overseeing distant constructions, then the prospect of globalisation within architecture is nothing new. Nearly fifty years ago Utzon made his infamous, albeit city-defining, journey to Sydney, a century ago Frank Lloyd Wright saw to completion his infamous hotel in Tokyo and more than 200 years ago Pierre Charles L’Enfant designed Washington DC8. Then what new horizon has globalisation brought to architecture?

Prior to the advent of Modernism and Industrialisation, architects operated largely within a few empires and, with few allowances, there existed a clear stratification of cultures and styles9. We work in a distinctly different Postmodern world. Modernism saw with it the disestablishment of distinct cultural styles; only at the risk of criticism and controversy can the architect still claim to be an agent of culture. Multiculturalism is one of the best-known ethical and political trends that has been spurred by postmodern theory. Unsurprisingly, multiculturalism and postmodern architecture share some commonalities: both celebrate difference, emphasise the validity of tropes ideas, elements, and practices drawn from different times and locations. Further to this, both resist the cultural hierarchy or strata that would require all peoples or buildings to conform to the one style or culture or to mimic modernity or its ways10. Multiculturalism may be best understood, in part, as a critique of modern attitudes that ignored many marginalised peoples, and as a call for including all points of view when deciding on matters that affect many people or groups of people 11 . Ironically, and perhaps to its detriment, it is this same critique of the antihierarchical stance that deprives postmodern multiculturalists ability to critically evaluate cultural norms and practices that give evidence of post-colonial exclusionary or repressive regimes. In rejecting social and cultural hierarchy, postmodern theory towards multiculturalism could easily, albeit wrongly, invite the conclusion that no culture’s moral perspective is better than another, but merely different. Under this argument, it is not difficult to suppose that that this anti-heirarchialism may provide some architects with the self, or public justification that they need to design for anyone or any regime which would otherwise be seen as an ethical compromise in their postmodern national culture.

In a global and postmodern world, what is culture? Davis suggests that we can consider culture in a more modest way: a reconsideration of differences of doing12. Ways of doing can be distinct, even if not complete ways of life.

They may share some similar aspects but differences would be differences in culture. Differences may be as small as vernacular tools or methods for troweling cement, or as large as the treatment of women and minorities.

According to the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, we as a professional body must uphold a shared ethical

8

McNeill, The Global Architect : Firms, Fame and Urban Form.

Charles Jencks, The New Paradign in Architecture: The Language of Postmodernism(New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002).

10 Michael Zimmerman, "Globalization, Multiculturalism, and Architectural Ethics," in Architecture, Ethics and Globalization, ed. Graham Owen(New York: Routledge, 2009). p. 158-59 11 Ibid., p.165 12 Michael Davis, "Has Globalism Made Architecture's Professional Ethics Obsolete?," ibid., p 126-26 9

behaviour, equality and uphold social justice that is apparent and valued within our national culture13. However, our moral code may become more ambiguous in the light of a global practice. Our same code of practice maintains that we must respect and help conserve the systems of values and the natural and cultural heritage of the community in which we are creating architecture 14 . How them do we approach international invitations or competitions to design buildings or entire complexes for wealthy regimes, some of which would widely be regarded by Western cultures as oppressive? Do we maintain the socialist values of our own culture, or are we able to rationalist or even justify a compromise?

That Architecture should be understood as a global service should alert us to the notion that individual architects, or even their branching firms, are bundled into a heterogeneous ethnical framework of shared responsibility. Olds has argued that globally imperative architects:

“Inhabit the ‘neo-worlds’ of late capitalism. They easily negotiate the stretched out social spaces ties to both the business networks of architecture (the moneyed white-collar property developers and senior state officials) and the professional networks of architecture (the intelligentsia-managed institutions that help define the discourse of Architecture15”.

Architects are tied to distinct, if overlapping, social networks with their own responsibilities, rules and power relationships. The stretched out spaces in which we operate are suggestive of the regulatory framework of nations state, but from here we move into a less clearly defined area of global ethics. Although the nature of the issue is complex, it does raise the question of how are we as architects to engage with nations states that may be socially and politically pre-modern, yet possess all the technological advancements and capitalist engagement of Modernity.

In 2002 Rem Koolhaas and his firm, the Office of Metropolitan Architecture, won the competition to design and built the new headquarters for Chinese State Television, CCTV. As one of the most famous practicing architects, the 2000 Pritzker Prize Laureate Starchitect, Koolhaas is based in Rotterdam. Prior to this, however, publication including Delirious New York, S,M,L,XL and Content established his grounding as an architectural theorist 16,17 .

Projecting this further was his professorship at Harvard Graduate School of Design and the establishment of AMO, a think-tank collaborated for the purposes of globalised cultural production. So then, his position of authority and an architectural theorist and leader of thought in the ethical engagement of architecture in a global context, was in part what made his poignant commission to controversial. Moreover, was the alternative design

13

Ibid., p. 130-31 The Royal Australian Institute of Architects, "Raia Code of Professional Conduct "(Melbourne: The Royal Australian Institute of Architects, 2006).

15 Olds, Globalization and Urban Change : Capital, Culture, and Pacific Rim Mega-Projects., p 154-55 16 Shannon Mattern, "Broadcasting Space: China Central Television's New Headquarters," International Journal of Communication 2, no. 1 (2008).

17 Sarah Amelar, "Cctv Headquarters: Rem Koolhaas Reimagines the Skyscraper and a Chinese Network in the Process," Architectural Record 192, no. 3 (2004).

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motives couched in ethical postmodern rhetoric. Speaking on acceptance of the commission and programmatic design:

“We are deeply aware that this is not an innocent project, and we have considered our own values very carefully… We have chosen to participate in China now because we believe that the process of modernisation needs pressure from within18.”

“Through the loop we start to undermine the traditional principles of hierarchy. The senior leadership is no longer at the top of the building, but is simply part of the continuous loop. We made the highest physical point of the building accessible to the entire staff with a forum.19”

Koolhaas’ argument speaks of the capacity of a building to embody the ethics of design intent in the the physical configuration of the building is understood the have a specifically political and socially reforming effect; an emphatic force of social change.20 His argument is one that great architecture, capable of jolting the user out of conventional of habitual understandings and acceptance constitute a body of evidence or the desirability of Western postmodern multiculturalism. The CCTV building would therefore serve as a critical mass of countercultural material that would inevitably start a chain reaction of change against the prevailing regime. Rather, the physical embodiment of a state controlled media is a nation rushing to produce the illusion of a society more accessible, more organised, and better prepared for the global spotlight21 and instead Koolhaas was co-opted as a propagandist; lending his authority, contentiously unwillingly, provide an illusion of postmodern ideals in a premodern culture. Contentions were duly raised not necessarily the fact that a Western Starchitect was championing a project in a rightwing nation, this has previously been executed by the likes of Thom Mayne, Norman Foster and Stephen Holl, but rather the championing of the CCTV project was seen as contemptuous of the country’s opposition movement22. In one deft stroke, as it cannot be argued for ignorance, nearly forty years of socialist movement was ignored and the accountability of the building is aestheticised in its function. Further to this, rather than Koolhaas’ claim that participation in China now may create a pressure of modernisation from within, critics belly the resounding opinion that his rhetoric had become an ornament; a comfortable misdirection to which we apply our western opinions to a non-relevant culture. There is the underlying notion of an inverted or subversive architectural context: “Do here what you can’t do elsewhere, and perhaps change the culture in the process.”23

Where Koolhaas can perhaps be seen to be pushing the boundaries of the architectural professionalism in an age of increasing globalisation, the ethical terrain on which he was venturing still remains to be stably charted.

18

Quoted in, Daniel Zalewski, "Intellegent Design; Profiles," The New Yorker 81, no. 4 (2005)., p. 118. Carefully situating his opinion within a commentary on American foreign policy. His statement links to the symbol of the American Skyscraper; addressing both the developed form and Koolhaas’ ethical position on the project.

19 Quoted in Graham Owen, Architecture, Ethics and Globalization(New York: Routledge, 2009)., p. 8 20 Mattern, "Broadcasting Space: China Central Television's New Headquarters."

21 Ibid.

22 Michael Zimmerman, "Architectural Ethics and Multiculturalism," Professional Ethics 11, no. 2 (2003).

23 Paul Golberger, "Out of the Blocks," The New Yorker(2008), https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/06/02/out-of-the-blocks., accessed 6th October 2018

Concedingly, the ethical issues are far from clean cut, however his conscious engagement in an architecture for pre-modern culture illustrates how, when there are disparities of cultures and values, the power of design can easily be surpassed by the overarching authority of the client; any persuasions of the embodied ethics of the building are lost in rhetoric 24 . The ideals of liberalism, accountability and openness that were meant to be manifest in the building are not enacted in the habitable form, but rather as mere icons or gestures which are not recognisable by the users. Given Koolhaas’ previous authority as an architectural theorist we can assume that he was not unaware of the problems and we are left with something more chilling, that we as architects are aware, but disengaged.

An architect’s ability to confer legitimacy on the program it houses and the client it serves are clear enough in cases such as Koolhaas’ CCTV building, Hadid’s Heyay Aliyev Cultural centre or Foster’s Pyramids of Peace and Reconciliation in Astana. All serve in symbolic capacities to oppressive regimes but seek justification through rhetoric and program. But what then of the projects in nation states that play an apparently more benign and practical role in the public interest, but nethertheless, by virtue of the client and culture, in which they are built, come with a baggage of ethical dilemmas?

Accompany the progressive shift to heterogeneous practice comes the understanding that we are not sole players in the building industry. Although we are aligned with, and in collaboration with other types of workers and we are far from impartial to their input 25 . As design and construction processed become more globalised, leaving building standards and codes to follow suit, the regulations that follow the construction process, workforce and the protective safety standards are left to local municipalities to enforce or ignore26. This distance, both physical and conceptual has separated architects from the cities and cultures in which their buildings are under construction; not only deferring the intricacies of construction knowledge to system of contractors and subcontractors who manage the sequence of labor and materials on the site, but also decoupling both the architect and the design from the laborers on-site27. Since the 1970s, the liberalization of economies propelled the movement of capital around with world, and with it followed the workers. These globally dependent connections of production and labor have spawned economic lifelines, as families and communities have become dependent on remittances sent back by migratory workers28. However as the number of migratory workers has increased exponentially around the globe over the last half decade, so to as the exploitation and abuse of workers by extracting seasonal salaries for profit29. Critiques of social and economic inequality have featured centrally over the last two decades in portrayals

24

Deyan Sudjic, The Edifice Complex : The Architecture of Power(London: Penguin, 2011).

Peggy Deamer and James Heard, "Lobbying for Value - a Dialogue," ed. Architecture Lobby(Chile: ARQ Santiago, 2017).

26 Deamer, The Architect as Worker : Immaterial Labor, the Creative Class, and the Politics of Design., p10.

27 Ibid., p 61-64 28 Mabel Wilson, Jordan Carver, and Kadambari Baxi, "Working Globally: The Human Networks of Transnational Architectural Projects," in Architect as Worker: Immaterial Labor, the Creative Class and the Politics of Design, ed. Peggy Deamer(London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015)., p 145-47 29 Michelle Buckley, "Locating Neolibralism in Dubai: Migrant Workers and Class Struggle in the Autocratic City," Antipode 45, no. 2 (2013).

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of cities of the Arab Gulf; the low-wage, low-low status migrant- frequently embodied as a South-East Asian male, blue clad construction laborer, is a central archetype around which its cities have come to revolve30,31.

A single incident captured amongst one of many stories documented by Amnesty International in The Dark Side of Migration illustrated the scope of migrant worker abuse that has been recorded across the Gulf States 32 .

Contracted by Qatar Petroleum in 2010, Krantz Engineering was responsible for the subcontracting of migrant laborers to work at a site for the development of that Ras Laffan Emergency and Safety College Campus, approximately 50 minutes north of Doha. Having left families to support in Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka the workers were left abandoned on site in May 2012 due to the knock-on effect of delayed contractual payment. Their consistent attempts and protests that were made to Qatari officials were unsuccessful and, having previously had their passports confiscated to prevent flight, the men were left without funds for basic food and services, yet alone the ability to support dependent families, or make repayments to the recruitment agencies that many were financially indebted to. Only on June 20, 13 months after receiving their last payment, were the men allowed to leave and then only under duress of signing false documents in their non-native language stating that they had received payment. Having a lengthy subsequent engagement with Amnesty International, Qatar Petroleum deflected responsibility to their contractor Krantz Engineering, who affirmed that an internal Audit of workplace practice would be undertaken. Unsurprisingly, no compensation or formal apology has yet been provided to the workers.

Although the issue is prominent and at the forefront of international construction rights, the attitude of the architectural profession may be seen as pitifully similar to that of Qatar Petroleum. Couched in Zaha Hadid’s infamous quip “I have nothing to do with the workers… It's not my duty as an architect to look at it”33, we, as a global profession have distanced ourselves from other laborers. Although her commentary appears tone deaf to the horrific conditions of the construction-laborers, it also straddles what is a strict professional divide between the diverse scopes of services that architects provide, including those that fall under the rubric of professional ethics.

The observation that there are no contractual relationship between the architect and worker is not incorrect, yet it is does not wholly ring of truth. Although both parties enter separate contracts with the owner and the responsibility to the worker falls under the purview of that owner or subcontractor, Western architects practicing internationally are still accountable to the fundamental social justice that is outlined in their national code of ethics or professional conduct. Yet, ensuring or enforcing compliance to this is an unexplored issue in a domestic setting, yet alone global setting and has not wholly been addressed 34. It raises the disturbing realisation that we as an architectural body are passively mitigating our responsibility to those directly involved in the actualization of design and denying to exploitation. If we as architects build our reputations on intricately, creative and socially affective

30

Ibid.

Amnesty International, "New Name, Old System? Qatar's New Employment Law and Abuse of Migrant Workers,"(London: Amnesty International Publications, 2016).

32 "The Dark Side of Migration,"(London: Amnesty International Publications, 2013).

33 M Filler, "Zaha Hadid Defends Qatar World Cup Role Following Migrant Worker Deaths," The Guardian, 26.02.2014 2014.

34 Wilson, Carver, and Baxi, "Working Globally: The Human Networks of Transnational Architectural Projects."., p, 151-152 31

building designs, is there a way this process might also force the recognition of the value of laborers who construct buildings, and the conditions under which they work?

At the risk of resounding with Trotsky’s Unified Front, we can only solve the challenges of our own privileged predicament through both the involvement and contemplation of our own globalized economy, and by making common causes with our own colleagues within different professions who underpin our own efforts. Some of these organisations such as Who Builds Your Architecture? and Engineers Against Poverty, already exist and petition for trade or professional groups to devise master agreements that govern the entire contracting chain to ensure there are no loopholes or gaps. Public perception has shifted in wake of both Zaha Hadid’s seemingly unsympathetic comments about labor abuse in Qatar. The remark instigated cause for controversy for campaigners against the exploitation of migrant workers in the Gulf States. Leading professional names within the fields of education, the arts and sport have all been analysed and tarnished by the association with mistreatment of their workers and it was only a matter of time before architectural value was also tainted. Admittedly, brand-cleaning is not the most honorable reason for adopting pro-labor measures into architectural discussions and contracts, however the longstanding experience of the protest of the anti-sweatshop movement has shown that socially discrediting industry leaders goes a long way in policy change35. Just as the media have focused on the conditions of migrant workers in the Middle East there has also been an interest in the role of Starchitect working within regions of regimes. The innovative structure and style of Rem Koolhaas’ CCTV building provides little justification to working for a regime. His employment of rhetoric flourishes and the building’s embodied ethics did not defend, but rather bought attention to the disconnect between the autonomous architectural being and architectural doing at a global scale. One of the complications with what was once considered an exclusively autonomous profession is that we perpetuate the very ideas of stratification and segregation we seek to eliminate. In doing so we further reify the undercurrent of privilege. This suggests that success in one profession, why appearing efficient, may betray the abuse of non-professionals further down the line of construction or even within a nation’s social structure. The point is not to de-professionalise or relinquish expertise, but collaborate in a conscious manner. To acknowledge that despite obligations to contractors or builders, we can still maintain that our inherent ethics of are not lost or compromised in the new heterogeneous and global practice of doing.

35

Ibid., p154-55

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