Iconic architecture through the lens of Instagram: the case studies of the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul

Architecture has played an enormous role in the branding of cities, initially through cultural institutions such as museums, which have become the preferred platform for the expression of iconic architecture to boost the image of a city’s modernity and economic prosperity, and to express its civic pride. In recent years the seemingly endless potential of social media has allowed the consumption of architecture to surpass the boundaries of space and time. The instant image sharing and dissemination of Instagrammably photogenic iconic architecture has made the notion of ‘iconicity’ more questionable than it might have been before the social media era. This research aims to explore the manner in which contemporary iconic architecture is represented in social media, with a specific focus on the manner in which such architectural imagery moulds ‘iconicity’ in architecture; in doing so, it investigates the ways in which city image is incorporated into the social imagery of architecture. Using the two case studies of Frank Ghery’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park in Seoul, the thesis scrutinises user-generated photographic images and accompanying textual descriptions, which were downloaded from Instagram. The empirical work involves a two-part multi-method approach combining visual content analysis and discourse analysis, using an adaptation of Panofsky’s Iconology, which was borrowed from art history. A general picture of the representational practices of Instagram images was gained through content analysis; this is followed by qualitative readings of individual images using Panofsky’s iconographic-iconological method. The results demonstrate that there are key elements that convey architectural iconicity in Instagram images. These include: (a) the heightened aesthetics of image-taking through the maximisation of aesthetic value in the portrayal of a building; (b) verbal texts alongside an image, which deliver information on the building; and (c) geographic associations through geo-tagging and hashtagging, and textual components, such as a caption and comments. The findings further indicate that, given that a majority of images are depicted in relation to architectural context, this context, in other words, the place in which a building is situated, is essential for the reception and perception of iconicity in the building. The present study is cross-disciplinary in nature, which serves as an important contribution to academic research into place branding by bringing together architecture, city branding, and social media. This is the first time that the Panofsky model of iconology has been applied to the field of place branding

Contingency of an Architectural Critical Approach

Contemporariness of architecture can be interpreted in diverse ways. Starting from a basically formulated modern context, which is even nowadays understood as such, in which the limits of stability of the architectural profession are examined, our concern is the designer’s intention to research within a wider cultural context. We are actually considering the capacities of the profession for continuous development of its own critical apparatus. Through the question of the relation between the general and the individual, followed by the question of integrity and proportion of architectural effect, but also by the role of media and digitalization of the world, in the focus of this text projected are the scenes of reality filled with the values of architecture willing to develop, within itself, the analytical and synthetic concepts relying on the contextual, but also on the own indetermination and instability regarding the concept of the space and time

Situated Technologies

Architecture's privileged position as the technology of space-making is challenged by the current proliferation of a wide range of mobile, embedded, networked and distributed media, communication and information systems. Our interactions with (and through) these location-based, context-aware and otherwise ”situated” technologies are beginning to alter the way we perceive, navigate and socialize within the built environment. Prompting a reconfiguration of material boundaries, organizational adjacencies, and public/private relations, these technologies (and the ways in which we engage them) have significant implications for how we conceive, design and experience space. In this paper, we identify three vectors for architectural research that explore the spatial opportunities presented by what we call Situated Technologies. Working across the overlapping boundaries of media, architecture and computing, this research attempts to articulate how architects might play a critical role in shaping evolving techno-social spaces increasingly governed by both material and immaterial processes. As exploratory research, it aims less to propose solutions to known problems than to arrive at precise questions that help us better identify and structure new problems for architecture presented by recent developments in ubiquitous/ pervasive computing

Superstar Museums and global media exposure: mapping the positioning of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao through networks

Superstar architecture can play a key role in the global positioning of museums in influential mass media, thereby successfully attracting cultural tourism (e.g. the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, GMB). Yet, an evident shortcoming is the mapping of media positioning. The aim of this article is precisely to draw and visualize this positioning of the GMB through networks. Two innovative features characterize this study: first, from a theoretical point of view, it links the debate on Superstar Museums to the broader economic debate on Superstar Economics. Akin to Rosen's hypothesis, in the case of Superstar Museums, the media exposure is concentrated among a handful of museums. In this context, the authors highlight the role of networks. The central nodes in the networks utilized for the study, depict/stand for museums that have the maximum visibility in the international media. The second innovative feature of the article is the analysis of co-citation networks in articles of the New York Times for two periods (1995-2000 and 2014-2019). The network graphs map the results of this article: the GMB positioned itself effectively with its inauguration in 1997. In addition, 20 years later the GMB still remains quite well positioned.This work was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (Spain): [Grant Number MINECOR/FEDER 2015 CREA-NETWORK CSO2015-65265-C4-3]

Modeling Seamless Vertical Handovers in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

Vertical handover in heterogeneous wireless networks provides customers with better Quality of Service (QoS) experience. For seamless handover, timely initiation of handover process plays a key role. Various vertical handover management protocols have been proposed and standardized to support mobility across heterogeneous networks. In Media Independent Handover (MIH) based schemes, distributed handover decision is made via certain predefined triggers that consider user context. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of the modeling techniques used during management of vertical handover. We have also defined a novel architecture, HRPNS: Handoff Resolving and Preferred Network Selection module enabling vertical handover that ensures QoS. The construction of HRPNS module involves integration of fuzzy logic and Markov Decision Process (MDP) for providing precise decision of handover

Tailoring Service Delivery Innovation Architecture: A Service-Dominant Logic Theory Perspective for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises

Although extensively discussed in previous studies, social media adoption has yet to consistently translate into improved business performance, revealing a significant research gap. In light of this, our study seeks to bridge this gap by investigating the relationship between social media adoption and performance in 261 micro-businesses within the food and beverage sector. We aim to explore the role of distinctive competencies in marketing as a mediating variable and examine the influence of service delivery innovation architecture from the perspective of service-dominant logic theory. We employ SEM-Amos as our analytical tool to test the formulated hypotheses to achieve this. The result show that this study significantly advances SDL theory by elucidating the pivotal role of social media adoption in understanding customer behavior and gaining valuable insights. In the context of SDL, this contributes to the understanding of how services are co-created between businesses and customers in a digitally connected environment. The outcomes of this research offer valuable insights for small businesses on leveraging social media adoption to enhance their distinctive competencies in marketing and service delivery innovation architecture

POTENTIAL OF COMPUTATIONAL METHODS FOR THE CATEGORIZATION OF ARCHITECTURAL OBJECTS ON THE EXAMPLE OF MEDIA ARCHITECTURE

The paper presents an example of the categorization of architectural objects and assessment of the characteristics of urban space, based on the analysis of specific features of architectural objects and urban landscape. The conducted analysis refers to media architecture and is presented in the complex context of the development of media solutions. The field of influence of IT on architecture is also stressed, both on the architect’s work and the image of the city, including with regard to smart city strategies. A gradual simplification approach was proposed for a targeted analysis. Data on media architecture were collected and, on their basis, significant features of each architectural object and its surrounding space were identified. The qualification of representative categories of media solutions was made based on the function of the object and the role of the media architecture object in the visual structure of the space, indicating the method of determining the degree of legibility of the space for a given category. The proposed process of categorization is a starting point in the discussion about the need and opportunities to use computational methods and databases supporting the assessment of the architectural typologies and characteristics of space, in reference to urban development

Futurama: An Immersive Experience of America\u27s Automotive Future

General Motors’ Futurama exhibit at the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair offered a wildly popular immersive experience of American automobility twenty years in the future. The Fair proclaimed the “Dawn of a New Day” in “The World of Tomorrow” through comprehensive innovative architecture and design, which promoted the primary role of new technology, especially in the field of transportation. Futurama harnessed techniques of theatre and multi-media in unprecedented ways. Its narrow aim was to foster the construction of new highway systems hospitable to the growing population of modern cars. More broadly, Futurama sought to inculcate a new way of thinking about an auto-centric future, with fast, safe travel at the core of everyday life. The paper examines how this remarkable socio-technical imaginary was constructed by Futurama in the context of the New York World’s Fair

Futurama: An Immersive Experience of America\u27s Automotive Future

General Motors’ Futurama exhibit at the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair offered a wildly popular immersive experience of American automobility twenty years in the future. The Fair proclaimed the “Dawn of a New Day” in “The World of Tomorrow” through comprehensive innovative architecture and design, which promoted the primary role of new technology, especially in the field of transportation. Futurama harnessed techniques of theatre and multi-media in unprecedented ways. Its narrow aim was to foster the construction of new highway systems hospitable to the growing population of modern cars. More broadly, Futurama sought to inculcate a new way of thinking about an auto-centric future, with fast, safe travel at the core of everyday life. The paper examines how this remarkable socio-technical imaginary was constructed by Futurama in the context of the New York World’s Fair

El despertar de la arquitectura moderna a orillas del Mediterráneo: debate y controversia en los contextos de Italia y España

Arquitectos y teóricos españoles e italianos identificaron las nuevas tendencias arquitectónicas procedentes de Europa como elementos exógenos. Corrían los años 20 y se presentaba ante ellos el problema de encontrar razones locales que justificasen la adopción de las ideas y las formas de la nueva arquitectura. Para ello acudieron a la tradición que les era propia: la tradición mediterránea, clásica y vernácula. Dilucidar el papel que la arquitectura vernácula tuvo en un proceso de búsqueda común de un lenguaje arquitectónico propio es el principal objetivo de este artículo.In the period studied ( 1920-1940), Italian and Spanish journals raised awareness of international architectural movements. Encouraging the dissemination of modern architecture in their respective environs, they became a key to its consolidation. The journals at issue include Architettura e Arti Decorative, founded in 1921 and later renamed Architettura ( Organo ufficiale del sindicato degli architetti), headed by Marcello Piacentini; Quadrante, with Pier Maria Bardi and Massimo Bontempelli at the helm ( 1933-1936); Casabella, managed by Edoardo Persico and Giuseppe Pagano; and Domus, founded in 1928 and run by Gio Ponti until the nineteen forties. In Spain, works authored by May, Taut, Gropius, Schumacher and others were published in any number of journals, such as Arquitectura, Órgano de la Sociedad Central de Arquitectos, Cortijos y Rascacielos, D’Aci i d’Allá, La Gaceta de les Arts, AC and Documentos de actividad contemporánea. The importance attached by these media to vernacular Mediterranean architecture, in connection in Italy with the debate around Mediterranean culture and in Spain with the national context, sheds light on the impact of the subject on architectural practice, irrespective of the positions adopted by the various journals and the opinions defended by their columnists. As a result of a revisionist approach to the Modernist Movement, a good deal of literature has appeared in recent decades on the development of modern architecture in the Mediterranean context. Drawing from those studies and focusing in particular on documentary sources, the primary aim of this article is to establish the role played by vernacular Mediterranean architecture in the appearance and unfolding of modern architecture in Mediterranean regions through a comparison of developments in Spain and Italy