The Architect as a Merchant of Signs
Architecture conveys multiple meanings. An artistic discipline that was initially an expression of culture, it now seems to be increasingly at the service of economic forces. Yet, architectural products are transformed into mere embodiments of their client’s brand image when they are cleverly diverted and made to carry a promotional message. In this game, the big names of architecture emerge as winners, but does this strategy advance architecture itself or does it make it nothing more than an element of prestige subservient to economic performance? Sebastian Redecke is a German architect, editor for the architecture review Bauwelt.
