Big Buildings - Concepts of Competition and Order since the 19th Century

Large-scale buildings characterize the appearance of the city. They draw special attention, communicate meaning, arouse admiration and pride as well as fear and jealousy. They are the objects and results of social-political and economically motivated competition on both local and global level. Since the 19th century, new building materials (steel, glass, concrete) as well as modern techniques allow the realization of novel dimensions in space and height. Simultaneously, cities increased and became more complex. Urban scales and viewing habits changed radically. New social needs arose. Large-scale buildings restructure and organize the urban space and give shape to new cultural requirements. Planning and realization of large-scale buildings are subject to multifaceted economic processes and evoke broad political, social and cultural discussions. Therefore, the study of large-scale constructions can be particularly informative for the interpretation of social and cultural preferences, proceedings and ways of perception in the 19th and 20th century.

Contact

Celina Kress
Center for Metropolitan Studies (CMS)
Technische Universität Berlin
Ernst-Reuter-Platz 7 / 3-0
10587 Berlin, Germany
celina.kressmetropolitanstudies.de

Date

27-30 août 2008

Lieu

Ecole Normale Supérieure-Lettres et Sciences Humaines de Lyon (ENS-LSH)
15, parvis René Descartes
69007 Lyon Université Lumière Lyon 2
18, quai Claude Bernard
69007 Lyon