Beyond Discourse: Notes on Spatial Agency


This article investigates the word ‘agency’ in relation to the role, responsibility and power of the architect. Using Anthony Giddens’s formulation of agency, we discuss the transformative potential of architecture where the lack of a predetermined future is seen as an opportunity and not a threat....

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tatjana Schneider, Jeremy Till
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Jap Sam Books 2009-01-01
Series:Footprint
Online Access:https://ojs-libaccp.tudelft.nl/index.php/footprint/article/view/702
Description
Summary:This article investigates the word ‘agency’ in relation to the role, responsibility and power of the architect. Using Anthony Giddens’s formulation of agency, we discuss the transformative potential of architecture where the lack of a predetermined future is seen as an opportunity and not a threat. Four episodes describe related instances of architectural practice as spatial agency: muf, OSA, Santiago Cirugeda and The New Architecture Movement. The paper concludes with an urgent call for architects to face up to their political and environmental responsibilities.
ISSN:1875-1504
1875-1490