The Transnational Capitalist Class and Contemporary Architecture in Globalizing Cities

Author: Leslie Sklair
Year: 2005 (International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 29(3), 485–500)
Source type: article
Raw file: raw/articles/sklair-2005-transnational-capitalist-class-contemporary-architecture.md

Summary

Sklair analyzes the role of each of the four fractions of the transnational capitalist class (TCC) in producing and marketing iconic architecture in globalizing cities. Iconic architecture is defined as buildings/spaces that are (1) famous to professionals and/or the public and (2) have special symbolic/aesthetic significance. He argues that while in the pre-global era iconicity was driven by state and/or religion, in the era of capitalist globalization the dominant force driving iconic architecture is the transnational capitalist class, operating through the "culture-ideology of consumerism" and the celebrity of "signature architects" (starchitects).

Key Claims

• Definition of iconic architecture: "Iconic architecture is defined as buildings and spaces that are (1) famous for professional architects and/or the public at large and (2) have special symbolic/aesthetic significance attached to them." Distinctions: professional vs public icons; local, national, global icons; historical vs contemporary icons.
• The four fractions of the TCC in architecture: (1) corporate fraction — the dominant architectural firms and developer-real-estate practices; (2) state fraction — globalizing politicians/bureaucrats who "decide what gets built where"; (3) technical fraction — globalizing professionals/technicians and educators; (4) consumerist fraction — merchants and media responsible for the "marketing and consumption of architecture."
• Pre-global vs. global eras: "in the pre-global era (roughly the period before the 1950s) most iconic architecture was driven by the interests of the state and/or religion, while in the era of capitalist globalization the dominant force driving iconic architecture is the transnational capitalist class."
• Firms and celebrity: following Gutman, firms divide into strong-idea (Gehry, Graves, Meier, Venturi), strong-service (SOM), and strong-delivery firms; most iconic buildings come from a small number of "strong-idea" firms identified with celebrity/star architects, whose "symbolic capital in the industry is high" (Pritzker Prize as proxy). The biggest transnational architectural firms are not the most celebrated — "strong-delivery firms... do not produce much contemporary iconic architecture."
• The culture-ideology of consumerism: the TCC seeks "culture-ideology control in everyday life through specific forms of global competitive and consumerist rhetoric and practice"; the production/marketing of "architectural icons and architects as icons" is central to the expansion of opportunities to "consume architectural culture."
• TCC definition: Members "typically have globalizing as well as (rather than in opposition to) localizing agendas... operate transnationally as a normal part of their working lives."
• Intra-class mobility: The "revolving door" between fractions — "many leading architects are simultaneously practitioners, professors and agents of the state at various levels."
• Global Intelligence Corps: Olds's term for the elite firms aspiring to prestigious commissions; Sklair argues this formulation "obscures the extent to which their architects connect with capitalist globalization."

Connections

Concepts: Iconic Architecture · Star Architecture · Consumerism · Neoliberal Metropolis
Authors: Leslie Sklair · Frank Gehry
Debates: Spectacle vs. Function
Related source notes: Iconic ordure (Lang) · Starchitects (Knox) · The Icon Project (Sklair 2017)

Direct Quotes

"Iconic architecture is defined as buildings and spaces that are (1) famous for professional architects and/or the public at large and (2) have special symbolic/aesthetic significance attached to them."

"[I]n the pre-global era ... most iconic architecture was driven by the interests of the state and/or religion, while in the era of capitalist globalization the dominant force driving iconic architecture is the transnational capitalist class."

"There has been a tremendous expansion in opportunities to consume architectural culture over the last few decades." (Gutman, as quoted)

Open Questions

• Does the TCC/culture-ideology-of-consumerism framework (and the icon-as-fame+symbolism definition) adequately account for the material role of iconic buildings in capital circulation, and for the "autistic"/serial objects Kaika describes?