Architecture(s) of Global Governance
Campus: Bxl/Gent
Language: EN
Number of students: max 3
Supervision: Sven Sterken
Image: National flags in front of the UN City in Vienna. Picture source: https://50yearsworldheritageconvention.wordpress.com/conflict-areas/global-governance/
Theme Our contemporary world is increasingly governed by supranational institutions, transnational networks of experts as well as multinational corporations, thus creating a condition of Global Governance. This master dissertation explores how this process affects architectural design, criticism and historiography and, conversely, how architecture, in the broadest sense of the term, can express, support or influence the processes and mechanisms that enable and shape this condition. Canonical examples such as the Peace Palace in The Hague, The League of Nations Building in Geneva or the UN headquarters in New York can no longer serve as a model in this regard for they embody the internationalism of a bygone utopian idea(l) of a ‘world government’: a single world order based on a Western conception of power, democracy and policy making. Hence the need for new concepts and models to shape and express this condition of Global Governance.
Topics This master dissertation seeks to map the specific challenges the condition of Global Governance entails for the architectural field. One entry is study built, unrealized, or theoretical architectural projects for, or by Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) across all continents and periods. Possible topics for investigation include the study or design of the seat of one such IGO in relation to its bureaucratic procedures; the impact on local architectural production of development, economic, technical or humanitarian aid programs; the spatial or aesthetic expression of an IGO’s ideological, political or technical bias; or how ordinary buildings and conference venues are transformed to hold diplomatic summits or bilateral meetings.
Set-up The field of International Relations is vast, and requires substantial effort to become acquainted with for the non-initiated. Therefore, at the start of the first semester, a number of reading seminars will be organized. However, it is expected students acquaint themselves with the matter during the Summer break of 2025. With a view to devoting the second semester entirely to research, writing or designing, students are expected to carry out the required field or archival work during the first semester. Choosing a case study, checking available archives, preparing site visits, addressing practical issues such as accessibility, permission to take pictures or use archival documents, etc. should be finalized well before the start of the second semester. During the second semester, feedback will be provided in bi-weekly sessions by the supervisor. Please note that the ability to read and write academic English is an absolute prerequisite for this dissertation.
Outcome While the scope, format and outcome of the dissertation (written, with or without (conceptual) design component, …) depends on the topic and the perspective chosen, the dissertation should become a focused, case-based approach that enriches the historiographical and conceptual apparatus of the architectural field.
References
- Bak McKenna, Miriam, ‘Designing for international law: The architecture of international organizations 1922–1952’, Leiden Journal of International Law, Vol 34, 2021, p. 1–22.
- Katz Cogan, Jacob et al. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of International Organizations, Oxford University Press, 2016.
- Sterken, Sven; Pohl, Dennis, ‘The Architecture of Global Governance: Paths of Approach’, Architectural Theory Review, Vol 27/1, 2023, p. 1-18.