AGAINST THE MODERN MEASURING STICK OF STANDARDIZATION TOMI LAJA
rule (n.): c. 1200, “principle or maxim governing conduct, formula to which conduct must be conformed” from Old French riule, Norman reule “rule, custom, from Vulgar Latin *regula, from Latin regula “straight stick, bar, ruler;”
NO.12
rule (v.): c. 1200, “to control, guide, direct,” from Old French riuler “impose rule,” from Latin regulare “to control by rule, direct,”
DATUM
74
Utilizing Michel Foucault’s theories in Discipline and Punishment: the Birth of the Prison on social and governmental executions of power through public punishment; plague and partitioning; and correction through panoptic observation and surveillance, this essay argues standardization as a means of exerting oppressive power and control within constructed spaces. The case studies of Pruitt-Igoe, The Grand Paris Express, and Unite D’Habitation adhere to these concepts
M o dul ar M an, Le C o rbu si e r
of punishment with their foundational use of standardization alongside surveillance. The Jeanne Hachette Complex, located in the French commune Ivry-sur-Seine, resists standardization, the measuring stick for modern compartmentalization and classification of the “Other.” These studies are located both in the United States and France, allowing for an examination of the countering approaches of segregation and assimilation, both sharing the agenda
