Gaglia Eleni
LAND ARCHITECTURE ADVERTISEMENT The space as a product and the architecture as a mean of promotion
University of Thessaly Department of Architecture September 2017
LAND, ARCHITECTURE AND ADVERTISEMENT
The space as a product and the architecture as a mean of promotion
Gaglia Eleni Supervisor Professor: Lykourioti Iris
SUMMARY The main question of this research project is the relationship between architecture, promotion and production of space. Specifically, the ways these notions combine, collide, serve each other and how they are exploited or twisted. So what will mainly be studied here is the combination of promotion and architecture in the case of production of space. In other words, how advertisement shares elements with design and how architecture is transformed either into a product or a means of promotion. We begin with an analysis of the structure, function and communication of advertisement as a function and which symbolisms are contained in its messages. Also we look at how it creates and presents social relations, which systems of reference it uses and what its main ideology is. We detect a lot of common strategies in structure and the use of image between the advertisement messages and the promotion of architecture projects. Furthermore we examine the social structure of space, the symbolisms that weigh down the space and are often accumulated in the landmarks, the invasion of advertisement to the space and eventually how through the participation of architecture in the system of production and consumption, the space turns out to be regarded as a commodity and can be promoted in such way. As we look at the marketing and branding of space, it is clear that we are actually talking about promotion of space through many techniques, and one of them is architecture. Finally, we take a look at an example of this in Greece. The project, which has been promoted as a tourist attraction is the former airport of Greece, Elliniko. As we analyze it, we see that it is a great example of the combination of promotion, design and production of space and a lot of observations that were made through the theoritical research can be seen in this case. There we can observe a project which uses its design as a showcase while trying to create a new identity for that space. A new product- space of tourism attempts to be created through the fascinating design of famous architects, without taking into account the social, economical and environmental conditions, but serving clearly economical and utilitarian profits. The final goal is not to judge the architecture quality of these examples, but to examine and understand the role of architecture as a promoter. The influential power of architecture is used and controlled by the production system and that is something that should make the architects a bit more skeptical when they are called to design something. The social and cultural consequences should always be taken under consideration.