This is a personal account that speculates on what effects this pandemic might have on the architectural language and also on globalization.
First, to take a global view of the pandemic scenario; the book by John Bellamy Foster, published with all the Marxist credibility of the Monthly Review Press, entitled: The Vulnerable Planet: A Short Economic History of the Environment puts forward a strong point of view saying: "the crisis of the earth is not a crisis of nature but society." I feel, this statement fits very precisely with the current condition. As we all saw how the ducks returned in the Canal Grande and how dolphins were seen in Istanbul’s waters and all we could do was to see them thru a lens.
Both instances reminded me of the advent of the 1970’s sustainable activism which commenced by the first picture of the earth, the 'Blue marble,' captured by astronauts of Apollo 17 ( image on the right, Courtesy: NASA). A photo showing the fragility, uncertainty, and alienation of the world in a large space. In the same way, this epidemic has taken us back to this spacecraft and made us gaze back at our desolate world.
Whereas this pandemic is a global phenomenon and has brought people closer in its sameness, the consequences it has on globalization are pretty adverse. As most debates on websites titled “Has COVID killed globalization?”[1] Or “Will COVID sink Globalization?”[2] depicts that it’s not just one person’s view but a generalized perception that globalization is at risk because of this virus. Majorly because this has affected not only the export/import of goods but also targeted industries like tourism, hotel management, and restaurants, etc. and has placed limits on the previously imagined unlimited-ness.
On the other side of the same picture, it has brought back the term Glocalization[3], which has revived in the world settings.
Where the architectural industry is concerned, I would state a Pakistani example, before COVID the floor tiles market was overwhelmed with Chinese, Spanish and all sort of exported tiles, some Chinese ones were even cheaper than the locally produced but now there is a revival (Not as powerful as it ought to be, but improvement still exists) of the locally produced tiles in the market delivering a better variety of options and much better standards than before.
Well, wall/floor tile is one of the examples, curtain cloth, paint, and other raw materials needed for architectural structures are under effect and I believe its a positive one! Because for a developing country like Pakistan, local businesses should be supported and up-heaved to stabilize the economy.
The effect on architectural spaces due to COVID is quite complicated in a sense, as I think it has two parts to it, one is a temporary scenario (which is now) and then there are permanent outcomes (which will be seen once this normalizes). During this outbreak, I had the chance of travelling from Turkey to Pakistan and with this experience, I was able to gain insight on how people reacted to the influences of corona in two different countries,
As far as the traveling is concerned, it was extremely difficult to keep your mask and gloves in place but whats was more difficult... was to see the enormous Istanbul airport which was once full of colorful decorations and echoed with diverse dialects was now... barren and lifeless. The Louis Vuitton cornering outlet wasn't an eye-catcher anymore, the screens no longer flashed the breathtaking images of Galata Tower, the duty-free stores were deserted, and no one was eating at Simit Sarayı. It was all a depressing sight!
During the period of the pandemic that I spent in Turkey, people I was surrounded by were Turks and they were devastated by the thought of not being able to go out, they were having their breakfasts and dinners in their balconies just to get the feel of the “outside”. Which relates to the entwine of the public sphere within a private setting[4].
As for the encounter with the public sphere, including occasional visits to the "Pazar" (market in Turkish) or BIM, made me realize how an external influence can change the perceived emotion and occupation of a space. By saying that I mean, before the pandemic, all the above-mentioned shopping spots are places where it was normal to visit and were always crowded, but after the pandemic spread the same architectural structures became unsafe and deserted.
Whereas coming back to Pakistan and after 3 days of quarantining, I was subjected to the impression that the people are very normal with the situation (to my surprise, some were even happier) and did not have the urge of going out. I am not at all implying that there is a one to one comparison between these two nations but it’s something that I feel is different between the two. I speculate that its roots may lie in the architectural differences between the housing design of the two countries. (It should be noted that this may not be the only reason, but the one I want to discuss in this post. There are socio-cultural and lifestyle differences between the two countries, and I might share them some other time.)
The pictures show some buildings in Izmir (thou I am not that proud of the photography) showcasing the prevalent conditions of the balconies. Somewhere due to the small size of the apartment and somewhere due to the solar-orientation, balconies weren't given their due status of a space that's as essential, as the other parts of the apartment. Maybe after COVID, people in turkey may prefer bigger balconies and gardens in or around their apartments as these spaces that were previously considered a luxury have upheaved themselves to being a necessity.
But people here in Pakistan, already have breathing spaces within their single-unit houses in forms of “Sehn” (an Urdu term for verandas) and “Patios”. As for those who don't have either of them, the lane/road attached to their house is a communal retreat that helps them escape the built structure. Therefore, I believe this pandemic would acquiescently have an impact on not just the spaces that we architects design but on the architectural language as a whole, both globally and locally, The whats and hows of these impacts are yet to be seen.
On a global level, (apart from Pakistan and Turkey) there are several predictions of new types of urban spaces, smaller office spaces as work from home might suit many and modular living that could be adaptive and could be reusable too[5]. Moreover, health care materials and their implications in daily use yet another way to improvise within this situation[6].
Did you come across an innovation that will impact architectural design or have an intuition about it? Feel free to share it with us.
References:
[1] “Globalisation Unwound - Has Covid-19 Killed Globalisation? | Leaders | The Economist.” [2] “Will COVID-19 Sink Globalization? - Foreign Policy Research Institute.” [3] Robertson, “Glocalization.” [4] Rothfork and Taylor, “Modern Social Imaginaries.” [5] “8 Ways COVID-19 Will Change Architecture - Architizer Journal.” [6] “How the COVID-19 Pandemic Will Change the Built Environment | Architectural Digest.”
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