Marina Bay Icon

3386 Words7 Pages

Law Jia-Hao A0085833X
AR5221
27 April 2015

Iconic Architecture, Urban Space and Capital – Marina Bay as Iconic Architecture In “The Enigma of Capital”, David Harvey writes that due to the crisis-prone nature of capitalism, new needs and desires have to be continuously created among consumers in order to sustain endless accumulation of capital (Harvey 107). According to Paul Jones, iconic architecture has become one of the main strategies by which cities all over the world compete for attention and visibility. It is believed that by doing so, more consumers will be attracted to consume in these cities, further drawing yet more capital investment and hence, accummulate and continue to grow capital. Alongside this, the rise of iconic architecture …show more content…

The first defines an icon as a sign or representation that stands for its object by virtue of a resemblance or analogy to it (Dictionary.com Unabridged). In other words, an object has come to be imbued with an ideal or history tied to it, and thus serves as an icon. In the second definition, which is more applicable to the iconic architecture this essay focuses on, an icon is one that is unique, purpose built to be famous and have unique symbolic or aesthetic qualities (Sklair 28). Simply put, the lies in the way iconic ty is imbued, and the intentions of infusing the object with iconicity; in the latter, iconicity tends to inform the form of the architectural object, with the intention of grabbing and sustaining attention. While Sklair and Jones examine iconic architecture on the scale of individual buildings, the elements which URA manipulates in designing the Marina Bay area, and its intentions qualifies it as iconic architecture in spirit. The degree to which Marina Bay bears the “unmistakable marks of a proactive, developmental state heavily involved in the formulation and implementation of its vision” (Yap 390) is a strong argument for considering Marina Bay as a whole as iconic architecture. Thus, within the definitions and characteristics set out by Sklair and Jones, this essay considers the Marina Bay area iconic

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