Experiencing architecture as a social media content

Öz

This paper discusses the changing role of media in the experience of architecture. The purpose of the discussion is to emphasize that buildings are mainly seen and experienced through their visual aspects in the media, and that social media, with its mediatic effects, is now determining the new ways of seeing and experiencing buildings. The paper, therefore, defines it as social media architecture. However, social media has the capacity to be used as an environment through which buildings are experienced not only through their images, but also through their social, spatial, functional and environmental relations. The discussion of the paper is supported by Google Trends graphics illustrating the frequency of the use of terms “digital media” and “social media”. One of the graphics also illustrates the frequency of the use of term “Hamburg Elbphilharmonie”. The images of this building were designed by star architects Herzog & de Meuron in the early 2000s, but its construction took decades. As a result, the building has been criticized by newspapers, magazines and journals throughout its construction. The architects even exhibited critical texts and images of the building published in the media at the 2012 Venice Biennale, a major architectural media event. So, the building, its spectacular images and the long-term construction process have had an interesting appearance in the media, which is worth discussing in the paper as a star architectural project. In this context, the paper discusses with the help of Google Trends graphics that the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie becomes a popular building as soon as its construction is completed. But it becomes even more popular because of the images of the building that dominate social media after its completion. This building is the case study of the paper because it establishes a critical ground for star architecture projects built in the 2000s that are discussed in terms of their transformative effects on the cities in which they are located, as in the case of the Guggenheim Museum project built in Bilbao in the 1990s. The paper argues that as buildings become more critical in terms of their large scales and spectacular images, architecture needs and demands to be experienced in its critical dimensions more than ever.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Social media architecture
• Hamburg Elbphilharmonie
• media
• digital media
• social media

Mimarlığı bir sosyal medya içeriği olarak deneyimleme

Öz

Bu makale, mimarlığın deneyimlenmesinde medyanın değişen rolünü tartışmaktadır. Tartışmanın amacı, mimari yapıların medyada genellikle görsel özellikleriyle öne çıktığını vurgulamak; sosyal medyanın ise mimarlığın görülmesi ve deneyimlenmesi açısından kullanıcılarına yeni bir ortam sunduğunu ortaya koymaktır. Sosyal medya kullanımının yaygınlaştığı son günlerde mimarlık artık sosyal medya mimarlığı olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Oysa sosyal medya, mimarlık alanında binaların yalnızca imgeleriyle değil aynı zamanda sosyal, mekânsal, işlevsel ve çevresel ilişkileriyle de deneyimlenebileceği bir ortam olma potansiyelini taşımaktadır. Bugün dijital medyanın yerini almakta olan sosyal medya, makale kapsamında, Google Trends grafikleriyle tartışmaya açılmakta; dijital medya ve sosyal medya terimlerinin uluslararası alandaki kullanım sıklığı ortaya konulmaktadır. Ayrıca uzun süren inşa sürecinin tamamlanmasının ve bina imgelerinin sosyal medyada dolaşıma çıkarılmasının ardından günümüzün en popüler binalarından biri haline gelmiş olan Hamburg Elbphilharmonie’nin medyatik değeri Google Trends grafikleri üzerinden tartışılmaktadır. Bu bina, star mimarlar arasında sayılan Herzog & de Meuron tarafından 2000li yılların başında tasarlanmıştır. Ancak binanın inşası uzun yıllar boyunca tamamlanamamıştır. Dolayısıyla Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, gösterişli bina imgesi ve uzun süren inşa süreci nedeniyle medyada sıklıkla eleştirilere maruz kalmıştır. Hatta mimarlar, 2012 yılında düzenlenen ve önemli bir mimarlık ortamı olan Uluslararası Venedik Bienali’nde binaya yönelik eleştirileri ve medya görüntülerini sergileyerek büyük ilgi toplamıştır. İmgesi, eleştirileri ve uzun süren inşa süreciyle medyada ilginç bir görünürlüğü olan Hamburg Elbphilharmonie’ye, makalede, 2000’li yıllarda inşa edilmiş olan star mimarlık projelerinden biri olduğu ve binanın 1990’lı yılların popüler yapılarından olan Guggenheim Müzesi’nin Bilbao kenti üzerindeki dönüştürücü etkisine benzer bir kentsel ve kültürel etkiyi Hamburg kentinde yaratabileceği savunulduğu için yer verilmektedir. Gösterişli imgeleriyle ve ölçekleriyle mimarlık medyasında öne çıkan binaları yalnızca görsel etkileriyle değil eleştirel yönleriyle de ele almanın önemine değinilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sosyal medya mimarlığı
• Hamburg Filarmoni
• medya
• dijital medya
• sosyal medya

Kaynakça

1. [1] Zeiba D. “AMO/OMA and UNStudio on designing in the age of social media”. https://www.archpaper.com/2019/05/amo-oma-unstudio-architects-plane-site/ (04.02.2025).
2. [2] Colomina B. “Enclosed by images: The Eameses' multimedia architecture”. Grey Room, 1(2), 6-29, 2001.
3. [3] Shaikh H. Architecture in the age of social media. Editors: Shaikh H. Drawing Attention, 2-4, London, UK, RIBA Publishing, 2023.
4. [4] Güzer CA. Bir mimarlık eleştirisi ortamı olarak sosyal medya. Editors: Heinz GK, Yasar D. Mimari Yansımalar: Şengül Öymen Gür’e Armağan, 29-42, İstanbul, Türkiye, Yem Yayınları, 2020.
5. [5] Herzog J, De Meuron P. “Elbphilharmonie – The construction site as a common ground of diverging interests”. https://www.herzogdemeuron.com/exhibitions/elbphilharmonie-the-construction-site-as-a-common-ground-of-diverging-interests/ (04.02.2025).
6. [6] Mcluhan M, Lapham LH. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. New York, USA, The MIT Press, 1994.
7. [7] Fiocco F, Pistone G. “Good content vs good architecture: Where does ‘instagrammability’ take us?” https://www.archdaily.com/941351/good-contentvs-good-architecture-where-does-instagrammability-take-us (04.02.2025).
8. [8] Rattenbury K. This is Not Architecture: Media Constructions. London, UK, Routledge, 2002.

9. [9] Colomina B. Privacy and Publicity: Modern Architecture as Mass Media. New York, USA, The MIT Press, 1996.
10. [10] Colomina B. Architectureproduction. Editots: Rattenbury K. This Is Not Architecture: Media Constructions, 207-221, New York, USA, Routledge, 2002.
11. [11] Archdaily. “Herzog & de Meuron's Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg Photographed by Iwan Baan”. https://www.archdaily.com/798817/herzog-and-de-meurons-elbphilharmonie-in-hamburg-photographed-by-iwan-baan?ad_medium=gallery (04.02.2025).
12. [12] Lindsay G, Sawyer M. “A constellation of stars: What a local newspaper talks about when it talks about star architecture”. European Planning Studies, 30(1), 66-84, 2022.
13. [13] Açıkalın ŞN, Canbey M. “Post-truth bağlamında sosyal medya”. İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi, 1(57), 1-11, 2022.
14. [14] Vieira R. “Architects and the power of social media”. https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectural-community/a5360-architects-and-the-power-of-social-media/ (04.02.2025).
15. [15] Mutha K. “Social media’s impact on architectural creativity: Both positive & negative”. https://www.buildingmaterialreporter.com/influencers/articles/social-medias-impact-on-architectural-creativity-both-positive-negative (04.02.2025).
16. [16] Kulper P. Instagram as interface: The new picture plane, drawing attention. Editors: Shaikh H. Drawing Attention, 10-14, London, UK, RIBA Publishing, 2023.
17. [17] Dreher J, Thiel J. “Star Architecture projects and the geographies of innovation across the construction supply chain: The case of the Elbphilharmonie”. European Planning Studies, 30(1), 105-120, 2022.
18. [18] Magaceen. “Elbphilharmonie”. https://magaceen.com/assets/img/article/architecture/elbphilharmonie/elbphilharmonie.pdf (04.02.2025).
19. [19] Dezeen. “Elbphilharmonie”. https://www.dezeen.com/2010/05/28/elbphilharmonie-by-herzog-de-meuron/ (04.02.2025).
20. [20] Herzog and De Meuron. “Hamburg Elbphilharmonie”. https://www.herzogdemeuron.com/projects/230-elbphilharmonie-hamburg/ (04.02.2025).
21. [21] Die-haeuser. “Elbphilharmonie”. https://www.elbphilharmonie.de/de/die-haeuser#historie (04.02.2025).
22. [22] HDVDARTS: Fine Arts in HD Home Theaters. “Elbphilharmonie Hamburg: Grand opening concert”. https://www.hdvdarts.com/titles/elbphilharmonie-hamburg-grand-opening-concert.html (09.11.2023).
23. [23] HDVDARTS: Fine Arts in HD Home Theaters. “Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall”. https://www.hdvdarts.com/titles/elbphilharmonie-hamburg-grand-opening-concert.html (04.02.2025).
24. [24] Brott S. Digital Monuments: The Dreams and Abuses of Iconic Architecture. New York, USA, Routledge, 2019.
25. [25] Wainwright O. “Snapping point: How the world’s leading architects fell under the Instagram spell”. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/nov/23/snapping-point-how-the-worlds-leading-architects-fell-under-the-instagram-spell?utm_medium=website&utm_source=archdaily.com (04.02.2025).
26. [26] Lange A. “It's easy to make fun of Bjarke Ingels on Instagram”. https://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/07/opinion-alexandra-lange-on-how-architects-should-use-social-media/ (04.02.2025).
27. [27] Dabbs K. “Insta-architecture: How social media will build buildings?” https://architizer.com/blog/practice/details/insta-architecture/ (04.02.2025).
28. [28] Hamburg's Newest Landmark ELBPHILHARMONIE: Photography Book of The Elbphilharmonie. https://www.amazon.com/Hamburgs-Newest-Landmark-ELBPHILHARMONIE-Elbphilharmonie/dp/B0C9SBVLVT (04.02.2025).
29. [29] Virilio P, Ruby A. Architecture in the Age of Its Virtual Disappearance. New York, USA, Princeton Architectural Press, 1993.
30. [30] Mcluhan M. The Medium is the Message. California, USA, Gingko Press, 2006.
31. [31] Wiethoff A, Hußmann H. Media Architecture: Using Information and Media as Construction Material. Berlin, Germany, De Gruyter, 2017.
32. [32] Foster H. The Art-Architecture Complex. London, UK, Verso Books, 2011.
33. [33] Alaily-Mattar N, Buren N, Thierstein A. “Transforming the media exposure of a city through star architecture projects?”. The Planning Review, 55(2), 36-48, 2019.
34. [34] Lindsay G. “One icon, two audiences: How the Denver Art Museum used their new building to both brand the city and bolster civic pride”. Journal of Urban Design, 23(2), 193-205, 2018.