Everything Is Architecture, and We Are All Architects #5—Big Corporation in the Big City

In the fifth meeting of the series, we will discuss a coupling without which the conversation about contemporary architecture remains incomplete: power and money—a significant amount of money and considerable power. This evening, we will explore the headquarters buildings of corporate giants Apple and Bloomberg and examine the architectural choices made in designing their "motherships." We will emphasize the values that guided their planning: iconicity, distinctiveness, and creating forms that serve as visual representations of economic, social, corporate, urban (occasionally political and even global), and, of course, capitalist values.

We will pause at the moment when one of Apple's founding members teamed up with one of today's greatest "starchitects." We will decode the ring shape chosen for Apple, a seemingly non-hierarchical form—egalitarian, democratic, enveloping, and embracing - but also opaque, hermetic, absolute, and complete. Some might even view it as outdated and possessing authoritative qualities. By focusing on the headquarters of the American Bloomberg company, which found its new home in London at the perfect moment for Brexit, we will explore the motives and precedents that led major corporations to establish their locations precisely where they are today.

We will discuss local examples of Google deciding to establish its presence in central Tel Aviv-Yafo, Wix opting to develop a large campus in Glilot, and Teva contemplating a campus for years before ultimately abandoning the plan—all while emphasizing the implications of these choices for employees, society, and the environment surrounding these buildings.

Host: Hila Shemer
Content Development: Moran Navon

This meeting is part of the lecture series “Everything Is Architecture, and We Are All Architects,” held at Café Lev in Liebling Haus. During this series, we will examine contemporary architecture in our regions and worldwide through the lenses of politics, gender, economics, globalization, crisis, war, and peace. We will explore how the architectural discipline can drive change—from urban environments and public buildings to the most intimate spaces—our private homes. By utilizing tools from both within and beyond the field of architecture, we will envision a possible future.

*Participants can register for a single meeting. The content of each meeting is independent of the others.

Credit: Daniel L. Lu, under license of Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International