Re:[work]

Globalization is shrinking the world. This is bringing about dynamic possibilities for information, service and intellectual property exchange. This shrinking and leveling of the globe will usherin ideas and services from areas of the world that add new exciting perspectives to ideas of collaboration, design and technology. While Architecture has embraced the periphery of revaluating space and even cyber-space with BIM, outsourcing, exchange hubs, cyber-conferencing and plan exchange systems it still lacks the opportunity for a larger pool of ideas and collaboration which, in the long run will only diminish the Architects ever shrinking influence in the built environment. To avoid this, current somewhat singular modes of design should be evaluated to transform the ideas of traditional practice into multi-faceted, unlimited models of idea exchange and collaboration. Ideas will come from far corners of the globe. Ideas that can and could have profound affect on the profession and the idea of the built environment as we move into the future. These ideas need to be fostered and explored in order keep vitality, diversity and relevance in architecture now and beyond. Design and execution must embrace new modes of operation to retain talented idealistic thinkers. These thinkers will continue to expand the idea of not only what architecture is, but how the process of discovering architecture can be realized. This thesis will investigate the possibilities of how to effectively merge collaborative dynamics and communication in design between the physical and the digital/ virtual. These collaborative dynamics will be compared with that of the exchange within a market place. Where a marketplace can be categorized as an auction, shopping center, complex institution such as a stock market or an informal discussion between friends. This investigation will lead into the more formal realization of how to merge these dynamics into a physical idea that will foster individual parties of with varying levels of expertise to collaborate and ‘meet’ either physically or virtually in order to realize a more broad set of architectural goals. An emerging theme worthy of further study is the interrelationship, interpenetrability and variations of concepts of persons, commodities and modes of exchange under particular market formations. This is most pronounced in recent movements towards post-structural theorizing that draws on Faucault and Actor Network Theory and stress relational aspects of personhood, and dependence and integration into networks and practical systems. Commodity network approaches further both deconstruct and show alternatives to the market models concept of commodities. Here, both researchers and market actors are understood as reframing commodities in terms of processes and social and ecological relationships Rather than a mere objectification of things traded, the complex network of relationships of exchange in different markets calls on agents to alternatively deconstruct or “get with” the fetish of commodities. [1] In ‘Geographies of Exchange and Circulation: alternative trading spaces’ Progress in Human Geography by Alex Hughes In order to structure the ideas contained in this thesis it will be broken down into [3] major topics for review and evaluation. 1. Organizational Dynamics a. Market Systems b. Library / Information Systems c. Living and Working together d. Pop cultural techniques on forecasting the future of communication 2. Evolution of Building Types a. Current/ ancient market place b. Library / Info hubs c. Current/ past live-work scenarios d. Office building archetypes 3. Aesthetic intentionality a. Architectural techniques _ internal and external b. Solutions that foster work environments, collaborative environments, shopping and explorative environments and living environments c. Unknown outcome; difference from current office building type