December 1, 2009

criticism: what's next for Dubai?

With news of the financial crisis in Dubai, and now their requests to have a 6-month reprieve on their debt payments (nearly 60 billion) I'm left to wonder about its architectural implication. Not that there won't be any more symbols of excess in the desert by signature architects, rather the next step in this rapid evolution. Dubai in the first decade of the 21st century has created a legacy in architecture arguably on par with the reconstruction of post-war Europe. But with that the great implication lies. Shall these works be torn apart and the scraps be sold to recover it's debt? With everyone from Sotheby's to Christies cashing in on the fetish of parts. Or shall special interest groups similar to the Royal Society or DOCOMOMO come to the rescue lobbying to preserve their architectural interests? The tide is changing, will this too be carried out to sea?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i think the most reasonable thing to do, is to let the buildings rot as the symbols of oligargic opulence they are, let them stand as proof of how capitalistic excess has failed....

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