Global Scale

What is the scale we call “global”? This theory seminar will reconsider the concept of scale in light of globalization, and vice versa. It has become commonplace to refer to “global” processes without defining the scale of the globe or the planet itself. This is a complex problem, which we will address by combining readings from recent architectural discourse (for example, Rem Koolhaas’s S, M, L, XL) with readings from cultural theory, urban studies, globalization studies, social theory, ecology, and elsewhere. A quintessentially architectural category, scale is normally measured relative to a fixed referent, as in “human scale” or “urban scale.” The size or dimension of that referent is usually thought to be absolute. In architecture, size and scale meet in measured or “scale” drawings, models, and maps, as well as in built form. They also meet when we offhandedly refer to specific processes as local, regional, global, or planetary. But in reality, whether we are speaking of ecology, infrastructure, cities, buildings, machines, furniture, or living beings, scales collide and overlap, dislodging or displacing their referents. This, rather than a smooth, telescopic sequence from microcosm to macrocosm, asks us to reconsider what we mean by global or planetary in every detail.