| Title |
A Study on the Communication Structure and Power Dynamics of Media Facades |
| Authors |
정혜진(Jung, Hye-Jin) ; 김가을(Kim, Ga-Eul) ; 오혜린(Oh, Hye-Rin) ; 임세빈(Lim, Se-Bin) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.8.201 |
| Keywords |
Media Facade; Architectural Communication; Technical Image; Situational Geography; Network-Power |
| Abstract |
This study defines the architectural facade as a medium of communication that generates social meaning and mediates power rather than
serving as a simple physical enclosure. It critically examines how power structures have been reorganized through the historical evolution of
the facade, which has long functioned as a device for expressing dominant ideologies and systems of authority. The study traces this
evolution through three stages. First, the Solid Facade operated as a direct expression of sovereign power, using the mass and exclusivity of
masonry to project authority and permanence. Second, the modern Glass Facade emerged as a mechanism of micro-power, promoting
self-discipline through the asymmetry of visibility created by the discourse of transparency. Third, the contemporary Media Facade replaces
architectural materiality with technical images composed of pixels and data, transforming power from a fixed authority into a pervasive
network embedded throughout the city. Drawing on Vil?m Flusser’s theory of technical images and Joshua Meyrowitz’s concept of situational
geography, this study critiques the illusion of interaction promoted by Media Facades. Analyses of projects such as Galleria Department Store,
Dongdaemun Design Plaza, and works by Refik Anadol show that Media Facades function as sophisticated mechanisms of control. By
reducing architectural placeness to data, they confine public experience within a continuous, non-place-based perpetual present while
algorithmically shaping perception. Ultimately, the Media Facade operates less as a platform for democratic communication than as an
invisible system of control that permeates everyday life through immaterial interfaces. In response, this study argues for alternative
communication structures in which technical images and architectural substance can coexist in a more balanced and meaningful way. |