Global village in architectural theory and practice: Softening liminal conditions

Abstract

The term global village first appeared in literature around 1960s and continues to develop in various scientific disciplines as a spatial phenomenon that is not defined by borders, but by global culture and the development of contemporary techniques and technologies. Considering the presented concept, the principle of "disappearing borders" is problematized within architectural research through offering an alternative claim about the softening and layering of existing barriers. Barriers in architectural theory have not disappeared, but their existence is continuously transformed from a static element into a permeable and unstable barrier, following the complex needs of modern-day society. Taking into account the previous statement, it can be concluded that the border phenomenon develops typologically and semantically, introducing new classifications of border areas into the theory of architecture. Global culture development can be interpreted as almost dehumanizing through the diminished merit of individual identities, thus creating a specific need to modify the environment and make it personal through the establishment of architectural (physical) boundaries. The proposed hypothesis will be examined by the method of case study and graphic analysis of the meander building facade in New Belgrade’s block 23. The facade is the subject of analysis because it represents a permanent, tangible and recognizable physical barrier between inside and outside, private and public, personal and collective. The paper presents an alternative view of the concept of global village borders, their manifestation and transformation in architectural theory and practice.