MAGAZINE ARQ 62 | march 2006

Consumption

From its very beginning, civilization has been associated to commerce. And architecture is related to trading at least in two different manners: in one hand, bargaining has always taken place within cities and its buildings, streets and squares. In the other hand, space and buildings themselves stand for consumer goods.
With a critical but dispassionate point of view, this issue aims to understand how consumption has affected contemporary space and daily life, presenting buildings and places that normally are not considered as works of architecture –in spite we expend many hours at them–.
Some of our contributors describe the way we move through the supermarket or we use those successful coastal condos during summer; some others review how shopping malls have become part of urban life or why good design can be also understood as capital stock. A brief selection of works and projects completes ARQ 62, including gas stations by Sabbagh in Santiago and a restaurant by Radic, where urban leisure becomes a sensual experience facing a play of weight and matter.