Architecture of excess: navigating beyond the superficial

Abstract

Contemporary architecture has become increasingly superficial as it relies on capricious visual excitement for appeal in the 21st Century. Architectural semiotics have been appropriated to become massively branded images in the urban landscape that aim for instant gratification, lacking experiential depth and qualities beyond visual delight. The aim for iconic and instant appeal in any building typology limits our understanding of architecture’s relationship to use, users, and context. Working both within and beyond the same culture of consumption and excess in the experience economy, this thesis posits that characteristics and values of entertainment architecture provide engaging experiential qualities for architectural design beyond superficial appeal. Entertaining values of educational leisure, themed environments, and consumption can in fact generate a more integrated and authentic relationship between architecture, people, and place in our society of the spectacle.