My Architect offers a global view of the presence and work of a selection of the world’s greatest architects today. Designed under the same principles and built from a very similar set of components as the Eyes of the World, a previous project done by the lab, it serves as an extension of that project but focuses its subject matter solely on architecture. We took the idea of exploring the density of user-generated data a step further, using this data to benchmark “iconic architecture.” In this context, the measurement of buzz is strongly correlated with the popularity of an aesthetic. This type of analysis also helps evaluate the success of architects in promoting the image of a city. Through the narrative the activities of the public create, we are able to surmise a general opinion of these spaces.
This project attempts to visualize the formation of iconic architecture and star-chitect culture through analyzing user-generated content online, particularly tags and geo-info that are embedded in digital photographs.
Through this visualization, we highlight the clusters of the physical presence of each architect and showcase their most famous works through stunning photographs captured by anonymous photographers around the world. This project also features a ranking of the architects based on the size of their online photograph collection. This ranking deviates from the media’s measure because it is not simply representing which buildings are photographed the most; it is instead an examination of pop architecture culture formalized via peerto-peer information sharing online. This bottom-up approach to conveying information related to architecture contrasts with the traditional top-down approach in which communications media and other third parties measure the success of architectural practice and professions.
Watch the invididual visualizations created for each of the architects at the SenseableVisual Youtube Channel
A project by the MIT Senseable City Lab