The corporation and the conception of modern space, between structures and systems

The rise of the corporation as the predominant economic player in the early 20th century radically disrupted traditional economic theories. The stock exchange’s new mechanism of raising and collecting capital opened up completely new legal and economic perspectives. The parcelled-out ownership in shares led to the disintegration of the traditional unique right of property in its two distinct components of ownership and control. The rise of the modern corporation was made possible through the power of disposition (control) handled by the rising figure of the salaried manager. He contributed to the development of innovative systems of control and administrative coordination, which proved to be more efficient than the traditional market mechanisms of price equilibrium.

So far, the architectural implications of this institutional revolution have been little investigated. Through an historical analysis, the project examines in which ways the new structure of the corporation and its mechanisms have affected the built environment and how, conversely, architectural design has influenced corporate structural organization. This is pursued through the analysis of selected case studies from Germany and Italy, in a dynamic reading from the 1920s. The research aims to identify how the design of space, whether architectural or in urban planning, through a process of administrative evolution, is defined by means of control and coordination tools internalised by the corporate organisational structure.