The Impact of Political Authority on Building the Architectural Image

Abstract

Architectural studies differed about the concept of power in architecture according to the type of authority and the intellectual and theoretical orientations of these studies. Authority is one of the key factors influencing the formation of the identity of architecture.

The building has its image or the effective way in the formation of its distinctive civilization structure, hence the purpose of the serach study the relationship (political power architecture), and study the potential of power and its impact on the architectural image. Here, the problem of research can be determined by (the lack of clarity of the comprehensive conceptual perception of the political and material capabilities of authority in building the architectural image). In the research problem, deals with a comprehensive conceptual framework which has constructed by addressing a series of studies, researches and international experiences that have reflected the influence of political authority on building the image of architecture, and thus adopting the vocabulary derived from the theoretical framework in analyzing a number of international and Arab's projects that reflect the effective role of authority in building and shaping the architectural identity of those buildings in particular and their reflection on the city in general. The results of this application and conclusions have analyzed, which showed the intentionally effect of political authority on the general taste of the governed group, through the conscious imitation of the vocabulary, forms and relationships of the physical image used by the ruling authority as models of economic power and dominance. The results have showed this effect unconsciously which lead to the production of replicable models in different places or models. It has counted as symbols for a specific period of time and then turn into national symbols that form the starting point of an architectural identity that symbolizes this era.