Tracing the Effect of Architecture Using the Language, Power, Force Criticism Model Case Study: Brazilian National Congress Building

This study aims to explain the effect of architecture from the perspective of the language, power, and force critique model, and analyzes the Brazilian National Congress building as a prime example of the interaction between architectural form and social and political power structures. This study is based on the assumption that architecture is not only a reflection of cultural and political values, but also can act as a tool for reproducing the discourse of power in public space. The research method in this article is a combination of a qualitative and interpretive approach using critical discourse analysis, which is based on Norman Fairclough's model, at three levels of description, interpretation, and explanation. In this regard, first, the physical and symbolic elements of the building are analyzed, then these elements are examined in the discursive and historical context of the time of its construction. The research findings show that the symbolic design and specific volumetric composition of this building, especially the contrast between the two administrative towers and the legislative and executive domes, represent a kind of representation of balance and at the same time a challenge to power in the Brazilian political structure. This research concludes that architecture can play a role as a visual language in the production and transmission of concepts of power, and reading it from the perspective of critical theories provides a tool for a deeper understanding of the interplay between space, ideology, and politics.
Architectural work, model, language criticism, power, force, semiotics

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