High-Tech Architecture and Its Urban, Cultural, Historic and Economic Landscape of the Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo, Uruguay

Abstract

This is a novel and unprecedented study of the latest global-scale architectural movement. We contribute a large amount of first-hand research to the scientific community in the form of interviews with architects, observations and photographs. This paper analyzes the predominant building style for large public developments. It takes into account its history, its representative value for income, technological development, and innovation, and the reasons why it is shaping in a certain way. Hi-tech and postmodernism are extremely popular styles, yet little has been written about them. In order to analyze the architectural style, there has been direct observation of the Carrasco international airport, an interview was conducted with an architect and there was an investigation that ranged from textbooks, to articles, to influential architects’ speeches. The essay inspects the history of 20th century architectural styles such as modernism and postmodernism and focuses on high-tech as the natural consequence of their predecessors. The investigation unveiled why buildings started to have more complex and unconventional form factors, as well as the causes of architectural trend shifts. It also relates technology and its impact on architectural innovation. Finally, we conclude that Hi-tech buildings scale and flamboyant aspects make them ideal candidates to revitalize neighborhoods, show wealth and engineering skills. Particularly, the airport was a positive investment, with regards to the materials and style employed.