Generalization of control and surveillance architectures from the 18th century onwards. Spatial strategies applied to the control and supervision of acts and bodies

Abstract

The series of changes that occurred during the 18th century in Europe as part of the Enlightenment resulted in modifications that affected all spheres of society, aiming to establish science as the main tool to guarantee human progress.

Architecture did not escape this process, and due to the spread of positivism and the changes being introduced in economic, productive, and social systems, the design of spaces was highlighted as one of the main strategies to ensure control and exhibition of power, replacing violence and public punishments. The spread of this set of strategies started with the typology of the jail, but it quickly propagated to many other productive architectures such as schools, factories, or hospitals. From there, a progressive dematerialization took place, focusing on urban design and, thanks to the appearance of digital technologies, on cities as a whole.