Jesse LeCavalier on the spaces and invisible networks of logistics

In the third part of the Spatial Logistics panel, Jesse LeCavalier traces the spaces and invisible networks that circulate goods, people, and resources created by logistics. He dissects a recent advertising campaign by United Parcel Service (UPS) — “Logistics makes the world work better” — to understand how supply chain logistics “tries to deny space” and collapse distance (and therefore time) in pursuit of improved efficiency, lower costs, and increased profits. Drawing from his extensive research into the architecture and logistics of Walmart, he tours the sequence of trucking, unloading, sorting, distribution, floor display, and purchasing that determines our consumption of goods. He concludes with a revision to the UPS advertising slogan: “Logistics makes the world.”

Jesse LeCavalier is a member of Co + LeCavalier and an assistant professor of architecture at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he coordinates the first year design studio.