Gridlocked: The Ideas, Creations and Career of Architect Rem Koolhaas

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Rem Koolhaas continues to be a pioneering figure in the arena of urban architecture.  It was this Dutch-born architect that created some of the most thrilling pieces of architecture in the world today.  Rem Koolhaas is still creating buildings that create a buzz around the entire world, including an addition to the Guggenheim in Las Vegas and the Kunsthal in Rotterdam. But Rem Koolhaas created as much of a buzz about his architectural philosophy as he did about the buildings he designed. From the Seattle Central Library to the Casa da Musica Hall in Porto, Portugal, The work of Rem Koolhaas is as much a piece of art as it is a functional building.

One of the main works of Rem Koolhaas was centered around the island of Manhattan. He was witnessing the “massive…industrial, economic, and technological innovations” of the time period (“Delirious”  83). His 1978 work, Delirious New York, reflected his feelings regarding the explosion of this city as he described it as a “20^th century’s Rosetta Stone,” meaning that there was a duality of odd room functions involved inside of the buildings (“Delirious” 9).  Koolhaas’s work described the island of Manhattan as a series of “architectural mutations,” “utopian fragments,” and “irrational phenomenon” that was as confusing as it was functional (“Delirious” 9). He also described the island as being a “Galapagos island of new technologies in which this time a battle among species of machines is imminent” (“Delirious” 12). Manhattan was a new form of Darwin’s idea of “survival of the fittest.” It is in this work that Koolhaas also coined the term, Manhattanism, which he described as “exist[ing] in a world totally fabricated by man i.e., to live inside fantasy” (“Delirious” 10).  He thought of the island as a dreamland that was completely set apart from human reality.

Koolhaas had many problems with the structure and ideal behind Manhattan’s “ecstasy about architecture” (“Delirious” 10).  To him, the architecture present in Manhattan was a paradigm because it gave way to a “culture of congestion” and it created an “exploitation” of this principle (“Delirious” 10). Since 1811, Manhattan’s Grid was the single greatest force and the “overriding theoretical and practical influence on the development of the city of New York” (Esperdy 11). The Grid was of vital importance to the urbanization of the city. The Grid itself was a “mosaic of episodes,” meaning that it appeared to be in a mosaic-like structure when looking at the designs of the city (Esperdy 11).  It created the idea of the single block as the “maximum unit of urbanistic Ego” and therein makes every architectural intention to be “realized fully within the limitations of the block” (Esperdy 11).   Koolhaas knew this and described the city as being both “creation and destruction irrevocably interlaced , endlessly reenacted” (Sussman 35) He had the idea that architecture should not only strive to build up a city, but it should also be prepared to erase and delete its “debris” from a city (Heron 1).  He held strong to the belief that the cities must look at the effect of things within the larger system because that is what helps to create a more productive social formation (“Urbanism 83).

Rem Koolhaas has made several contributions to the world of architecture that influenced today’s styles.  As such, he has often been called the “guru of contemporary architecture” because of his “rigorous analysis and audacious ideas” (Jury 1).  As a modern architect, he is still creating and designing buildings today. His Seattle Central Library, which was created in 2004, has been heralded by the New York Times as “a blazing chandelier to swing your dreams upon” (Jury 1).  His Casa da Musica Hall in Porto, Portugal was created and completed in 2005 and has since been called “one of the most important concert hals [sic] in the world” (Jury 1).

Currently, Koolhaas has recently unveiled a work in his adopted home town of London, England, where he has lived for over 30 years (Jury 1).  He was paid nothing for his incredibly large and “ovid-shaped inflatable canopy that now stands in Kensington Garden (Jury 1).  This dome structure is described to be as large as the dome on Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Rome and, despite the 6,000 cubic meters of helium that have the “potential to life three small cars” off of the ground (Jury 1). The helium will inflate the “semi-transparent membrane” of the roof while it remains anchored to the ground with cables and winches (Falconer 1).  Koolhaas is also working on plans for White City, a town on the western side of London (Jury 1).

Koolhaas now enjoys a “cult status” among his peers in architecture (Jury 1).  He has been described as “the pop star of the architectural world” because of his proclivity to walk away from projects simply due to his dissatisfaction with them, i.e., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Whitney in New York (Jury 1).  People are so drawn to his constant “changing and rethinking” of his architectural plans that people find him exciting, hence his lectures being continuously sold out (Jury 1).   As for a Koolhaas legacy, it has been noted of his work that he will “go down [in history] as the incredibly important architect” (Jury 1).  Rem Koolhaas pioneered many ideas in his field of urban architecture. He came up as a major proponent of a new geometrical school of thought.  He mastered and helped to popularize the embracing of  “asymmetry, nonlinearity, and the miracle and undeniability [sic] of indeterminate and spontaneously emerging material qualities” (“Urbanism”  84).  Koolhaas went against the popular ideas of his day only to emerge as on one of the most recognized and prolific urbanists of his time. There is no doubt that Rem Koolhaas has left his mark on the field of architecture and will forever be remembered for his stylish designs and unusual concepts.

Works Cited

Esperdy, Gabrielle. “Defying the Grid.” Perspecta 30 1999: 10-33.

Falconer, Morgan. “How They Laid a Cosmic Egg.”  The Times (London) July 5, 2006:14.

Heron, Katrina. “From Bauhaus to Koolhaas.” Wired 4.07 July 1996: 1-3.  01 December 2006 http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.07/koolhaas.html

Jury, Louise. “The Ultra-Cool World of Rem Koolhaas.” The Independent (2006)

Koolhaas, Rem. Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan.  New York: Monacelli Press, 1997.

Koolhaas, Rem. “Urbanism After Innocence: Four Projects: The Reinvention of Geometry.” Assemblage 18 Aug. 1992:  pp 82-113.

Sussman, Mark. “New York’s Facelift.”  TDR 42 Spring 1998: 34-42.