Congrexpo in Lille, France, 1990-1994
There is a new platonic and idealistic thought hidden behind the ripped outer appearance and realistic writings of Koolhaas, a thought that lays the foundation of utopia by theorizing the reality, the elements of which are a reflection of the truth. Reality this time has become so pure that it has emerged in the form of a list of basic and structural ideas. Attention to this structure, in view of Koolhaas, is fully evident from the style of set up of his book. If a book is supposed to explain a truth, this explanation cannot be obtained through explaining the meanings. The structure of the book and its organization, crystallize the Koolhaas ideas regarding the reality of today's architecture and some planning and methods which give a shape to the realistic architecture.
The book consists of chapters organized only on the basis of quantity, i.e. the size of the work, and this problem itself is an indication of the importance of "quality of the quantity" in today's metropolises. The subject matters are inserted between pictures in the form of a directory of useful posts, but without any traditional and textual relations. The object of Koolhaas is that the book can be read from anywhere and in any manner that the reader wishes to read, without going to the first page. This literary crystallization a shattered concept of today's world and non-existence of structural connection between the most peripheral realities.
Villa Dall'Ava
Villa Dall'Ava (Saint Cloud, Paris, France, 1985/1991) represents an early crystallization of Koolhaas's architectural ideas. The composed elements of this building have been placed side by side, without a single unifying system, and even the windows of the main facade are apparently unrelated to each other.
The entry is the crystallization of calmness (tranquility), mediation and predetermination and Koolhaas is looking after incomplete, movement, partial and irrational perception and nationally aesthetic. The movement factor is the main characteristic of Koolhaas's work and he allocates a part of his projects' main ideas to himself. In the Lille project there is no space like a square for civic calmness. In Kunsthal at Rotterdam, two libraries of Jussieu University in France and the Centre of Art and Techniques, ramps, which transform the floors into continuous surfaces, are one of the main spatial elements of the construction.
Kunsthal, Rotterdam
In each project, Koolhaas tries to encounter with a main and structural planning problem and it is for this reason that his works more or less remain as scientific discoveries rather than innovations. The problem of compounding of independent phenomena provided that the work is not a synthesis from the propositional subject matter, but only a collection of independent and different programs. In Grand Palais project, it is not clear that the concert hall, convention halls, and exhibition area, like three totally independent sections, are placed next to each other. In the town-planning project of La Villette Park, which is not externally independent structures from the spatial point of view, stand on top of each other, but each of these have their own pattern and function. The relation between the above structures looks like a calculated accident. "Layer designing" which means using computer designing program CAD capabilities in an expressive way (and not only instrumental), simulates the structural complexities and co-existence of the elements belonging to the different projects and periods.
Congrexpo, Lille
The Congrexpo in Lille (1990-1994) represents Koolhaas's ideas about large-scale urban infrastructure at their most ambitious. The project consists of four different layers. The first layer consists of walkway strips that cover the complete surface of the park. In each of these east-west strips one of the functions of open space, like Thematic Park, playground, special plants, etc. are situated. The second layer is a collection of dot-shaped elements on comparison with the vast surface of the park, that stand on a systematic network. These are different kiosks, cafe, picnic grounds, etc. The third layer is allocated to circulation, a linear boulevard in the direction of north-south and a revolution with an irregularly shaped promenade connecting the common spaces to each other. The fourth layer specifies the set up of the existing and newly established buildings.
ZKM (Centre for Art and Media Technology), Karlsruhe
What is distinct, Koolhaas in spite of the formal language is completely abstract and the contents of his theoretic works are seeking a kind of planning acceptable for today's world. He plays a kind of a role of cultural aid broker for achieving his goal. He keeps aside the entire old standards of "good designing." His argument is not solely on finding a solution and criticism; he also runs principles like composition. His sharpness has gone too far from the level of general idea and theoretic arguments and drags to the practical and operational problems of the building. The economy of building is one of the important arguments of Koolhaas. For him economy is not saving, but to realize the maximum amount of programs with minimum of capital. In any case, he also pays attention to the saving, so that reduction of the executive cost, does not change into a parasite in the process of planning.
Educatorium, Utrecht
He also investigates in the field of capabilities of the aesthetics of poor materials. The Educatorium in the University of Utrecht with a bulk area of 25000 square meters was built on a budget of about 12 million dollars, a cost that is even absolutely possible for the third world countries. The total cost of each square meter of the building is about 250,000 tomans, which is not even far from the Iranian cost and is about one third of the cost of similar buildings in Europe. Today, expensive and qualitative buildings like Miyagi Prefectural Library are built at a cost of 2,600,000 tomans/square meter.
This problem, which I have tried to show by giving different examples, is very important for today's world, especially for countries like Iran. Koolhaas's experience shows that the quality of an architecture does not solely depend on selected and expensive works and with a bearable cost, an important building with a complete power can be brought into existence. On the other hand the theoretic and methodological realism of Koolhaas and his glance on extra large cities, is in severe conformity with situations of extra large cities like Tehran and his modus operandi in relation to this, looks entirely practical and useable.
In Search of a New Modernism
The article includes a translated interview between Rem Koolhaas and Bart Lootsma, originally published in Domus magazine in January 1998. In this conversation, Koolhaas discusses his approach to architecture in the context of globalization, the role of the architect in contemporary society, and his vision for OMA's future projects.
Koolhaas addresses the question of whether architecture can maintain its relevance in an age of rapid technological and social change. He argues that the architect must engage directly with the forces shaping the contemporary city — commerce, infrastructure, mass media — rather than retreating into aesthetic formalism. This pragmatic engagement, he contends, is the basis for a new modernism: one that accepts the messy reality of the contemporary urban condition rather than trying to impose an idealized order upon it.
Especially some of the problems like large urban agglomerations debated by Koolhaas have specified evidences in our history. The said specification of the principles used by him like lack of connection between outside and inside, superiority of the internal space, the importance of the route, composability of separated sections and standing on top of each other of the network with more or less repeated elements and network with special and unique elements apparently is in complete agreement with the Iranian traditional bazaar.