Content

by Rem Koolhaas

This book takes place at the cusp of the 20th and 21st centuries, in the pre and post-September 11th world. It is a singular product of its time, packed full of words and images portraying the architectural projects and metaphysical mechanics that have defined Rem Koolhas's OMA-AMO firm over the past seven years. In the format of a small, thick magazine, this "book" is more of an anti-book, an informal tribute the ephemeral world we inhabit. Focusing on the theme "Go East," this visual journey follows OMA-AMO from San Francisco to Tokyo, traversing our massive and turbulent planet in search of "an opportunity to realize the visions that make remaining at home torturous."

Genres: Architecture, Politics, Nonfiction, Art, Urbanism, Theory

544 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

Remment Lucas Koolhaas is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is often cited as a representative of Deconstructivism and is the author of Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan.
He is seen by some as one of the significant architectural thinkers and urbanists of his generation, by others as a self-important iconoclast. In 2000, Rem Koolhaas won the Pritzker Prize. In 2008, Time put him in their top 100 of The World's Most Influential People. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2014.

Reviews

[Bill Millard · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the spirit of fairness and full disclosure, I should mention that I'm one of the contributors to this book. Content includes three of my essays: one on the Beijing CCTV building viewed as a surgical specimen, one on architecture and violence (with an accompanying set of case studies in a&v), and one on some potentially expurgation-worthy terms from contemporary architectural discourse. My rating here isn't based on my own contributions, but on the rest of the collection. Obviously, though, I can't pretend to objectivity here... this is the project that steered my career largely from medical to architectural writing (thanks again, Rem, Brendan, et al.!).

[Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I read most of it. This book/magazine/pile of bound papers did give me a better idea and more respect for Rem Koolhaus and what he is up to in the world. I particularly respect his conclusion that the building of Architecture is too slow for our contemporary world (especially the elements he is interested in)so he established a group to work and analyze other fields with the eye of architecture.

That said- I hate the "is it a book, is it a magazine" question of the thing. Frankly what it becomes because of this is a crappy book. I also hate the pretension in it and frankly I haven't yet found an architect that I like to read. I can't stand most of it. maybe Robin Evans. maybe.

[Leandro Llorente · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book with a magazine feel, like a collage of Rem's architectural thoughts.

[Matthew Schrage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unnecessarily opaque and frustrating to read

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This "bookazine" is jam-packed with the flashy (and questionable) graphics, bombastic pronouncements, occasionally erroneous historical notes (Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, not Atlanta), and leather-clad flesh shots that one would expect from any good sales brochure.

[Sekar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pinjam dari Auriza. Bentuknya seperti majalah. Lebih banyak gambar dibanding tulisan. Tidak terlalu serius. Cocok untuk bacaan di waktu senggang.

[yin · Rating 5 out of 5]

koolhaas is god.

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

for a laugh!
no, seriously, don't take this seriously.
read it while you're taking a crap.
there are also nude women in the book, so you can also take care of something else with it.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

can anyone explain the balls shots? i have an idea. but i'd like a better explanation

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

HAH! More social commentary and less theory. An amazing rant and a must read. Remember to take everything with a grain of salt.

[Alireza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just say : it's really wonderful!

[Auriza Salim · Rating 4 out of 5]

buku yang hebat. imajinasi yang liar. meskipun saya belum mengerti semua isinya, namun saya merekomendasikannya. hehe.
lagipula harganya cukup murah.

[Vanlilith]

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[Rory Hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

By turns erudite, pithy, snarkish and revealing. Who knew an architecture book could be like this?