Architecture Words 1: Supercritical

by Peter Eisenman, Rem Koolhaas

Supercritical is based on an evening of conversation between Peter Eisenman and Rem Koolhaas at the AA in 2006. Each architect states his views about the terms of architecture, including its theories and relationship to the city and other forms of critical and cultural practice. Responses from the audience follow, filtered through a debate moderated by Brett Steele.

Architecture Words is a series of texts and important essays on architecture written by architects, critics and scholars. Like many aspects of everyday life, contemporary architectural culture is dominated by an endless production and consumption of images, graphics and information. Rather than mirror this larger force, this series of small books seeks to deflect it by means of direct language, concise editing and beautiful, legible graphic design. Each volume in the series offers the reader texts that distil important larger issues and problems, and communicate architectural ideas; not only the ideas contained within each volume, but also the enduring power of written ideas more generally to challenge and change the way all architects think.

Genres: Architecture

145 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2013

About the author

Peter Eisenman is an American architect. Eisenman's professional work is often referred to as formalist, deconstructive, late avant-garde, late or high modernist, etc. A certain fragmenting of forms visible in some of Eisenman's projects has been identified as characteristic of an eclectic group of architects that were (self-)labeled as deconstructivists, and who were featured in an exhibition by the same name at the Museum of Modern Art. The heading also refers to the storied relationship and collaborations between Peter Eisenman and post-structuralist thinker Jacques Derrida.

Reviews

[Jorge De Jorge Jordán · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. It brings light and hope for a path to a new architecture for young architects or students.

[Ekaterina Ulitina]

осторожно, архитектурная литература!

интересно структурированная книга: диалог двух больших архитекторов, которые осмысляются практику через текст, далее диалог критиков об их диалоге, далее комментарии к критическим замечаниям бретта стила – многоуровневая башня. не столько понравились сам разговор и его обсуждение, сколько лекция колхаса о дали и его параноидально-критическом методе, «сто фактов об айзенмане и колхасе» стила и его же послесловие о значении писательства в архитектуре.

«...подтверждение, что архитектурные тексты лучше писать ради решения реальных задач их авторов, а не предполагаемых задач воображаемых читателей.»

осталось прочитать «нью-йорк вне себя», манифест студентов-архитекторов, который все хоть один раз в жизни обсудили, все хоть один раз в жизни покритиковали, но никто так и не прочитал.

[alyona m · Rating 3 out of 5]

диалог фантастических людей

[Dillon Gorton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made me miss when architecture was far more pretentious