Elements of Architecture

by Rem Koolhaas

A follow-up to Rem Koolhaas's iconic S, M, L, XL, this encyclopedic tome illustrates the research project lying behind the 14th International Architecture Biennale. The focus of this book is the evolution of the elements used by architects of every age throughout the history of architecture. Doors, windows, ceilings, floors, stairs, balconies, and other basic elements of architecture--often overlooked but universally familiar--are studied, analyzed, and cataloged by means of an endless variety of visual references, from ancient times to modern developments. By looking at the evolution of architectural elements that are common to all cultures, this exploration avoids the classical Eurocentrism that often still characterizes architectural discourse. National identity has seemingly been sacrificed to modernity. Nevertheless, unique national features and mentalities continue to exist and flourish just as international collaboration and exchange intensifies.

Genres: Architecture, Design, Art, Nonfiction

900 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 2014

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

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, could have used a few more pages