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RemsKitofPartsKoolhaass 15volume look into architectural elements isexhaustive and exhausting, mad and maddening.SAMUELMED INA
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06/05/2015 |RemsKitofParts
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A constellation of Koolhaass elements stamps the entrance vestibule of the Central Pavilion. The exhibitionwas the backbone of the architects threepronged agenda for the biennale.
EXHIBITIONIMAGESCOURTESYFRANCESCOGALLI/LABIENNALEDIVENEZIA
Anexhibitionisnotabookandabookisnotanexhibition,readsanuggetfromtheFundamentalscatalog,theblueprintforRemKoolhaassVeniceArchitectureBiennale.Thedisclaimer,thesortonehascometoexpectfromanyKoolhaasianenterprise,isactuallyintendedforElements(Marsilio,2014),a2,336pageblockoftextsthatanchorstheexhibitionofthesamename.PreparedbyOMAsresearchoutfit,AMO,incollaborationwithamultiyearstudiofromtheHarvardGraduateSchoolofDesignandateamofcollaborators,Elementsisatechnophilictreatiseonthestateofarchitecturalthinkinginthetwentyfirstcentury.
DespitewhatKoolhaasorhisbandofeditorssay,itisnteasytodisentangleElements(theambitious,overreaching,maddeningbook)fromElements(theambitious,overreaching,maddeningexhibition).Thebookisactuallysplicedinto
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15bookletsmeasuringfromslimtopaperbacklikethickness,eachonedevotedtoasingleelement.Anecdotes,timelines,andothermarginaliadelineatetheevolutionarytreesofarchitecturalcomponentsliketheceilingorwall,fromtheirancientinthecaseofthefireplace,prehistoricbeginningstotheirdigitalprogeny.ThismethodofanalysiswasfirstdevelopedinDeliriousNewYork(1978),whoseidiosyncraticstudyofelevatorsandothermodernbuildingapparatusprefigurestheennobleddisplayof2014sElements.Byminingtheshadowyhistoriesofthesetechnologies,bytacklingthemfromallsides,Koolhaashoped,thenandnow,toproduceadeliriumofinterpretation[s]capableofrechargingtheworn,consumedcontentsoftheworld.
DeliriousNewYork,however,appearedatthecrestofatidalchangeinarchitecturalthinkingandculture.AtVenice,some40yearslater,Koolhaassprovocationscanbeconstruedasconservative,andhisargumentbanal.Indeed,thebacktobasicspropositioncontainswhiffsofareactionary,evendesperatepragmatism.Todaysarchitecture,KoolhaasdefiantlyreportedtobiennaleattendeesinJune,isnotinparticularlygoodhealth.Allthemorereason,then,toseverallconnectionstothediseasedhostandstartagainfromnewprinciples.Theposturingwaspreposterous,andthelogic,adeadend.AsaruefulPeterEisenmanwarned,Koolhaassglorifiedkitofpartsleadstotheendofmythology,theendofeverything,theendofarchitecture.FrencharchitectandblatheringhereticFrancoisRochefannedthecriticalflames,demanding,whogaveRemtheauthoritytotakepartintheburningofthediscipline?
BiennalepresidentPaoloBarattaevidentlydid,afteraprotractedperiodofKoolhaasplayinghardtoget.ThetypicalpreparationperiodwasextendedfromtwotofouryearstoaccommodatethearchitectsambitiousprogramBarattaalsoseemstohavefacilitatedtheseveralcorporatesponsorshipsnecessarytotheexhibitionsrealization.AlargeRolexlogopopsupintheopeningpagesofFundamentals,followedbyasmallerconstellationofcorporateinsignia.Itbarelyregistersasacriticism,andonesurelycantfaultKoolhaasforthis"Faustian"pact.Ifanything,thescenarioamplifiesKoolhaasschiefpointofcritique,whichdevolvedintoakindofmantraduringtheopeningweekend:theuncomfortabletruththatarchitectscanenactlittlewithoutsnugglinguptocorporatelargesse.Thishascoincided,ofcourse,withdecadesofneoliberalism,andhashadtheperniciouseffectoferodingarchitecturespublicrole.
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Elements expands on, and fills in the gaps of, the Venice exhibition. Encyclopedic in reach, the book is split upinto 15 parts, each one devoted to the history and evolution of a single element.
COURTESYOMA
Unfortunately,Koolhaasfailstounpackthelanguageofhisargument.TheissueismostlyabsentinElements,atleastinthetextsattributedtothearchitect(oftenaverydifficultthingtotrackduetoIrmaBoomshaphazarddesign).Whenitdoesrearitshead,itstreatedtepidlywithsneeringoneliners.Thethesisismorepreciselytakenupbytheguestcuratorsandessayists,particularlyKellerEasterlinginhersophisticatedhistoryofthefloor(Volume1).Heressay,looselytranslatedintoagloomy,boorishwedgeofexhibitionspaceatVenice,teasesoutthesocialandpoliticoeconomicdimensionsofthebiennaleagendabetterthanKoolhaashimselfdoes.Onceimbuedwithnearcosmicmeaning(asatancientplacesofworship),andoftenaffirmedasthemoststableelement,thefloorhasbecomeameremachineforgeneratingprofit.Floors,Easterlingwrites,alwayscoveranarea,andbyassumingthatabstractvalue,theyactivelyconditionthefinancialappreciationofbuildings.TakentotheMiesianextent,wherebyorderedstacksoffundamentareerectedmidair,sheathedincasesofglass,thefloorisreducedtoFloorAreaRatio,theglobalshorthandformonetizingandnegotiatingurbanspace.
Facade(Volume7)buildsofftheseruminations,particularlyintheirrelationshiptothemodernofficetower.DevelopedbyAlejandroZaeraPoloandhisstudentsatthePrincetonUniversitySchoolofArchitecture,theessayanditsaccompanyinginstallationencompassthefullbreadthoffacadeinnovationssincetheCrystalPalace.ZaeraPolo
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identifiesthepostFordistglazedwallasadevelopmentawayfromtherectilinear,perfectlymullionedprismsofMies,SOM,andSaarinenallcruciblesofColdWarindustries.FollowingthedemiseofBrettonWoods,themonolithicaestheticsofParkAvenuewerephasedoutinfavorofamoreeclecticexpressionism.Butthecorporateinfrastructureremained,onlynow,asZaeraPolonotes,obscuredunderpoliticallycorrectandpoliticallyunconsciousclothes.ToputitinKoolhaasianterms,architectsmetcrisisthewholesaledismantlingofModernismwithgleefulcomplicity,asbestsignaledbythehighlyengineered,surfacethinworksofFrankGehry,JeanNouvel,andothers.Timiditywrappedupinafireworksdisplay.
The Window room at Venice is dominated by a wall of nineteenthcentury windows on loan from the collectionof Charles Brooking, a lifelong collector of building parts.Theothervolumesarelessblatantwiththeirpoliticalpronouncements,andaim,instead,toeducateanddivert.Towardsthatend,Koolhaashascompiledapeanutgalleryofoddballspecialistswhoallhaveattemptedtoelevatetheirnichesubjectstogreatersignificance.ThebulkofStair(Volume12)isdevotedtothecollectedworksofFriedrichMielke,theoneleggednonagenarianfounderoftheInstituteofScalology(themeticulousstudyofstairs).Mielke,whohaspenned27booksonthesubject,believesthereisabroadfutureforhisdecadeslongpetproject:Oneshouldestablishanentireuniversitydedicatedtothestudyingofstairsintheworld."
OnemighteasilyimagineCharlesBrooking,whosecollectionofwoodcarvedwindows(featuredinVolume6)ispartiallyonloanatVenice,wouldsaythesameabouthisownpersonalobsession.InVolume11,welearnofAlexanderKiraandhisuntiringfixationwiththetoilet,whatKoolhaascallstheprimordialelement.Overthecourseofadecade,fromthemidsixtiestotheseventies,Kiraconductedthousandsofsurveys,mappingouttheempiricalergonomicsofevacuationandcoiningaminorvocabularyofkookyneologismsalongtheway,allinthevainefforttoovercometheostensibleinertiathatplaguesbathroomdesign.
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The toilet room, one of the biennale's most popular displaysAlltheseeccentricswereallowedtoindulgetheirhobbiesinreclusivesafety.ThesamecannotfullybesaidaboutChinesearchitectandscholarLiangSicheng,whosebiographyisrecountedinRoof(Volume4).AfterbeingintroducedtoYingzaoFashi,thetwelfthcenturybuildershandbooktothearchitectureoftheSongDynasty,Liangtraveledthecountrysidevisitingprovincialmonumentsmorethan2,000inalltakingdetailednotesoftheiruniquefeaturestodecodetheunderlyingspatialgrammartheyshared.(ThiswasatleastadecadebeforePevsnertooktoEnglishtownshipsforhisBuildingsofEnglandseries.)Heeventuallycompletedhisannotationsforthetextin1963,bywhichtimehisarchitecturaltheoryhadfallenoutoffavorwiththeparty.AtthelaunchoftheCulturalRevolution,Liangwasforcedtoselfcriticizeandrejecthiswork,andwassubmittedtoseverepersecution.
Liang,whowaslaterrehabilitated,isonlyanasideinKoolhaassnarrative,buthisplightresonateswiththelattersexpectationsfromtheprofession.Koolhaasclearlylongsforthedayswhenarchitectsheldprinciplesthatextendedpastprofitandfashionwhen,backedbythewelfarestateandlocalgovernments,architectsactuallyhadastakeinshapingsocietysfuture.SeveralhavecriticizedKoolhaasforcynicalnostalgia,and,surely,heistoodamninginhisassessment,tooeagertospeakforallarchitects,everywhere.Andso,thebadtasteleftafterpagingthroughElementsencyclopediccompilationofobjects.Thoughtheysaysomethingsaboutthehistoryofarchitecture,Koolhaassfetishizedbuildingbitsdontactuallyyieldanapplicablesynthesis.
Butwhatcouldbemoreappropriatetoourtimes?Koolhaasbegsustoask.UnlikeAlberti,Semper,orGiediontheideologue,Koolhaasthecatastrophisthasnotassembledacompositionalrulebookwithwhichtocreativelyreconfigurehiselements.Hedeniesusthecatharticresolutionofthingsandrefusestopointthewayoutofourmorass.Ashewritesoftheescalator(Volume13),imbuinglifeintoitsmechanicalinnards:Likethissystem,[it]churnsoutwardlywithcontinuousdynamism,butofferstheexactsamethingeverywhere.Whatdoesitsaywheneventheescalatorishauntedinitshiddengutsbythesuspicionthatbusinessasusualcantgoonforever?