Rem Koolhaas

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at architect/pop-culture star Rem Koolhaas who has turned contemporary architecture upside down, forcing many to reexamine the meaning of the craft. It delves into the work and life Rem Koolhaas to see if it can unveil its historical implications.

From the Paper:

"Architecture is one of the oldest human art forms and an invaluable way to explore the past, experience the present and anticipate the future of a society. The ancient Anazasi probably believed that carving their homes deep in tall Colorado cliffs would forever protect them from enemies. Now they are more than a thousand years extinct. Maybe Gustave Eiffel never anticipated that his tower would become the "icon" of Europe for over a century. And certainly, Emperor Shah Jehan had no idea that the Taj Mahal, completed in 1648 to house his dead wife, would still be "the greatest single building on earth" over three hundred and fifty years later (Cruey). But, architecture lasts. Its historicity is tactile and adaptable. It lives with us. One shouldn't forget, however, that behind the brilliance of buildings is a builder, a man or woman capable of molding history into space."

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