Architecture under the microscope
Rem Koolhaas's essential toolkit to building anatomies
"A resource that can be revisited over and over again, one that will arm the current and future designers of our built world with the knowledge they'll need to address the issues they have yet to even confront."
-ArchDaily
Architecture is a compelling
mixture of stability and flux. In its solid forms, time and space collide, amalgamating distant influences,
elements that have been around for over 5,000 years and others that were (re-)invented yesterday.
Elements of Architecture focuses on the fragments of the rich and complex architectural collage. Window, facade, balcony, corridor, fireplace, stair, escalator, elevator: The book seeks to excavate the
micro-narratives of building detail. The result is no single history, but rather the web of origins, contaminations, similarities, and differences in architectural evolution, including the influence of
technological advances, climactic adaptation, political calculation, economic contexts, regulatory requirements, and
new digital regimes.
Derived from Koolhaas' exhaustive and much-lauded exhibition at the
2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, this is an essential toolkit to understanding the pieces, parts, and fundamentals that comprise structure around the globe. Designed by
Irma Boom, the book contains essays from
Rem Koolhaas,
Stephan Trueby,
Manfredo di Robilant, and
Jeffrey Inaba; interviews with
Werner Sobek and
Tony Fadell (of Nest); and an
exclusive photo essay by Wolfgang Tillmans.
"A mammoth undertaking: smashing open the last 100 years of architecture and ripping out its innards for forensic analysis."
-- The Guardian
About the Author
Rem Koolhaas is a co-founder of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture. Having worked as a journalist and scriptwriter before becoming an architect, in 1978 he published Delirious New York. His 1996 book S,M,L,XL summarized the work of OMA and established connections between contemporary society and architecture. Among many international awards, he has received the Pritzker Prize (2000) and the Praemium Imperiale (2003). He directed the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, coinciding with the first publication of Elements of Architecture.
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Stephan Trüby
James Westcott
Stephan Petermann
