Archinect - Features

Finding the Contemporary City Between the Local and the Global with In-Between Economies

2017-03-22T12:03:00-04:00

How is the city made? Who is it made by? Who is it made for? These are the questions poised by In-Between Economies, an interdisciplinary research platform based in Copenhagen, London and Oslo. In their view, the only way to address them in the 21st century is to expand beyond the purview of architecture or urbanism. “Urban life, and our experience of it, is a complex mix of economic systems, social relationships, and infrastructural spaces,” they tell me. And to grapple with it, we need to start talking with people besides architects.

Screen Print #50: Rem Koolhaas discusses controversy, collaboration, and cultural revolution in "Happy Tropics"

2017-02-22T13:25:00-05:00

What is the role of an ethically and aesthetically astute architect in a market-driven economy? For Rem Koolhaas, the obstacles of reality shouldn't hinder architects who wish to contribute works that enhance the public realm. In this discussion with Michael Schindhelm excerpted from Happy Tropics 1, Koolhaas explains how by working in Asia, he has not only witnessed the increasing cultural influence of the East versus the West, but also retained his idealism, drive, and desire for collaboration.