Considering reading What Is Oma: Considering Rem Koolhaas And The Office For Metropolitan Architecture. link

One of the authors describes the work of OMA as three dimensional graphic design. Although even that book didn't get mention how Rem approaches architectural design or his design method. What the book does talk about what Rem has done and why he did it.

Has anyone read Theoretical Anxiety and Design Strategies in the Work of Eight Contemporary Architects by Rafael Moneo? I believe he talks about Rem and presumably his methodology. Perhaps that book will lead you closer to something tangible.

rem copies, that's the key

I recently read "the construction of Merveilles" (http://www.epflpress.com/livres/EPFL978-2-940222-22-3.html). Even though it's more about the theoretical framework in which Koolhaas operates, it surely gives a good insight in basic design ideas that reoccur in the OMA-oeuvre.

blue foam

glue

perform site analysis, make a color-coded program diagram, chop into pieces, assemble in a strange way using ^ blue foam & glue ^ that still allows you to be "rational," clad & finish with some cool materials, send renderings to el croquis.

Don't push it too far or you'll have to go work for REX instead.

Wavyhair,

I have Theoretical Anxiety and Design Strategies in the Work of Eight Contemporary Architects by Rafael Moneo its a pretty good book. Offers good insight on Rem and the others

a recent article (posted to the news section here) reviewing an AA show featuring all the books OMA has published suggests that the research, book making process is a key method factor in design process...

specifically, [i]For Koolhaas and OMA, books aren't luxuries – they are the residue of a process. These are architects trained to think and work through books as just another material, like concrete and glass.[/i

specifically, For Koolhaas and OMA, books aren't luxuries – they are the residue of a process. These are architects trained to think and work through books as just another material, like concrete and glass.

Thank you guys, I'll definitely read more on the subject.


namhenderson,
I think the idea to approach a design method through books is fascinating.

Rem shows up at the first meeting and picks a shape he likes for a building. The rest try to figure out exactly what he wanted and propose many variations and create a building. Rem picks a new shape. Recycle old ideas and integrate new concepts. Rem doesn't show up to next meeting and project is submitted.

That's OMA!

I was able to figure out some things about OMA via BIG in that Bjarke Ingalls used to work for Rem, and I was able to reverse engineer Rem via BIG via performing the same processes in BIM.
3D Graphic design is the tool of the process - It's similar to video game design(Rockstar Games uses a similar process to the design of Grand Theft Auto) and Bjarke mentions that in his book "Yes is More"

Then again I may be over simplifing the process.
Or the academic/theorists may be overcomplicating it to create a "bar" that few may reach.

rethinkit
thanx for the tip, I don't really know much about this - so I'll probably try to find this in the Bjarke's book.

For those who may be interested - I found a very nice article of OMA members in "The diagrams of architecture" book. It's quite clear explanation of OMA's design process methods. And the book itself is cool.

i heard that ... who cares he sucks

read! Then read some more. Take up 20 century Austrian philosophy and see the clarity and comparison to that cup of coffee you are drinking.

Rem's design process doesn't fit into a mould he's been labelled a post-structuralist, and in some ways shares a similarity with them. However the first mistake is believing it is his design process, authorship is removed from the act of designing. The path is rarely predetermined it is often borne out of process and analysis and everything is fair game - the site, the weather, the client, the programme, anything that can be analyzed and filtered without predeterminations and then responded to, over and over again until the right solutions emerge.

to further understand this look at a presentation done by Joshua Prince-Ramus (REX) for TED talk. It is a developed version of the model OMA and their off shoots (FOA, BIG, JDS, etc) use

architechnophilia,

- borne out of process and analysis -

I thought so. The point of my interest lays in the field of HOW exactly the task is performed as it's possible in million different ways but the result should be really connected to the given situation.

How it is possible to find "the right" solution? There are million of them. What kind of trick can convince yourself you're on the right way?

you guys are raising rem to a pedestal he's just another starchitect that reflects how bad the state of architecture is. Rem's method? go to any 1st year architecture studio there you will find Rem's Random method in practice.

hilarious!