As the 14th edition of the Venice Biennale of Architecture prepares to open, the pavilions of the Giardini might be the perfect venue for an analysis of the architectural manifestations of national identity. [...]
Architecture is a curious world in which the things we hate might look very similar, to a less-inured eye, to the things we love. It is a question of degrees, of finesse. Koolhaas exemplifies the paradox.
— ft.com
1 Comment
Good article - right on the money:
"Meanwhile, the global stars – of whom Koolhaas is of course one – create their masterpieces across the skylines of the world. It is the superstars who are emulated and the international corporate practices – who digest and dilute the work of the sometimes prickly “starchitects”, making something similar, but cheaper and friendlier, for developers, councillors and contractors – homogenize the world into a bland non-place, a simulacrum of Singapore....
"...In fact, as Koolhaas has shown, the exterior (ie architecture) has become completely detached from the interior, from what goes on inside, through technology and through sheer scale. In a way, architecture is over. All that is left are the handful of boutique projects that serve to assure us there is still some rationale behind all those years of education and all those centuries of culture. Architecture has absorbed modernity and modernity has chewed it up and spat it out. Modernity, not modernism, has won."
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.