When it comes to landmark architecture books, Rem Koolhaas' literary output is as iconic as they come. The celebrated Dutch architect – and famous co-founder of international architecture firm OMA – has been known to produce some of the most widely referenced and treasured publications in the field. Now, the master's latest offering, the hefty – at some four kilos heavy – Elements Of Architecture has just hit the shelves.
From 1978's Delirious New York, a unique insight into the Big Apple, to 1995's S, M, L, XL, where the author explored the expansion of the architecture office through his projects, arranged by scale, and his more recent foray into Japanese Metabolism, with 2011's Project Japan (written together with curator Hans Ulrich Obrist), Koolhaas is a master in taking one strong theme and digging deep, meticulously exploring his subject. True to form in his new publication, Koolhaas takes the material from his widely acclaimed 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale exhibition and expands and updates, delving further into the use and meaning of building detail.
The book follows up on Koolhaas' – and the Harvard Graduate School of Design's – research for the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, which he curated.
Including chapters such as ‘window', ‘facade', ‘balcony', ‘corridor', ‘fireplace', ‘stair', ‘escalator' and ‘elevator', the book (which draws on research from the Harvard Graduate School of Design) follows up on the Venice show's structure, including however added material, such as essays from Stephan Trueby, Manfredo di Robilant and Jeffrey Inaba, and an exclusive photo essay by Wolfgang Tillmans. Koolhaas collaborated on this book with Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom. ‘Every book is a collaboration', said Koolhaas of their work together at the book's launch. ‘We are neighbours and she is an artist and is the best editor, with the best radar for great content'.
Koolhaas' own essay and each chapter aim to ‘excavate the micro-narratives of building detail', he explains. The publication goes back to the very basics of architecture, painstakingly examining each individual element through its history, from origins to current technological advances. At 2,600 pages long, this is not a book for the faint hearted; yet it's one that will reward its reader with valuable insights and information from one of architecture's most important contemporary proponents.
The book is a treasure trove of architectural detail.
Chapters include themes such as window, facade, balcony...
...corridor, fireplace, stair, escalator, and elevator.
The hefty tome was created in collaboration by Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom.
Featured essays are written by key field specialists such as Stephan Trueby, Manfredo di Robilant, and Jeffrey Inaba.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the Taschen website
-
Jaguar reveals its new graphic identity ahead of a long-awaited total brand rebootJaguar’s new ethos is Exuberant Modernism, encapsulated by a new visual language that draws on fine art, fashion and architecture
-
Olfactory Art Keller: the New York gallery exhibiting the smell of vintage perfume, blossoming lilacs and last night’s shameOlfactory Art Keller is a Manhattan-based gallery space dedicated to exhibiting scent as art. Founder Dr Andreas Keller speaks with Lara Johnson-Wheeler about the project, which doesn’t shy away from the ‘unpleasant’
-
Explore a barn conversion with a difference on the Isle of WightGianni Botsford Architects' barn conversion transforms two old farm buildings into an atmospheric residence and artistic retreat, The Old Byre
-
This New York brownstone was transformed through the power of a single, clever moveVoid House, a New York brownstone reimagined by architecture studio Light and Air, is an interior transformed through the power of one smart move
-
First look: step inside 144 Vanderbilt, Tankhouse and SO-IL’s new Brooklyn projectThe first finished duplex inside Tankhouse and SO-IL’s 144 Vanderbilt in Fort Greene is a hyper-local design gallery curated by Brooklyn studio General Assembly
-
Tour Ray's Seagram Building HQ, an ode to art and modernism in New York CityReal estate venture Ray’s Seagram Building HQ in New York is a homage to corporate modernism
-
First look inside 62 Reade Street, a clock factory turned family home62 Reade Street, a boutique New York residential project by architects ODA, unveils its first apartment interior, styled courtesy of Hovey Design
-
Paul Rudolph at The Met: ‘from Christmas lights to megastructures’‘Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph’ opens at the Met in New York, exploring the modernist master's work through a feast of an exhibition
-
Clive Lonstein’s Manhattan home is a warm minimalist space brimming with textureDesigner Clive Lonstein elevates his carefully curated Manhattan home with rich textures and fabrics
-
'Tropicality' explored in Indonesian architect Andra Matin’s first monograph'Tropicality' is a key theme in a new book on Indonesian architect Andra Matin, whose work blends landscape, architecture and living
-
Take a spin at Xanadu Roller Arts, New York's newest rollerskating rinkXanadu Roller Arts and its intergalactic decor are set to reignite your love for the activity from its colourful Bushwick base
