Rem Koolhaas: Elements of Architecture

Elements of Architecture focuses on the fragments of the rich and complex architectural collage. Window, façade, 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, climatic adaptation, political calculation, economic contexts, regulatory requirements, and new digital opportunities. It’s a guide that is long overdue―in Koolhaas’s own words, „Never was a book more relevant―at a moment where architecture as we know it is changing beyond recognition.“

Derived, updated, and expanded from Koolhaas’s exhaustive and much-lauded exhibition at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, this is an essential toolkit to understanding the fundamentals that comprise structure around the globe. Designed by Irma Boom and based on research from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the 2,600-page monograph 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.

In addition to comprehensively updated texts and new images, this edition is designed and produced to visually (and physically) embody the immense scope of its subject matter: Custom split-spine binding: our printer modified their industrial binding machine to allow for the flexible, eight-centimeter thick spine

Contains a new introductory chapter with forewords, table of contents, and an index, located in the middle of the book (where it naturally opens due to its unique spine)

Printed on 50g Opakal paper, allowing for the ideal level of opacity needed to realize Boom’s palimpsest-like design

Translucent overlays and personal annotations by Koolhaas and Boom are woven in each chapter to create an alternative, faster route through the book

Printed at the originally intended 100% size for full readability

Editorial Reviews

Review
„A fascinating compendium of cultural references, iconic design, and everyday history that work together to turn architectural theory on its head.“ ― Architectural Digest

„…when it comes to learning about the differences in architectural evolution, this is the book.“ ― forbes.com

„A mammoth undertaking: smashing open the last 100 years of architecture and ripping out its innards for forensic analysis.“ ― The Guardian

„…exhaustive and exhausting, mad and maddening.“ ― Metropolis Magazine

„A brilliant and stimulating exploration of the stories behind the most mundane and ubiquitous elements of architecture.“ ― Financial Times

„Rem Koolhaas explains it all in Elements of Architecture. With examples ranging from the Sydney Opera House to St. Peter’s Basilica, this beautiful book also works as a history of architecture.“ ― The New York Times

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 TrĂĽby

James Westcott

Stephan Petermann