eee ree eer Roberto Gargiani er ce ne ta ene nee ee ee ee ee erate aie oer eee Pee ee en eye een eet era Re eat ere ee) Pheer mone ; na dl uation (208); Achzoon Asoc Y 2012 itor of La calonne, nowvelle histoire de la construction ~ BJUN 2012 2.6 JUL 2012 40 SEP 2017 7.6 JAN 2009 Rem Koolhaas | OMA The ConstructigiiSiienienies! 3 AUG 2008 2 saiavaaTiiliiiil a wii ii ae K64 eee om lee AYS IN ARCHITECTUREEssays IN ARCHITECTURE Rem Koolhaas | OMA The Construction of Merveilles Roberto Gargiani ‘Trvsated from the laan by Stephan Piccolo EPFL Press [A Swiss academic publisher distributed by Routledge| [2 Routledge patente Segue Lon an [BPM re eo soe Prone (EL 8 20 Foe ot (1 698 4087 VICTORIA UNIVERSITY 0 WELLINGTON LIBRARY va a Table of Contents Chyler 1 xpsenoas th th Paanld-izl Mth Stas a the Architectural Asian Shoo! of ‘Ares of London Bein Walle Arcee fds Tring ors Mahan, 1972.78 Recangult Proje", 197475 The ound ofthe Otc for Mewopoltan Artic and the projets for Wala Tend 197576 The ase of Leonor ae dhe aig Sing Rol The-Danipa, subeomacos nature of he Cinpancipelago of Unger the example of Bes ‘eching athe Archie Assoeon Shoo! of arsine, 197580 The Cale of Congestion” and to goo plan fof ome by Nol Drlions New Yr, 1978: pranidxeal inerrcaton ofthe pid andthe scapes hats 2, Hw Suet Post Mecern sd Cntxtasn Projets 1970-79 the era of he Cadre Bsus fn the Teo Pil wets of OMA, 19790 ‘Work for Roser, tin, Asean th Schwing, 1980 Sms Congesion': profs or Pas, 19828 The Danser The Hague, 193487. "oso? ‘Nermnclar Modern” of he mie19805 Stategy ofthe woh proj fore Vile Nouvelle The paion at the Min Teena, the De Brink in Groningen he 0 paso house in Rote Mian suet “The poets forthe Curso Ronen fn he Cy Hal of The Hague: ems of Dutch Te il at Slat Cloud, 1986-7: mtamorphons tthe Beka Wal ond the Fong Swimming Pol Chapter 3 The pach of he marvels Proj fo the Kunth I and the aguas of he ‘Nedesands Arse natn Ronee, 1987-88 196 a 228 230 om 200 02 109 32 unstal ,198992, eno de moe The Zrum fir Kot and Medntecinologi at Kale and he Tes Grande Bilohégue Al Franen Ps evans ofthe Virdee bea From he Terminal a Zesty othe Gra Palas fl he "mporance ds ere Geetings howe in Hen, mapor of he sping Daas Biblosques de Univers Foss, Eat, Cif Bay Opera Howse end he pnb sae The bout Fae ovo the Hosting Box Projets for Miami tle, Almere Chapter 4, LHL, 10 of rete “piel Pan, ode nea ean ierendel coe” ‘Gene Ci, uopi ofthe continuous surface Compote Sabi” apd arc poets formers ilps fr a toary hate 5 Genre alums inter phedra sals sd ane agra The Block Tune Campos Cntr athe US hte of Pads: Haussmannian pect nd "Sponge Ganzenbim Miu; OMA ve as Voss “The gener volume with tajatnry aed the prism teh stoping plans: Ante Blok 6, Dutch Easy, Hie um de Scenkung The YBK hou. he Casa da Ms, te Seale ‘rans of Manan Form o prog: NeWhiney sid LACH Koning langle, CCTV and TVCC, Hambur, nes: ao ofthe meres utomataly gored Land Aa Archie fom Ras al Khia 0 Se eter ane ndeParanoid-Critical Method Sts at the Acitestural Assolaton Seal of Arcttetre of London “an Wala Architecture” and “Exodus” ‘Remmert Koolhaas was born in 1944 in Rotterdam, where the historia Holland he his grandfather the Dut ib ‘ting on cinema, feature Seripton ofthe fats. Interviewees, for example, were asked no questions but Simply shown « micoplione a if 9 compl with Surrealist tenes of auto Inatic wring, "Not moraixing or interpreting (a tensffng it Starting point an uncompromising acceptance arts Armando advise, defnng the spproaeh ofthe joumalis Post, outlined in greater depth in @ guide writen with the Seutlar forthe composition of articles" inthis same period Koothaas joined the Groep, with Rene Daalder Jan de Bont, Ki rise Flmacademi, directed from 1968 10 nas, a witer,joornalis,deafsman, aud oup of filmmakers “12.3, Bs and bles with animals as characters. Wh the“,2,3, Groep putin the production of ln, wong scenpas and ossional cin ng, 1969), ce writing Sereenplays i ‘of the animated bul tribute tothe developmarae (658, Ans Wn, he episodes onganizd in narrative sequences. “Tn a sept ~ Koolhaas has sald — ‘you have to link various episodes togther, you have o generate suspense and you have to assemble things ~ through edn, for example. I's exatly the sam in architecture. Architects also pat together spatial episodes to make s- quences” In 1966, ata seminar on cinema an architecture tthe Technische Uni ‘ersititin Da, Koolhaas met Gerrit Ooms, a professor of history and ex Dat on construction who was working with Gert Rietveld. Koolhass and ‘Gorthuys then condicte research on Ivan Leonidas? In 1968 Koolhaas registered athe Arehtecnra Association School of Architecture in London, were the facity boasted the likes of Peter Smithson (Codec Price, Charles ene, Dalior Vesely, Alvin Hoyarsky and several mem ‘bers of Arcigeam, inclading Peter Cone ‘The main orientation ofthe chcol’s teachings encourage the design of| ‘ovironments made exible by the posibilties of fantastic advanced techno ‘halen aching oe sme” at tea ‘ecu hadwotinbe nding ‘vt Kaas was Gusto by be veal Ginette, Seperate Kec eC, ete wa pte e—mate Pe Seinen he” My 80h mci eK no a ee img ogy. During these years of study Koolhaas nerve a fundamental relationship ‘of eutiral collaboration with one of the professors, lia Zenghlis* Fe also took pare in several international ompasitions, sted Moseow fora fisthand Took at constructivist works, and continued to write screenplays. Also inthis period, he began to define the inital figures of his symbole vocabulary. “ob Sessive images” he would transform, ease by ease, into always varying mer ‘les of architectre “ ‘As a student, Koolhaas prepared a project for a swimming poo! in Lan- lon, a thenve that was to meet wih an extraordinary series of variations in his wot (he loves swimming in pools, and has sid, “when you work xt, you ‘can try To guess who else sam there before you"). "The Dudiy of water — escley writes ~ which i also the Budi of deste opposing the solidy of raver, remains permanent obsession ofthe Surrealist.” Tn the summer of 1970 Koolhaas visited Horence to meet che members ‘of Superstudio and discos the possibly of inviting them to leeure atthe [AASchool of Architecture ~ the leeires were held in February-March 1971 ollowea by others over the nest few yrs). how impressed T was bythe ‘work, optimistic about eae” architete", he wrote co is rend at Super Sui at the end of 1970." Thanks to Superstudio, Koolhaas also came into ‘ontace with Archizoom. The frst deep theoretical investigation conducted by Koolhaas was on a ‘contemporary theme that expresses the meaning of separation 10 the fllest possible extent the Beslin Wall The Bedin Wal as Architecue” he subject bf the Summer Study for 1971, seed against che baekrop ofthe euural input of Supersudio and Archizoom, wis interpreted by Koolhaas a system composed of parallel bands, of various consttvent arts, and endowed wi cextaoedinay symbolic free? “The Great Wall of China, Hadrian's Wall, motores, ike parallels and ‘meridians are the tangible sighs of our comprehension of the earth”, Super Sao wrles in 1969, regarding the project Moramento Continuo ~ athe lass wal that erosses even deserts, asin the works of Walter De Maria and Land Art. That same year Archiroom designed thick. ransparent walls that ‘would divide Berlin into “parallel quarters", and a colossal Miesian curtain wall out across Red Square i Moscow Philp Johnson also proposed an gh of ory — ee nt reticle nied Becher 190 nti ne 100.(Stee em oe ‘Sie a by Eee deal city whose grow was limited by an enclosure wall projet known to Koolhaas In 1971 Robin Evans, who had recently graduated from the AA. School of Architecture, wrote an aril on the meaning of wall” in he history ‘of architectre, starting i witha drawing ofthe Great Wall of China Ce wil ‘eal with a stange way in which human beings rend thelr world inhabia ble by cireamseribing and forgeting out those parts of it cat ote them’, the wrote, while Peter Alison propesed“A Wall for London” asa projet it his fifth year of studs atthe same stool, "a wafer thin reflective wall a8 a seen for alienated reflection.” incinaion to use awl or walle for this [purpose Alon wrote ~ was confimid by a close look at the Berlin Walk: it ‘sels combine efcency with bea in a mos relaxed wav"! ‘The Berlin Wall Became the ancamental clement of the projet ete Bods, or The Volutory Prisoners of Arehteture, which Koolhaas prepared with Zenghels forthe competition Lait come ambient eluent, bold in the autumn of 1971 bythe Assocazione per i Disegno Industria of Milan, ‘organized with the magazine "Casablla" Some ofthe project panels were ‘done in collaboration with Madelon riesendorp, Rens pend, and Zoe “Zenghelis, Eli's wie, both painters. So the competition became an opport nity to found an inal group of ars, the embryo ofthe groups erated later by Koolhaas, the“ Cligati Cabine of Metropolitan Aritectre™~a name tha combines the tes of to Bln, Das Cabinet des Dr Caligrt by Robert Wiene and Metropole by Fritz Lang, made respectively in 1920 and 1926, and the le ofan esay by Ludwig Hiberseimer, Groszstadtrchtetur, pub- Tished in 1927 4 totes da ‘aon fem Mn Al rad ps ia Atlee 16971. IRA Corl Uni we ‘Site ot pot; mown Cg ‘Roba Aoweoy Pr ih be ing fn in Int ont Ra ‘Dione a did Defoe of Wat ink ye, Allon tem Rei Eh Zt Eno car sey iar Agana 772 ae. ht eee nnd ne 7a | "CL Cook op at, p42. mpl ema (Bien See. ates {epmlot Koaa ‘Soto ate te ‘Beginning the architectural romance writen by Koolhaas Beyond say compositional logic of typological scheme, Exodus isan Kea! city structure ‘ncived toe inserted in the center of London wit the aim offacitaing Un intense eee of metropolitan le as deseibed by Baudelaire, marke by momen of almost mystical reat snd other moments of participation ia forms of scl fe inspired by thgyouth countereulure, the Workers’ Clubs ft the Constructivists and the visionary programs of Archigram Hike Tastat {Cy All ths would he enclosed by one ofthe orginal siructures of architec ture ~the wall ~ giving it che character of a Continuous omzment.* To ac “enuate its symbolic value, the wall of Bends ~"a masterpiece” ~ would be made with blocks of concrete inspite from the Bertin Wall, whose "psycho Togteal and symbolic elects”, as Keothaas and Zenghelis wrote, “were inf ely more poweril han ts pial appearanee™This symboli gue, which Drocoey with Brodus becomes his fst meroelle, continued its presence mong Koch's concerns unt the 1990s, Th Bods, Koolhaas and Zengheis se, for"postive intentions” “oree as definitive, intense and devastating” a that ofthe Bein Wall, ransforming feito (vo paral hollow walls hat protect a Strip. In this "Srp" vital ac- tivities take place, marked by an“infense metropolitan desirability” and there fore capable in the aims of the authors, of generating an exodus avy fom the historical city, which would thus be progressively redaced to a “pack of tins” Te Sirp™s divide into eight Squares, cach set aside for one activi ‘This form bears certain similarity to the project by Leonid fran ideal Lin- tar urban srt the Palace of Culture ~to be inserted in Moseow and sub tise! into four square sectors devoted to sie esarch, physical ele, ‘mass demonstrations and expositions “The desrption prepared by Koolhaas and Zenghels is fundamental part of Exodus, explaining it funcsoning and offering a glimpse of how the Sectence of the Squares is roughly based on the klea ofa sereenpe "The “voluntary prisoners” who decide to Teave London are welcomes a she-“Recepton Area" From its roof terrace they ean se the activities ofthe “Strip and, a he same time, theexilarating decay of the old London”‘Then they are accompanied 0 the “Ceremonial Square’ vast, empty place, ike @ ire pt et ics, Pein te eo Sten, games ; trian wntan nas on etm ge ‘ewan parade ground, where they ae informed about the rituals and rules ofthe FStin Thei next stop athe temporary lodgings tha have been crested in se London residences (rea of London’, edeined in 1977 as "Temporary rousing, peered in the-Stip" fr the purpose of favoring gradual sdap fation to the new system. From the roof of the "Reception Ares” che prison {ae reah dhe residences by means ofa pa of escalators. These lodgings are {bated inthe quarters of ohn Nes, indicated by Koolhaas and Zengheis 5 thelr ‘concep predecessor”, probably de to the symbolic fox of his works tha are wedged into he urban fabric of London, jes ike the "Sti" ter a short stayin the “Area of London’, the voluntary prisoners” are moved to “The Allotments an area developed with “small palaces’ and de ‘gned to purity their awareness, precling any acess o news and engaging thent in everyday tasks of ploughing, clearing and beaufyng the lots (The home [.-} ae bil eom the most beatiful and expensive materials ~ mar ‘es eoraiom steel [The alloments are a surreal place capable of ae ing on the "nubeonseions” and of smalaing “sentiments of gato” and satan”, so the place sia ocetsin residential ells snagined by the ‘Metabotias, ike de “capsule” of Kisho Kurokawa, conceived as a retroaesive mnechaninn device that permis rejection of unwanted information” the voluntary pesones devote dick days tow range of cular and recreational avis in the varius areas (The University’: “The Complex of Seine Research “Pak of Four Elemens;"The Bath"; “The Square of Ou tre (British Museum) In dhe "Park of Four Elements”. subdivided into four square areas fr ai. fr, water and earth, they lam shoot the qualities ofthe primordial elementssdf ORAM we Inthe ar zone, for example, their moods are stimulated by emissions of hal: lucinogenic gases, as happened at Radio City Muse Hall in New Yor, which Koolhaas would describe in 1978.1 I the thee pools ofthe aes called “The Baths, the "voumary prisoners” get rcquainted with one another and then ‘more of in couples or groups ino ec nected inthe hollow wall and spect Feally designed to “factate the indulgence and materalisation of thee inten tions, si the fantasy projet of Okina by Ledoux. The"Squate of Cure (Grids Maseum)"is for thee ats education, and has three buildings: one isin the form of a neocasial temple and contains artworks, staring with those of prehistoric times: ansher i he form of greenhouse. contains eon tempordry works: the third is below ground snd wilized for the creation of nthe University” ~the area that was redesignated in 1977, as the“Park ‘of Aggression" — we find two tll Lzonidovinn towers, The one composed only of shies flab isa tack of arenes where the “voluntary prisoner” be cecal | Ste on Fett Seer tec Pondetewrtetweay ‘antenna 2 Sages aeons ie erate come glaators to resove, through combat, “ll the ideological conflicts gen trated by the coexistence of s0 many people in sch restricted area" The ‘winner reaches the top, and ret tothe ground through the spiral tower, in “ierting fll tha emoves the last races of esentment” 2 In-The Comptes of Seientie Research the voluntary prisoner” conduct scenic studs." Filly atthe two end of the“Srp” there ae new Squares under constuction, ‘which day by day demolish London ina phenomenon of cannibalism. * ‘Other, seondary"Sti ike thick reciinear walls, ranch ot ftom the main Strip o reach the poorer areas of London, asin Archigram’s fst Ci “The lel othe enclave and provide ll the private accommodation the set iters have dreamt for themseves. Their magnificent presence frees these slums to tum into ghost towns and picturesque rus". “The drawings tha iastrnte the ie in the Squares of Eeodus were made with collages inspired by the works of Richart Hamilton, Arcigram, Super sdlo. The groups of exhausted refugees leaving London on their way tothe tiptoe wit the Pai“Reception Area” depicted Beyond bari — actly the Berlin Wallin a pho tograph ten by Koolhaas in 1971 - are the foriom workers Glmed by Lang in Metropolis; they abandon a black ard-vhie city to enter a scren of sparkling colors in the fasion of ar videos i he early 1970) The images se into the eels ofthe "Bath” ae ftom De lane Slavin. Inthe area where the new aia are recta stands ops of skyscrapers obtained by repraicing the Empire State Building, made fnto an icon of New Yorkin keeping with a procedure bused on the wor 6f Washo. The gob, in bie like the works of Yves Klin and Ike the view ofthe earth dicover by Russian and American axtronat, appears inthe ws ofthe “Baths” ard “Allotments in a sky whose symbolic force is compatable to that a the phctomeontages of Superstud Thetindamental theoretical and arise stance of Etadus is exemplified by the drawing that depicts seene of life inthe Alloenens”. The 0 "vohmtary sone” absorbed in prayer beside a wheelbarow and a pitchfork, onan a stract surface lke those of Superstudio, area ebut tothe painting gee ‘dey Jan rangois Mile n 1858-9, Drool thi pining had become a ‘eon for Salvador Dal, who ner making long series of aration ws ts preset basis forthe "paranoiderieal mabod illustrated in the book Le Myth Tragique de Angi de Mit, ped in 1963.1 wns fom this book dat oolhaas took the” paranoidrtialiterpreaton” he was pps to the sud lof New York and te invention of oar mere of archiseire "have had longstanding inters n surrealism ~ he would say later — bat more for its analsiea! powers thas frit exploitation of the subconscious Larsiag fom en ad ‘oF for is aesthetics, [J was most impressed by ts ‘paranoid’ methods ‘which I consider one ofthe genuine inventions of this century, aration ‘method which does not pretend to be objaive,chough whieh snalsis be- ‘mes identical to creation" Menbattan, 197274 The decision of Koolhaas to move to New York after completing his tues de ‘eloped aginst che backdrop ofa cultural imate epitomized hy certain ik tintves that focused on analysis ofthe qualities ofthe American meteopolis In 1971, following the competion La citi come ambiente significant “Casabella” reported onthe urban research conducted bythe Instat for Ae shitestare andl Urban Stages in New York (AUS), with participant ike Peer 1D. Bhsenman and Kenneth J Frampton. For dative of Casabella” the dh rector ofthe Insite, Emilio Ambo, contributed an important interpreta tion of the American metropolis, partially Based on the essays of Walter tena or conceiving ofa quite diferent notion of city” The following yest in New York the works of uperstudio and Archizoom were shown in the ex hibition lal he Now Domestic Landscape, Achionemonte anu Problems of alian Design, opened in May and organized at dhe Museum of Modern Art bby Ambas, wile in Fly nd Angus, in London, the Inerational Insite of Design directed by Boyarsky organized a Summer Session on Manhattan, i lading many “Manbattan Workshops, as wells «conference conducted bytutes, voto cyte garde constructivist programs. So Koolhaas began to put together notes and mater Alocuments for a book on New York, Delirious NewYork. Though not pub lished until 1978, i consists the theoretical framework forthe projects and drawings male by dhe group of his rend since 1972, Ae the same me, Ma hhartan became the foeus ofthe architecual projects of Koolhaas and Zenghe ls, some of which were presented, thanks to the work of Madson and Zoe, in surreal, enigmatic images thamplied the theoretical questions raise. “Benween 1972 and 1976~ the group offends explains ~ mach ofthe ‘work on the Manan projets was produced atthe Insite for Architecture tnd Urban Studies in New York, withthe assistance of snes and sucents "The usban qualities of Manhattan began to be explored in the projects, The Cay ofthe Captive Gabe, prepared by Koolhaas with Zoe Zengheis in 1972, and The Hyg of Columbus Center, prepared by Elia and Zoe Zenghelis in 1973. The two projects share a similar theoretical metaphorical approach With each other and with Exodus, lke episodes in the sme sereenpiy, “Ha was her fora weck ~ Koolhaas writes ~ we are working on several rojas for Manhattan Iam in the grip of a sudden frensied investigation 8nd design ofthe Particular, deisionspuble interiors, embarrassingly "pate tique® and realistic seulpure groups, an eggshaped monument to opdimisi, symbolic boulevards all “hysterical arehitectre. Al these things ae very enjoyable, but also very nerverackng, because ofthe absence of reliable rit ism and commenti shard to know wheter al the interests which haven sinuated themselves into my preoerspation, are good or stupid, or bot” ‘In The City ofthe Capice Globe the urban grid of Mankttan and the di vision of skyscrapers ito ase, setbacks and towers stipulated by the Zoning = Law of 1916 are transformed into an ideal wren labortony forthe discovery Koolhaas ented! “Berlin WH Casella Entry. So in 1972 Koothas, to gether With Vriesendorp, rived in the United States thanks to a Harkness ‘1an, ettonding the eres of Oswald Mathios Ungers at Cornell Univers fn thoes, where he came into contact with Colin Rowe ané eae aVisting Fellow af dhe INUS he aso continual 0 wee sereenpays with Daalder™ ‘Koolhaas and Vrisendorp gan above al to study sources capable of sevcaling unfamiliar or popular aspecs of New York, ie tourism brochures And posta, following the led ofthe paranoilerial method and th ‘example of Boyarsy's work on the sory of Chicago. "That same year, 1973 aso sa the publication of Lara ft Las Vegas by Rober Venti, Denise Scott roan and Seven leno, sritenaer a seminar held in 1968." This ‘ook inzoduetd « way of observing and representing American ees that helped to orient Koolhaas in his comzehension of contemporery metropol tan phenomeng, and in observation of New York without the illusion of su perimposing a Continuous Monument strips to Moscow to stad the works ‘of Leonidov hepa him to discover, ia Manhattan, realized fragments of evant ‘ofthe as yet unexplored pote ofthe archtetural avant gordes of the 20 ‘entry, 0° forthe recognition of thei “giving up" Thus each “bose, built from heavy polished stone, coresponds to a Manhattan block. On the bas rest objet that portray avan garde works selected ether becease they Were {cons ftom Koolhaas taining, ofr thor relationship to Manattans* he Bertin Wal expressionist buildings from Das Cabinet des Dr Caligar; the Ar ctetarl Angelo, one of Das variations on the panting by Mile: the ab- ‘tract compositions of Kasimir Malevich the Lenin Tibune of El Listy, towers based on the proest hy Leonid forthe headquarters of the Ministry ‘of Heavy Industry: ro skysrapers from the Plan Voisin of Le Corbusier 0 homage to Mies" towers che Areiactral Histogram of Superstuio; sealed sequence of prisms, which heeame"s subconacons porta of O.M, ‘Unges architecture tat i generated by an unstoppable mpise of contin ‘ous transformation, reinterpretation and regeneration” the WaldorE Astoria sseaper; the Tiylon and the Perisphere of Wallace K. Harrison, major a mctedyarmansty helenae aeeczema ttn ihe Work Fi of 1989 n New ok. Av in thease fhe“ Scheer ary prone inthis poe tephra the Et "= ntttes toeer form an enoemous enbator ofthe World tse they are breding oo te Globe The globe gmped trough square ble opcacd ihe cet ofthe and iid yh les gin he desert y hn Heise in 1960 nd the one oui! by Supe With hemor Pro- 1 diced y Mur and pled on the our "he all roe of he Cy othe Captive lb inher the se ist anton of mang bowrogeneour expen conpadble ough Rat postions keh one segs in fan pc of aan ail ! fhe chance meen on venga ofa seving machine ada tate nis of the hyo he Cape be asec ! (tk ofthe tlt oe eonfme by expresion ie "maserbton "ne | lon dai ons dae i ett in kh Kota | isthe poe’ anonng Whee dts the io the Cato Gib ! {the "apa fo, whee scat, potty and fos of des compe | nde ied condtonso invent dese andre te word of pene | | Rea Koolhaas rena to atonal hypotheses Hk hat of ng che copay oon of poston” to pre sipension of ants {dhs to generate "omethng le’ dre of beng According © Kota. t"sspend unc andenale th r inasti x perinersthe praise or doe th unesplored pata ote 2c ty avant gnc forthe deren ft expsaon’ “Atte of dowing the Cap Glee we i 1977 ts to me tit the ding ws on exegeedcxeplaton of nestle ‘onass Meropottan aseptic cera ter press Be ropolannm bai ben tuned ios marie, Bat on coe inspection it "rear tpn New Yor’ naps a in at oo bon tothe eter at ey represented in nay waste elation of thse Err pean ernsgde movers = ith o Fac, Comtructrian Eprio Nm, Sutai, Socal Resin ~ tat ha cach intr own ay een preoccupied withthe invention and slsequent imposition of «completly new ‘way off. But in Europe, where they Fed boen invented, these movements had considered themselves absolutly incompatible and eheireoncisions inten dlable. Bach of them therefore sought impose the hegemony ofits doctrines atthe expense of the others. But in Menhattan, where thes ved incor” s0 to speak, thes coexisted within the Gil a if they bad always been intended cach ete's cesar complement won any tempering of their raculnee” ‘The kde of sing the gid of Manhattan as the basis fora device capable ‘of generating anew vision of architec and the city is shared by City ofthe "Casall" i fact, Ame aces the inastrucere of Manhatan having technologcel quate thar even allow ito rival the visionary projects ofthe avantgarde of the 1970s. He imagined wo remove it “rom its present contest and place i, for example in the center of San Francisco Bay, onthe plans of ‘Arca, among the chateaus ofthe Lote Valley along the Wall of Chine”, nd the placement fragments of works on top of For the exhibition in Ne York in 1972, Superstudio had developed the idea ofa continuous neural surface of rectangular panel, the Spersupefice which also drew on the qua ites ofthe grid of Manhattan, and had characteristics similar to those ofthe Infrastructure imagined by Ambasz and the continuous plane created by Arhizoon in the ideal projet No-Stop City. “The we ofthe land ~ Supers flo writes - happens through grids of serves and communiadone,[- (Gites lke New York represent didactic examples of funcional ulation of teritory by means ofa Cartesian gi. ‘oes ith te Pot! ao joi Sen Pann ene a ‘rnttsmoets me” mise oon eens sone met" Remeron LER oe Schtorimcicester"” fone! orLAstumama, Anta Motta Runnitantkens sierattotenter” ciegimoctcsiaeel snccusersoee thes lata wee p20. Seeger sian Onin fay Stas meme Femomicwcmneae” Sau eimcrguamrc? — fetmining attain, Save rata Stewart petite” Alogi ‘in bt oa 19, Pw Ab one ce i ‘eho ibe eager de Na eueinciettswmin Linmcciedece” pitti." wantnay ea, | Senomivien, Sedans Gn 1886 mer, solace “icktion hector meine tome Sueno see Symaeie ae ‘Scamp Sings ‘stn: obsrae | ry | "The other projeet on Manhacan, prepared under the direction of Zenghelis, does not striely adhere tthe visionary impulse of Exodus and ‘The City of te Captive Globe. Dediated to the foresitous discovery of the ‘most famous of al explorers (Christopher Columbus should have set ut to ‘iscover Amerien with a boatload of madmen. And note how this madness has taken shape, and endured”, Breton had writen inthe Manifested Sur alisme of 1924", The Fg of Colaniue Center explores the possibly of ap- plying those visionary programs the conerete ease of an acca along the Ease River, at che ede ofthe Mankstan of skyscrapers, approximately in font of Welfare Island (today’s Roosett Ilan). Zenglis imagines an desk residential complex The Strip" of Exodus appears here in the form ofl ar park, a “temporary and experimantal structure to be made by demo! ishing exiting buildings ~ the blocks are sen with respect tothe level of| the gid. The City of te Captive Glob is also one ofthe projets ingredients, taken asa model and miniaturized to generate a building for School of Ar chitecue”, ndiecly confirming the nature of Koolbas's prot as a labo ratory ofarchitecaral ideas. The deal eenter of Zengheli's project is occupied by the Bag of Colum bus Momunent a gigantic egg with function sna to that of the “Recep- tion Area” of Had (ic also mars the geometric eenter of the seicicle ‘raced on the grid of Manhattan). This isthe fst appearance of a igre that ‘would become a fundamental symbol for Koolhaas and Zenghelis, and was to recur, ile the Bein Wal, witha frequency typ- al ofthe creative processes of the paranoid tial meth. row of block along the East River emerges fiom the Fyg af Columbus Monument containing buildings with setbacks open to the river, resting on platforms (again, the latter ele rent comes from the City ofthe Captive Globe. ‘The mods for these buildings are New York hotels lke the Waldorf-Astoria, and the Dom Kommuny of Leonidov, chosen for theie con- centration of multiple resdencial and veereational functions. It is precisely this characteristic, ac- cording to Koolheas and Zenghels, that makes the Ameriten hotel and the Soviet’ Dom Kom ‘muny eighle as devies to be injected into the model of L> Corbusier’ Unité dHabitaton, tr ‘veal its unexplored potential and to transform it feom an anirban prototype toa "unit of habit tion inthe Meropotts.™ Formal spacey nck ing some tspired by the villas of Palladio, are wedged inv the buildings designed by Zenghe lis The individual rooms are defined by size — “large and small toms while the centr or “pi center" of he apartment as & symbolic charac: ter: a doutle volume configured as “bathrooms, theatres, kichens, miniatre airport, caves, plan ning centres, oF abservatores"The purpose ofthe Ssrving for diversified spaces ist eeate dillerent, “lifestyles, as Zenghels and Koolhaas explain, ‘aking useof apical expression of Archigram.™ "The architectural enclosures of the bullings are perforated by square win- dows, asin the works of Superstudio, Ungers or Hilbersimer. Groups of syserapers stand on che platforms of two blocks, like a variation on Rock- feller Center inthe form of abstract volumetric groupings based on works bby Ungers and the Suprematiats, ‘path is placed inthe wats ofthe East River to connect Welle Island to pavilions with recreational airactons, lke Dreamland at Coney Islnd the New York amusement conver also ste by Koothass.” These attractions ‘include the fist version ofthe UN tower, facing the one that wos built (or ‘ain pavilions are ited fom the Sip" of Exodus, lke the Baths). These same floating elements were to reappear in the project New Welfare lad by Koolhaas Inthe aerial view ofthe Fog of Catanbus Contor we se the image ofthe Ravdeax deta Meuse painted by Théodore Gésicault in 1818-19 and inspired by the episode tat toak place in 1816, when the frigate Méduse, sent bythe French government ro Senegal, ran aground off Cap Blanche. Of Use ose one hundred men erowded onto che small raft about 20 by 10 meters), which Arte fr days afte it was eat loose fom the lifeboat ofthe offers and fue tionarics, oni iteen remained wien it was finaly sighted by a brigantine, the Argue The others had commited rucie out of panic or madness, or been tossed into the sea afer furious struggle for survival some ofthe men had commited acts of cannibalism In an atcl published in Architectral De- Signin 1969, the Redon dele Méduse is discussed as an example of pane “After the shipwreck ~ Koolhaas writes inthe Mediterranean of the Medusa ~a military yess the soldies/casaways were left on dhe raf with only bates of wine, guns snd ammunition. In a premature and drunken panic they began to cannibaize each other on the second dey oftheir journey. Saved fon the seventh day of the shipureek, they could easily have survived without ating anything a all This monumental expression of ‘loss of nerve core spontl othe premature pani and los of nerve about the Metropolis in the present mament ofthe 20° centr” ‘So the panic Koolhas and Zenghels evoke by mentioning the at of the Medusa isthe one that grips contemporary society when it fee by the pie nomenon ofthe 20entury metropolis. Sting fo rom Europe, Giicalés raf, transformed into rectangular platform forthe survivors ofan avant saris cltre i Tanding in New York, after a Lets derive, dangling from a Parachute that makes it resemble the fying structs imagined by Archigram inthe skies ofthe Fast! Cit-The Raden de lo Midas had been mentioned by Bretom in the Small prophetic intermeseo of the Prolegomena to a hind oe ar Cs ‘sata 6Manifesto of Surroalim or Fe (1942), in which he edited dhe aca of “equilib” “Glricauls Raf of he Medea isgetly dropping by parachute — we read in the vex that aexompanies The Fyg of Columbus Contr and he alt sell has taken the shape of bok, Thiefcident symbolises the impasse rows hich architecture was heading. The ati pleted the montent when the castaway catch Metropole ~ thir esc” "According tothe el se dvoniee ~ Koolhaas and Zenghelis continue ~ their parachute dropped the tasty of the Medist and ther ft on the rescueship “The Cis. Te a> peared Ikea serene monument bursing with the oramenalfenzy that ts fer fe provoked. Iwas an uaknown, new fom of ie, inside a timeless thitecure: an innumerable misture cf activities, generate by the ship's he ‘dons daily program. Iwas spontaneous planning center governed by the continuous satisfaction and. shamdess application of human passions. Amongst the protagonist of this inspied state of hnarey. Jesus Christ andthe Mangus de Sade sere engaged in « mutant frm of behavior which was ‘echoed bythe splendid order ofthe ashitecture. [They were saved. They Ina reputed lost paradise: the ality ta loge, not so much each other, but themselves. Salvation was ike the ay of Columbus. And the eronicle reveals {hat the shipwreck occurred sometine inthe $9® Century AD. But its yet be discovered when the rat was sae. | na Jeter to Natali dated 8 February 1973 Koolhaas nareats bis frst, impressions rearing his new ile in Ameren: \ “Thanks very much for your New Year's lee? ceame dt a moment of in tense nostalgia for Europe, when we were wondering as we do evry 2 weeks, ‘whats the purpose of this kind ofautopuntive expedition to mowers; we sil {dont know, of course, We have a beastiful and enormous apartment hereon ‘hil, overlooking (he parking lots of Ithaca, near the camps: 40 handsome bildngs successfully disguised as churches and eastes, with a population of 16,000 nice bids, most of them the supeealthy Hlerjugend types, dressed in these violent winters a the fms Michelin man, completely withost ex tal characteristics, For dhe first ime fur life we havea ‘rural’ and “boring! lie; we do stupid research into posta, Americana, provincial moviepalaes, dines, Howard Johnsons ete which aze now the most intact prt ofthis di nosaur. Since November fens have been staying hee (Charles Jencks, lia and Zoe, Gert Oorthuys) mostly 10 work and finish old projects (Casabella ‘and Leonidov book) and they have lt us compleely exhausted “So only now Iam starting sly on the Hysteria Cis realising dat America at this moment does not ler itself very wll 1 che Columbus ype ‘operation af creation through delbente and paranoid misintrpetation; the Tectuals, who now do everything in ei power to make their premature di agnosis come tre in a paoxysm of slfhatred, “Lam fai to ate you withthe conning development of my Ano Saxon paranoia, but lho fee mac more spay on a general ve for American than for the Engi, I sill suffer the same (intlectual) frustration ‘her; out European seriousness, complkatedness, conceptual and ideal hangup explode here ina strange, sacking Swim which rates an instant exhastins Jina way we areused as pact (dumns) inthe mouth of an unstable baby. This ‘whole nation fan inexpliable mixture of the totaly wid andthe ally dose “Unger, a very good German (Helin) architect is a good presence and feiond her. But he has just sacked 4 horse zombies, all sufering~ as most 22 aig inte ale tame tore (owed nme oe feet people here do under the guidance ofthe famous snd “rian Coin Rowe (he eoold play Churchill in commeeials) the termina tag of « Corbusian phantom pregnancy, ad he (Mathias Unger) is so upset by the desperate way thes fighe back that his helth and temper are suffering wisbly, Then there i eter Alison, more than before exposing his spnstershvemperament and co tating a monumental jealous. “In New York, whee we got lest every three weeks, we See Ken ho fsa wey nice rend, warm and encouraging, also mee Drese, Mi. Cold Fish, ‘and Emilio Ambesz, who offeed me seat om his baseball glove, under the ‘enormous lamp, both Kalan tophies now completly dominating his office "He sem intresting and a est someat eager and curious, wit anny to- Hes abou the cecasional banana pel on the path of his obsessive ealeultions and ambitions, ted 10 arrange a Leonidoy exhibition. Dresler had never heard the name, so an exhibition would be a revision oftheir official interpretation of the past herefore so diate’ that I dont know what will happen. (Ambase secs Superstdio ~at leas that is what he cold me ~ as the oniy wortwhile thing happening in Italy’. He is now mahing 2 siilae show ia Japan, which Tm sure will be very boring. Dealing for the fst time with these tstemaker, andthe tastemalers ofthe Insite gave me an acute depression [1 “Cosabella seems finally to succumb to the pull of London. now that there is nothing of ang (architectural) magnetism lft there (except the usual Gothic mysteries of Englan, tke the Drae- ula episode), You know that Peter Cook has let the AA to become head ofthe ICA, where they had an exhibition “Cheer, and ofeoutse you saw their Lovely book, fll of the ‘itlty ofa chicken tha doesnot now yet that its decapitated Lola has become religious a follower ofthe new 15 year old gurt fiom India. Alvin, disilisioned with both the Shamer Sesion and the AA (which he wants to put on ‘automate pilot), does of ‘course not look tothe right place to Hil the incredible vacuum ‘whichis forming in London: there has to bea slow continental coup over the nex! 2 years fo occupy this burnt out Center of Power [ul “Rectangular Projects", 174-75 Tor the plan ofthe two projets Koothoas used the figure ofthe tetanus like» Manhattan block or the rl ofthe Medusa. Inthe projet forthe Spear ‘house in Miami designed in 1974 with Laorinda Spear, his student a¢ Co- mba University he house was or her parents, Kelle nde se of a3 ies of parallel wals tt define the rooms, separated without extra of ype ‘of layout. The result a spstem of parallel bands chat would later recur in ‘other projects. The Berlin Wallin the version of bands of diferent materials liscovered by Koolhaas in 1971, the walls of Rrodes, of Archizoom and Sue ‘perso, are also reinterpreted i height of che eonsidecations of Rowe ad Sitios hence Siete ne a ‘irimevahtbeymest efron 4 Sunestmmedeth — SOuAT Rp afe ewe Ponte ate | 8Seperate ‘Roo ‘eat eh tian an, isonet vane Eisenman on works by Le Corbusier and Terran, din seen as sequences of parallel planes. Furthermore, the walls of the Spear house are a catalogue of materials applied for their symbole meanings, ita succession that goes fom ‘the opaque to the transparent an inital isodomie wall in natural stone a fa ment from Brads yecond wall Yaed with polished marble, which on the "upp evel “becomes a lass covered oeridor a third wal facing the sea and ‘made only of‘aluminium louvered dcor” which disappears” when the doors ae all open; aly a wall of glass eclumons ~"acolonnade of glass bic” ‘This sequence reflects ageold considerations onthe relationship betwen wall and column, formulated by Alber ard reinterpreted by Witower, Rowe and Kahn. The fact that Koolhaas defines dhe colonnade ofthe houses resi ‘al walls signifieant i this const The atrium splits the house into two units, one fr the parents andthe ‘other forthe chien, defining a xpelogy constantly reiterated in Koolhaas's subsequent residential projets. The “patios” ofthe two units are given & Kahnan definition as “rooms [..] vithout roofs. Walls about two meters apart contain service spaces, like those ofthe Sap of Lradus ~ the wall Pas are called “hollow walls. long swimming pool of glass bic, thin. like the blade ofthe razor that euts tae eye in he fm Un Chien datou by Buriuel and Dali, borders on the beech as if were an objec tossed up by the sta. As in a work by Leonidoy othe Lever House” it penetrates the body ofthe building. Like the“eounte-consrutions” of Van Doesbury or the ‘awings of Eisenman, the axonometie representation of the house has 4 with the conception of the proeet="axanomteie of concept” and isthe first drawing of a type constantly ulized by Koolhaes to illustrate project ideas. In 1974 the design for the house won the prize of the magazine “Pro fressve Architecture thas ots nonination by Eisenman, who svi sen expression of an“estvlise" and “icone” architec perhaps noting echoes ofthe ideas of Terragoi“Ths proj was clase to may objectives han the Arawings of Detious New York”, Koodhans remarked in 1985." ‘or oa oie Pricer he Tbh he king of oe ea ‘The projet prepare with Mara Polak in 1975 for the Museum of Pho tography in Amsterdam is mark by the recessing of the rectangular sp be foven the Van Gogh Miseum and the Stedeljc Museum ~ another Sp. The rows of tres give se to prism-shape containers of earth fr the roo, paved in brick. The sre segment i tansformed int abridge sac supported by four piles over the excavation. Api oles light forthe sean basement level. Escalators provide acess tothe underground museum, asin the “tip” of “ads, along with large platorm for moving materials and, when necessary, {or vistors in wheelchair, The muscim can be transformed thas to mobile pa ‘ons, and is covered by a surtlace of glass brick: its brick ooring sik that ‘ofthe sect ewe, nerining the dea of suken land The only visible facade is the checked surace ofthe toot ~a“oot/acade, seconting to Koclhaas” ‘which, ke those ofthe Archiecural Histograms, "homogeneous and istic” nd removes, as Supersito had write, “any spatial problem and any problem ‘of sensibility “The histograms were aso ealled"TheTombs ofthe Artes” ‘During his time in America, Koolhaas also became pat of Unger’ work- ing eam, whieh included Hans Koliof, Peter Alison and Arthur Ovaska. He skeet be ie te 97, Mem of sds heat twa aby fie Fer se ne the Pena ria Mat |ssuprertenae He secnoce Le ane seeeuea” tok pr, rg rom 1973 to 197, n sere piety, sand semi The pret submited by Ung nthe competion for Beni: feide“aota the abc apaonct nical ding ee wh ae Become tshonble een sich abl ulin the Regn pe, 0 15 to maimait he cnet posuble nk wih the actual sada tnd se ‘epee extn random wi thsin f igi ou pte! {one ht a gal pa of Hotan's cut ste. nthe oh ‘et presented bythe Unger group othe competion in 1973 fo com tral sme wth eters nth Degen quart Roofs lasted Unger conta thou eds howe taken oa bone th aslo in wh towers ar pled on tp of loc, csrng oa see ‘so app in The Cito the Capt Ge ™The anonymous ag et ‘ka arcecre inthe proces feeding pis y Koos in 1977 tog wih dn that ex she Gy ef ape Ge eae fom Unga sides forthe poe in 1978 forthe New wn of Aller Noche in anturg™ Tor Kouthns,thecolaboraon vith Unges mean coming ttm with the problem of urban os, experining wih ples node ole: nth pms itn donates et inthe fel pore of teat of Unger In Te iy of the Cate Gehring onthe pnp cert andfagenation de fine ses only tat woul Be ebony expe nh ages the npg thee he yh hoe nse aos” For Une too inh pe ois work th ger en con of Sao wer pa atthe creale procs of echacure "Weunerstood ach thro wll ~Kolhas eas, on is work th ‘ngs = tha athe en, rund 195, we cul almost wor eal Ln ‘The feuding of he “tice or Metropolitan Aeitecure the projects for Wale sand, 175-76 (On 1 January 1975, after the work conduceed since the star of te Seventies in London with he-Dr Caligai Cabinet of Mezopolitan Archie", Kool ‘nas founded. together with Hin and Zoe Zenghels ad Madcon Vresendorp, the “Office for Metropolitan Architecare” (OMA), with offs in Now York, “London and Helin, OMA stated that it worked in association” with Ungers™ ‘The mime °OMA" confimé’ the central importance, for the group of ‘tiends, ofthe metropolitan phenomenon inthe defiation of arciteture the Grnestadtarhtekinr examined by Koolhaas thong the case of New Yor. tal indicated consensus with that contemporary cultural orientation thar acknowledges the disso Ing of de architectural objet inthe dimension of Fbg] the metropolis, s theoried fr the most part by | Ilan Mart elas and rac achitete H oops fom Manado Taf to Archizoom "Te hypothesis of eeating a seach group ~ thae wou focus on the ses of the metropolis TTT) sted ack othe besinning of 1973 and was sg ested bY Kooba to Zenghes and ao 10 St perso with the ia of erating an inti in ‘nicht ive free personales, probaly mn et ie fies FE) ased on the model of the Institute for Architec: a HOE. ture and Urban Studies (Metropolitan Insite’ es “Metropolitan Sms Insite. “Insite of Mee Ceres ropolitan Stes were the saggested names) "Whatever you are doing. Adolfo ~ Koolhaas ‘wits to Natalini~ [ink thatthe eonelasion which we ean extract fom all te ‘ings whieh ae, and especially the ones which are not happening and sup- ported by the sae, only seeing implausible prediction of the Second Com {ng ofechitectre, that inthe nea ftir, we should as lager and loose ‘conned interational group’, more ot less claim the whole subject of intense [Metropolitan arctectare an “urban ste’ pool ou intelectual and mate- rial resources’ as Alvin would sap and form an Intnte which i adv as @ Dractice, «research insite and an educational en; ie should have ow ‘yealy publeaton (Metropolis?) which publishes al the work completely and 20 te +m ata Ung Feainsn ire” Aes Feet iadsyn 88,1076 No th ph ‘Sue ume 8) Te 97a mediate Chama Sa a ear Ste | ee ad nd Gta ya Ine wih tinesin colour ris clear even in Casabell, tha afer ini tal idealism rancour and jealousy inevitably begin to conse all eto, 0 that Hey invent ne for sats and tchniques wo prevent the realy sucessful communiation of any message, an their ma tines become more or less permissive fers” As is symbol, OMA chose the egg that ap- pare in The Egg of Columbus Comer Pom the ag ofthe poner tower building is hatched, ke the Mower that emerges from the eg in the Aleta -morphosisof Narcissus of Dali The bith of OMA wis announced in a prox sgrammatic text woven with symbolit, messianic tnd Nierschian components typea of other such 20%centuyenural experiments. Unlike the En lish and Taian visionaries, OMA openly doetared fs acceptance of the reality of the metopolis, r- fusing to imagine elernatives im keeping with the clara in ofthe editors of-De Flagse Pos Su realism and Learning from Las Vegas, fil the ‘meaning o the mat of the Medusa “The Ofice fr Metropolitan Architcare[-] ~ the programmatic text reports ~ was offically founded [.] to develop a mutant form of Urban fm ~ new types of architectural scenarios which ‘would result inthe rebubiation ofthe Mewopolan lets which aceeps ‘he Megalopolzan coneltion with enthusiasm anl which will estore msthicl symbolic iterary, onere etal and popular funetions ro the architecture of large urban centers" The theoretical reflections of OMA favored the “spontaneous architec tural phenomena” born “within the rness Grid ofthe Island Manhattan” und sire up inthe definition of Ulanhatanism”Manhatanism, permis sive meking pot of isms" ~ of Futuris, Expressionism, Surrealism, Dadaism, Fascism, Matssmn, Modernism te. [nother words Monhattnisn sa move ‘ment which iin almost every respect the opposite and ecunterpar ofthe so- called Modem Movement, that moribund amalgam of purtanial dogina Ui refuses to discret fade ay confronting iy with ts embarrass ing agonies. Manhattanism, on the centary. isa movement which deals with the cena, partdosieal sree of Mezopolitan unhappiness and anxiety the fact tha certain concentrations of people ona restrict aren and the atlendant Ft erares the “natral” Realy, In othe words: Metropolis = Reality Shortage “Manhattanism deals with his issue through is abil to generate compressed synthetie experience and accelerated artical sensation of the necessary in tensity, adaptability and sophisiaton to satis the Mettolitan masses 20 thae the ey can Become a laboratory of dhe collective unconscious” =” ‘The Sonealist and Freudian corponent ofthe clare of OMA was ex: pressed by a sris of paintings by Vriesendorp, entitled The Secret Life of Buildings, where the buildings are represented ax being “the too know wn happiness, complexes, intrigue and tetas In Dream of Libre, painted in 1974, the Stame of Liberty ~ depicted in stone blocks i the Portrait fnmaginare de D.A.F. de Sade by Man Ray or the Archeological Reminiscence mace i oF Mite’ Angus by Dabi® ~ penetrate into the body ofthe Chrysler Build ing, on the smaoth cust of » Manhattan surrounded by desert, with the Sphinx that reminds us of colossal zoomorphie constructions (the Empire State Building and other skyserapes also emerge from the erst) In Fla front Délit, painted in 1975, the Chrysler Bulling and te Empire State ‘Building are bodies ofa surrealistic soft substance, lying on a bed, while the RCA Building appears at the doo, introducing the European functionalist, principles of sunlight tothe New York metropolis, and thus about t comyeni aimee. shar anit a erime before the eyes of other skyscrapers shown beyond the Magri fa glass (he buss identify her with their authors) Many of hese tables ~ OMA wits ~ willbe scattered throughout he city, 90 that he physical presence af each structure wil be amplified with = ire uae of mental and conceptial everberations. A new Metropolitan the 7 amenity wil emerge, ranging from the Grok Tragedy to architectural Soup ‘Opera felodramay ip intexduce expt figurative, symbolic elements in the Urban Realm Ane progammatie text entinies~ OMA is developing a quas- Freudian lam Juans to Hen and analyze the peyhologcal characterises an properies ‘hich eould be asrbed wo architec re persone depictions of billing take ther cu from the drawings ‘of Dalf and fom a make ball wher architects dresed up in the forms of ‘tate skveapee, be in New York on the 23¢ January 1931, discussed by ‘Roolhoge in an eva in 1974 OM soe this ll as the highest expression | wribenetonnaton of arhitecre indesign of eostumes, which disguise the edie inside to pratce“ieal” dream images which slip smoothly into the | ‘Cotecdue unconscious to perform tee roles as symbols “OMA stats commitment in tree “categories” of projets for“Delirions New Your the emexpuuanciaphoel projet’, trough which dhe parties detaenee of evry metropolitan phenomenon is grasped: the “idealized pro US for specific utes, but conceived as works that conned metaphor and | eg ana finally she vets projets, whieh though they reflect the prise ‘is evelped in the othe vo caezoris, can be iumediatey put ito pme Da Mase ste *"The sequence of dhe entgore i based both on the thre phases of ari va ato ied by El Lassi starting withthe esearch of Maevich- ab Seer ing o plants, Prov, architecture ~and on the subvsion in three eat ainecading to the nature of the projects of The Metropolis of Tomorrow erpamh ean book that has a echt place in Delrions New Tor. ais dfiidions, the eonexptal metaphorical projets” nchade Ex “adus and The City ofthe Captive Glog: the ideaed projects” include The re Cotumte Cntr hie the Tafa projects” ever the hose in Mam Fat oC eeeun of Progra The Hrsteargory was destined to vaibh a he New York period, asthe group achieve increasing profesional su are pat -metaphore idea” and “realistic” would remain fundamental pa rameters forthe works of Koolhaas "Tro otal debut of OMA took place with the Roose sland Housing ‘Compesion held in 19775 by the Urban Dereloprent Comorsion of New eee tor an are of Welle Island that had been impacted since the mit Tore arban gal operations, OMA submit two poets one by Ungy aot jer by Kootnsae Zenghcs, bth nara Tessons” on Marat” Genes: propowes the gid of Manhattan and Cente Pak on a sale “doced ee ake Bt he isla, reflecting his affection for Magis loge oftata ana Ceci nest pas une pipe” As inthe ity ofthe Captive Globe, low towers ofa Fecent forms with mirrored exterios stand on the Basie Building Envelope, to he built on rectangular los. The ange of bulings is based on three types cach with ts own partcuae constuesive form that determines the quality of the plan: the Tof «ype caracteized bythe “open plan” and the “skeletal Serocural system the standaed tye, based on the “ved plan” andthe" bear ing wall construction’ the"palaza type using aspecal plan” and “conven tional construction mixed structural! system’ A surealistic use of mirrors for the exteriors ofthe towers makes the metaphor ofthe syseraper and the tee tonie and symbole oppositions bawcen base and towers visible: “the reflec tion ofthe sky will enforce the mterpreation of these bulklings as objec elated tothe thas loaing om « more concrete grouping of howe’ “The entry of O. Mathias Urgers ~ OMA writs ~ is a miniature Man- ‘ttn, The proportions of the Grd are diminished to it 28 ees diferent blocks around shrunken Central Park. In this wa. the lak of relationship And connection with Manhattan $ counteracts. One doesnot tive in Mate hatan, but in Manhattan, a‘laandeeed” version ofthe Real ching. mins Some of is obvious nightmares. The blocks ae a eatlogue of types, of a commodaton to be develope! perhaps by inva! architects as they ei built of diferent materials ete. Public fais are seatered throughout the rminigrid. An ateade connects the blocks long the water" “The proect by Koolhaas and Zengheis is also ander Manhattan, but in this ese intended as" compression and fasion of elements and stress ‘which have evolved on the mother Island Manhattan.” a condition partially explored in The Egg of ColumbuPEonter. The proect proposes an Ungersian tatalogue of Manhattanite building types, from the stepped balding tothe tower tothe brownstone, Te urban fabri is forme! bythe overlaying of ee ‘angular blocs of Mankattn and the system of parallel bands oriented to wor the East River, ina succession of courtyards and steets conceived as perspective channels pen to the svez‘The buildings along thestrets are com Figure in colossal fields, probably derived from the New Town tt fae Sie Hing hd completed at Runcorn in collaboration with Léon Keiee The hello” pons contain the vertical eonneesions, following Sings example, and the houses with facades infuenced by the typical formalisms ofthe early 1970s are inserted between the pylons. The towers are wrapped, lke the stepped buildings. by exteriors withthe square windows already utlized in The Fg of Columbus Come, ile the mizored eladdings make the streets scem"wice a8 lon’. “The Manhattan Grd ~ OMA writes is extended aezoss the Eas River to erate 4 new sets. Along the streets ae rows of synthetic’ brownstones (brownstons are tradiional New York Yowrsfouse’ once ult in lcal stone) ~ bul rom the most heterogeneoas materia las, rock, marble, plastic — hich are embed! inthe large scale composition of such protypes asthe lab, the tower and the iver block?" AN passage by OMA from a later description of the project emphasizes ‘certain fundamental operations ofthe eretve proces: "The Slab its betwen the Towers, the Towers fi between the Riverblock, Compressed together, the three form a single wall.” A rectangular Floating Swimming Pool with rast ends attempts to root itself t the per ofthe complex, wile another poo! straddles the 72 ‘Stret Mal, the“ step forthe invasion of the“ideologieal ots that pop ‘ular desire and amaearish imagination wil bring abou in the fre. In 1975 and 1976 Koolhaas and Zenghelis independently developed ‘other projec for Manhattan, in the framework of those indicated by OMA as idealised", The Hotel Sphinx on Times Square, designed by Elia and Zoe Zenghols in 1975-76, would straddle wo nartow blocs, extending the orig inal Times Building beyond 42 Street. Another form of the“unit of habi- tation inthe Metropote” the Hite hosts the typical actives ofthe sewals 7 117 Awe in gn Noor anid mreaine while theme ‘chanical connections lend to theaters, auditoriums, rooms fr conferences, bulls and banques,a restaurant The upper levels contain Ungersike comb nations of dierent types of lodgings, rom two-storey apartments in ‘the slender “Tn Towers” to houses wih large roof garlens ereated on the sacks, ike «vo wings ofa hn fo improve the view and the expose tos Tight In the end on Times Square, shaped ke a long neck topped by «headel eh| [Cg ee aresidents have the loetions of thee professional activites and places fr rere lon. slays in keeping withthe models of the botels of New York and the workers’ clubs of Moscow (gam rooms, gyms, saunas, heasty parlors, a Festauran with English ganda «swimming poo. Each of there places ha Daria features, ike the mirorced wall ofthe beauty parlor: “Relow the pat fleeing the fice fom a siting positon, astall pothole ator a view ‘ou ewands the city below”. The svimming poo! extends ouside, beyond the windows, an itis deine 36 +°mean feature” of ths sector ofthe Sphinx. Tecomtinues to pty the symbolicrole it had in the Sup" of Exodus “Swin tne OMA explains ~con dive under the sree fom one pat tothe other. Poet ee lig lem Sata on Seeet i te ‘a tem 2 The indoor section is surrounded by four stories of locker rooms and shove ers A glass bric wall separates these fom the pool space, A spectacular view ‘ofthe ety ean be enjoyed fom dhe small open-air beth The anthropomorphic design of the Sphinx challenges the Level of b> traction introduced by dhe RCA Bhldng inthe design of New Yor sky ‘seapers, proposing a pop varian® The parts ar called “eg, "al "nek “head” and "Tae, hile « mechanism even makes t possible to farm and raise the head, pointing it toward changing metropolitan seenes. The ero of Points malas the Sphinx seam ike across between the Statue of Liberty and ‘he Chrysler Building, the resol of thee mating singed in Dre of Liberty, ae tiling the tile of sphins fore zoomomphie, enigmatic structure. Also in keep- Ing with the ewatlve process depicted in Dream of Liberty, faymenss of ‘constrictive works ae set into the body ofthe Sphinx; an inclined ellis from the tibune of El Lsitzky protrudes fom the neck, while the head over the pool contains a planetarium inspired by that af Michail Osiposich Barsch and Michal Isakovich Sinjavsij in Moscow. ls re color eles Dali's per ‘epton of the American mesropols:“New Yorks wv ea’ he tate, in a pas sage quoted by Koolhaas So it not the functional program that determines the form of the ‘Sphins, but symbolic eatural program. The photograph ofa even in the form ofa duck on Long Island published by Petr Blak had been seen again in Lauring from Laz Vos to fnieate the type of ding "Ucn which “ne architectural systems of space, sucure and program are submerged and distorted by an overall symbole form instead, inthe her type, the “Jeco- rated shed", the "systems of space and structure are dee at the service of rogzam, and ornament is apple independent of chen. While stating that both are-vali, Vem, Seot Breen and Izenor believe that "the dick es ‘dom relevant today although it pervades Modern architecture’ The Sphinx ‘an best to belong in the cack etegon. The iconographic mode wo sehich ie bears the greatest resemblance fe the hotel inthe form of an elephant at Coney Island, desert by Koolhaas: Is legs were 60 eet in creumference In one font leg wes a cigar stor. inthe otra diorama: patrons walked up ‘near steps inane hid leg and doven the oder Following the projet promoted by the Urban Development Cogporstion for the enewal ofthe northern sector of Welle Ilan and the competition ‘of 1974-75, in 1975:76 Koolhaas propased an “iealzed projet, New We: {are Island n which he imagined transforming the entire Souther sector of the same sland, fom the Queensboro Budge to the pol facing the UN, into an urban Iaborstry in which to experiment with soitions tha col! ater be transplanted in Manhattan, The idea was based on recognition ofa particular relaonship, since the eariy 20° cenery, between Manhattan and Comey i land, where the inhabitants of New York could experiment with fantastic amusement park satires that would then reappear in skyscrapers, heep- ing with what Koha had stated in an introduction to theese ws writ ing on New York. New Walfare feland is marked by nostalgia for these heginnings, nd its ban plo is that ofa fant sereenplay st in the wese- tation ofthe island, Thus Koolhaas tansforms the point ofthe island into anew Coney Islnd whete projets that were never built ean be completed “Feroaetivel”, "to complete the hisory of Manbattans." “the projet —he writes ~ is intended as a olsul interpretation and re susitation of some ofthe features that made Manhatan’s architecture unigue {i ability to fase the popular with the metaphysical, the commercial with the ‘sublime, he refined ith dhe primive~that together explain Manhattan's pacity to seduce an enormous audence fo isl. also revives Manhattan's Teton of testing certain themes and intentions on smaller, experimental Taboratory’ sland (such as Coneylsland a the beginning ofthe entuyy The gy of Manhattan fs plans over the southern sector of the island, ‘without shrinking its Unges ha! done to make eight rectangular blocks, ach et side for completely diferent works of azchitcture, “competing” amongst themselves in keeping with the program ofthe City of the Ceptine Globe. The bloke are connected bya tapi ronot tat ransom a via atthe lve ofthe ‘Sucenshoro Bridge. Ths playful, Corbusier accelerated architectural prom fenade” continues beyond the pon ofthe island at river level in the form of 8 perfor oatingatactions”~ 4 slaion already scan in The Bay of Columbus Contr: One block contains a sprematst skyscraper, the transla ofthe Ae thiteton glued by Mavi onto the postcard of Manhattan. The ther blogs or let availabe for “ature generaons of bldrs’ A por i alo dredged to ‘dock the unui erodynamie yt designed by Norman Bel Geddes in 1992. Positioned ona small sland facing dhe UN complex stands a *CounterN that repeats the shout of the origina’ in an Ungersian geometry. This 100 hha aed een seen in The Eg of Columbus Center. On the subject ofthe "CounterLUN" Kouhas wrote isis attack on Le Csbusir “The UN Bul lig by be Gotbuscr eprvente the maximums darnge he French rie ould Tacs on New Yor an the Grid wth a single strctare. The main slab spaced otha ic obstructs tet the audtrium blocs the nex” The Entrance Convention Caner, the Chinese Swimming Pool and the Welfare Place Hotel are projecss by Koolhaas for New Welfore Island The ‘else Entrance Convention Cete pee against the psons ofthe Quoens- boro Bridge b eomposed ofan autor, offices and spaces for sports and ‘nteriinment return to thevsionay projets of Hugh Ferris avd Ray mond Hla, fom the ate 19208, fr a series of bridges on the Hudson and East Rivers, with skyscrapers in place of pylons and suspended residential structures that would have increased the concentration of residences and of Foes, contrast with contemporary hypotheses of regional decentralization of New York. Superstudio had also imegined placing a volume up against the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco AVsquare swimming pool spans the island and river, ike the one in the Sphinx, paral created by excavating the banks and partaly by constrcting the borer in the rssh n keeping witha ererion of similar oppositions of full and empty, nthe acon version ofthe two buildings withthe same cm figuration, inthe “Square ofthe Muses” of Exodus publicized in 1977, where fone is sunken while the other protrudes from the ground. Jus as the re ‘angular pla ofthe Museum of Photography i ut bythe curved set, so the| ; square plan of dhe pool is eut by fresing rooms for men and women fatranged to ft the orignal curved line fof the coast, forming an aun bridge. The name Chest § ool probably comes from this iv sion into complementary pars by & ‘vay Tine hat reproduces the Chinese Symbol of gin ancl yong (he female tnd male active pringples). “Un Aresed ~ Koolhaas explains, return ing to the forms of eof dhe "Baths" of Fr the sexes emerge from the mile of the bride from where they ‘an vim tothe rexssed beach." "The six towers of the Welfare Palace Hotel stad ina semsiralar fare, metaphor of the OMA syn bol Aeranged ina V with the tip pointing toward Manbattan, dey are Foined at the bose by 1% parallel Hicks, generating a typologiel hy brid, as in earier projects by Koo! Ineas and. Zenghelis, The difering design of their facades (vals with square windows, toward the point ff the island; catain walls toward “Manhattan et) responds "the dif {ere formal and symbole demands fof heir respetive situations", as Koolhaas expin interpret rtaphoricl use of materials discov fred in the works of Leonidow. The i ‘eades of subsequent projets by Kothaas would be similarly conceived as Symbolic mas, in alogue withthe various omtexts “or Lani ~ Koolhaas writs onthe projet forthe eompesition of 14. {or the headquarters of dhe Commisarnt of Heavy Industry, Narkomtazprom. fon the Re Squate in Moscow = the curve and glass represent the future: the sate and the ste, the past. Tang dvded the Res Square e designed thece towers, te fit cela the scond triangular but with ures (out ls) fn planes fn stone); ie thd Il movtern ith gle> inthe inion, all ‘trial ith de exterior made f the same stone as de Krein Teck’ reflections onthe spmbolie vale of the curtain wall also in- fluence Koolhaas’ conception cf the envelope. “Technologically sophist- cated ~ he writes, for example, on the Alesa Building by Harison and ‘Abramovitz — the curtain wall beeomes the universal symbol ofthe corpo rate look: self-confident, professional and anonymous”. TES trae ie, Saloni orto Maa TT ese rhe aby The Welfare Palace Hotel is another gemmation of Rockeiler Center produced on the bass ofa serip that callenges the one in the forms ofthe Tnzemational Style tha grew up along Avene af dhe Americas inthe 1940s tnd 1950s, The source ofthe priest again, Cones Island (and Dreamland in panticul), but in place of the poplar atractons what i stage hee i ropean Surrealism. All the pices g the projet are transformed into symbols, assembled in a comedy that navies the origi, ese and fall of die iy 10 [New Yorkers a “City within a City, a8 thas been Ungersianly dened by “Koolhaas” Inthe first zone ofthe Welfare Place Hote, Mankatan shows itl to the guests a avigin island, the site ofa shipwreck. Six towers per sony the progressive growth toward he heavens of ts billings that boxome ‘gradually taller a6 they recede fom the one that represented the sill virgin Isle The seventh tower, hing inthe river atthe opposite temporal extemity fom that of the mythical origins, with its facade overgrown by vegetation, forecasts the catastrophe of Manhatan. Each tower contains a sory writen in the furnishings ofthe rooms onthe ground level and the as floor (he later is akvays wrapped ina mobile curved lass oof, typical of the architecture of the 1970". ‘The installation atthe top of che sixth tower i che dreedimensional translation of the painting Fred Unlimited made by Viesendorp in 1976, where dhe subjects of agra Dei recun: Manhatanfsshown asa bed oat ing at the center of a room, in which the Chrysler Building ad the Empire State Building are disturbed by the inrsion of che RCA Bing From the ‘window we ean see a landscape of Proun, while the pantings show unde Dherable Freudian places “This tableau ~ OMA writes — will be reconstructed in thee dimensions to frm the daetiellegorcal ambience of dhe Club on top of the 6 ver ‘of Welfare Palace Hotel. so tha through i subeonscovs illumination ts po trons wil suddenly understand the city that presents sel to cei view, whi ‘out exactly knowing why." Koolhaas explains tha the installation ‘exteapolates and ‘predicts’ the real destinie ofthe RCA. the Chyler an the Empire State Bung. of whose fortued relationships the Hotel sche "postpone offspring” Tn the aerial view of New Wolfie Island the Hotel Sphinx ignores the RCA Building, aware of having revived the symbolic dimension killed by tht rac prim ten, the RCA i iesistiblyatracted by the ae nareated by the Welfare Palace Hotel, to the pint of having left Rockeeler Center 0 ap- proaeh te island, causing nit in the land surfuee of Manhattan, The subse- ‘ent European works of arhitecre of OMA woud contain sir Peudian {epulsions and atractons,‘unwriten laws of architectural melodrama, as “Roolhaas explains: ‘The elatonships” beeen the Hoel Spit, de RCA, slab and Welfare Palace Hotel are interpreted acconling to the unwiten laws ‘of architectural melodrama: the RCA bas warned its ack to Hotel Sphinx — forcing the Sphinx to go i alone. For the RCA, the atti ofthe multiple towers of Welie Palace Hotel ~ cach with town privteyearings fs made more resist by the fet that it is wnatainable across the vr: There is 00 danger tht thir relationship ean ever be consummate”. ‘Spm oes da Are 2 Ne da 2» reas it Param‘The case of Leonid andthe Flsting Swining Pool 12S fi a 176 Inthe aerial view of New Welfare anda raft and a swimming pool are nav gating, The former ssl dhe Radcadela Médase that reached New York at the time of The Egg of Columbus Cetera has now become a colossal ps tie monument infront ofthe Welfre Palace Hote, ike the Staue of Liberty, to symbolize "Manhattan's metzopaitan agonis™."Iteppenrsto visors Hse ‘one ofthe amusements of Coney Idan “when the weather pemits it~ we wad inthe sreenpay by Koolhaas ~ the lifeboats leave the interior of he Hotel © go on the rivet, They circle found the rat compare the monumental sulfering of ts occupant to their ‘wn pty anti, watch the moonlit sky and eves board the seulpare. se tion is eaipped asa dancefloor, laying the musi that is produced inside ‘the Hotel drough hidden microphones’ ‘The swimming pool that navgees near the rat is another “conceptual metaphorieal projet of Koolhaas is a Dutch barge transformed into a oat ing pool. Therefore it has the form of long, nazow rectangle, which seven ‘more sini tothe blocks of the gid of Manhattan than was the rf of the “Medusa, Koolhaas himself specfesthat itis precisely“a Manan bck” "A ‘mowing block” joins the blocks of Manhavan’s Gri we read in ce caption fof the photomontage showing the ise tentative landings of the pool The basin fs bordered by two thick, holow walls and wo square gest rooms at the ends. In this form the swimming pool seems ik a floating version ofthe “Strip” of radu. Te pool had already attempted dock in Miami and on th Banks ofthe Fast River in 197476; woud continue wo reappear in Kook has’ works, together with che ecossal egg and the Bertin Wall, aways in keeping withthe obsessive ceativeproceses ofthe paranoiritcal method. "The pool depicted in New Wefare Island isthe same one that eppears in the paling Ariba ofthe Hlontng Po made by Vieseadorp in 1976. That same year Koolhaas wrote The Story of the Pol, lik a shor sereenplay (or & rowel similar to The Castle of Otrato. A Gotke Story by Horace Walpole set inhi new residenee, Stawemy Fil) whose subjects dhe swimming pool of the painting, dubbed “Hoang Suinming Poo! “The pool = we readin The Sony ofthe Poa! ~ was a rectangle of metal sheets bolted 0 a steel fame. At eter end there was a glass lobby with transparent walls, 0 tht on one side one saw the heathy, sometimes exci ing underwater actives in the poo, and through the exer wal gloomy sh shin trowsh the mld water Twas arly delete room, usd for so- lising between the almost naked vistors, physial exerise, and artifical sunbathing’ “The story indicates thatthe pool moves by means of a retroactive scchansm made posible by the achtets who have bul n fac, in the oo the architect fiend ace avay from their destination, becuse in onder foreach they must wim toward hat they wish to flee. The swimming pool, ina rnctive thst, shifts slowly inthe opposite direction with espect to heir movement. The reactive movement the architeifeguards ees to be based eR, Savin, le mont LM i Pp Stages” een sa ae SME"Rate es p's Sanam '171557. Ean Rt a he asi nea Remar ant Danae an Seige tener ss, tun Doe cme 4 tt oe Strata ‘on what Benjamin had imagined when he observed the Angelus Now of Kee, ‘where"the angel of histor” isin the act of moving away Irom something on ‘which his ge fice ‘The Story ofthe Pool dares the meaning ofthe loting Swimming Pol inthe debate of he 1970s on Sovct constricting In Tas home ofthe most ‘thorough historical esearch on gonstrucivism, the various theads of the in- ‘estigaton had been grasped bse Isttte of Architectural History atthe Univesity Insite of Achitectre of Venice (UAV), directed by Tar In Fone +1970 the IUAV had organized an international seminar. where Oorthuys had sven a Tec onthe eatons benseen Dutch arehitets ad the USSR. "What people resist seing in Melnikov and Leonor [..1 ~ Tauri declared at the Senge ~ i that precisely atthe height of thet ambiguity the objective fane- tion of thee assumption is revealed, in the extreme phase of extinction of the vant garde" In his contribation to the catalogue ofthe exhibition of Ital ‘an works at MoMA in 1972, Tar ad reiterated his ison ofthe “estinson” ‘of any avant garde, aeising Archizoom ot Superstdio of propagating a mys- tiation sila otha ofthe art avant gardes ofthe ealy 20° centr. ”"The charismatic figures of Soviet constmetiism ered by Tauri are precisely ® xine wth Pail Maosatin those studied! by 8. Frederic Starr (Melnikos™™) and by Koolhaas and orthuys Leonidas. In Leonor’ projets Koolhaes finds metaphorical use of materials fam taste techniques, new types of comeetions betwen the levels of a building Iade thanks to elevators and teepones: he diseovers a nor-composiional process base onthe definition of te functions ofthe vaious programs and the justaposion of elements often eft detached, or relegated ony to slender Sructural lines with « graphic, symbole function, asin che project fr the Lenin Insttate in Moscow. Thanks the paintings by Laonidov conserved among the documents, he ean obsewve the eet ofthe presentation ofa prof fc in the form of «painting. Inthe work of Leonidos, Koolhaas finds the mage ofthe swimsing pool asa smbol of Kifeof dhe new Soviet man, also in ee form of the"postble poo! (a ueturein metal and rubberized fabri)” deseribed by Leonidov himself, temporarily moored on the rot af the tower ‘ofthe House of Industry. From the Story ofthe Poo! we lam thatthe Floating Swimming Pool was designe in 1923 by a student in ¢ school in Moscow, and then made by a [group of colleagues. The anonymous stent ciel by Kecllas Leonor, fis thd year of tics atthe Vhutems, where he ad prepared desig for 1 swimming pool the was much eimired by the other stodents and by his feather, Ackan Aeksanrovi Vesin.™" At the stat of the 1930s the ‘pol tical concep that the svimming poo reprsenc“became actually dangesous” in Moscow, Koolhaas goes on in histl,alkading the very harsh rtcsm of| i an Fans Aas ey he 976 the Communist Party cares, stating in 1990, ofthe work and teachings of ‘enidor- This poial climate forms the backdrop fo the Kubrclike odyssey ofthe floating pool, which becomes a means of escape for the architects who Toul They Mee Salas Moscow to reach New Yor, fore yar ne, the ety whose sel skyscrapers had simulated their fantastic arciecurl visions & smdnts. During these decades of etape, the Floating Swimming Pool becomes 8 rast sreck chat crossing theMlanic ina stene that could have come ost ‘of ascence fon film. The pool aves in New Yook one day in 1976, mect- ing with the general hostley ofthe American architects, ehom the story de Piet as beingaguels uneasy about the sudden in of Constructivists Is legate suppose thc the achitee ears, a this poi, ace the is of the frends of eonidov: Koolhaas and the young group of OMA. ‘With the choice ofthe retangular form ofthe pool - the same form as ‘he*Sti" of Brodus and the projets for the house in Miami and the Museum ‘of Photograpiy ~ Koolhaas wans to reassert the validity of an architecture ‘without qualities, boring. against the proliferation of fonmaisms and nos- talgc histori revivals "so land, so reailinen, so boring: there were no his- torical allsions: there was no theatricality; there was no tension; only the «tab colour of rust no wt like boring things" Warhol hed said, a mot thae stuck both Venturi and Koolhaas, The Story of tke Pot concludes with a regenerating crime, something like the razor thar cus the ee: “in front of Wel fare Palace Hote, the optimise tft of che eonstuctiist Wieguards coded wwth he obdurate pessimistic raft ofthe Meds. The heavy metal athe pool sliced through the plastic ofthe sear ie a knife dough butte. “The project and text confirm the fat that for Koolhaas architecture is narrative permeated by symbolism with purely biographical overtones Inthe ‘utural atmosphere ofthe 1970s, he ses the work of Leonidov as being charged with an ideal value of revolt against the dominant ideologies in ar ‘hitectaral research “These wer rally just exercises ~ he states, garding ‘the paintings of OMA ~ excep for the pojce ofthe Floating Swimming ool which was a response 1 all the dilemmas posed by New York and “Leonido, the purest demonstration of what T wanted to do with architecture: 1 project that was purely program and almost without form, that could co- ‘ext well with any other typeof architects. Uhat matches Leonidas in teligence against the intimidation of Tar." The “Duele”, subconscious infrastructure ofthe metopls Sp ete In Fond Uli we discover tat agains the background ofthe water around Manhtan is «complex, invisible echnology composed of mulicoloredeables| ant conduits and subway tunnes (he waters depicted a sheet, nthe man her of Dal an! Magrte) The painting postays the lose ofthe viel crust” of sexpined by Arcigrar, and what Ambas sys i the concep ‘nd factional foundation of New Yo: the instruct network. “Manhattan i - Ambasz writes ~ in esenee, a necwork. I beheld as an infrastractre for the processing ad exchenge of mater, energy ad infor ‘don, Manhattan may be seen [1 as the oversrought roof ofa subterranean ced ny the peters Aa Se Pomsetenss a 2978. Na 1.7.20, arf ies ees ui Mabel |Seana fear coronas ey ae physical grid of subway tunnels and tain stations, auinobile passages, postal tubes, sage chambers, water and gos pipes, power wires telephone ele anaph, television and compute ies..." ‘One ofthe sources of inspiration of Fuad Uline ean be ented 8 the diorama of Manhattan, City of Lag, installed in the pavilion of Console ‘dated Edison at the New York Woul!’s Fair of 1939. Koolhaas underscores this work’s"seions thrash buildings and the earth that] reveal the suo scious ofthe infrastructure" eis this psychoanalytic iterpretation that the infastactral network becomes in Frou Uliied, a subconscious, n- ‘isl technology. a lsing, resin city ~ thes are words that had been ‘writen about that diorama acl quoted by Koolhaas ~ witha neswork of ron tind copper arteries and vine under ee sree to supply vital heat and ene "a city ith electrical nerves to contol iis movements and transmit ts ova. “Tne cover ofthe sue ofCasalla” in which the aml by Ambasr was published feacuod the plan of Marhattn, extruded like a fineae stetne Sila othe ying mass of Earth depicted by Superstadio in the elected ar ‘hitectur” series; nthe masthead the secon of the network of underground inirastraetures Is visible. At the AA School of Arehitecare, Koolhaas had t= tended the leemres of Boyarsy onthe underground infesactres of Chicago. And Daniel Liteskind had pubishal, inthe program for 197677 of Inter Imadiate Unit atthe same AAScheol of Architecture, the drawing ofthe i frastructures of a New York sree * Tn the aerial views of New Waar Island and New Welfare Islanthe ‘dstageat Landscape, Koolhaas nudes 1“Ductpark" obtained “by exeaat- ‘ng and exposing all the ducts rain, cables and mbes that are hidden under -Moninttan'ssurface”*"The intastrcture, for Koolhaas, stars to ser ike the active, permanent stratum of the maropolis; ic is form made by systems of networks imagined in visionary projets ofthe cacy 1960s: itis abo the prem ise or one ofthe fundamental aspects of dhe Generic City Koolhaas wa to the rz in dhe mk-1900s. That infestncrre is even capable of challenging the fd of Manhattan, which can beseraped away and transformed into the eon tinuous plane” ofthe Na Stop City of Archizoom and the Supersuperfice of Superstudio. “The separate installations for steam, power and ight ~ Koolhaas writes water 38, telephone, telegraph and the subway are colourcoded for easy ‘dentifcation. The original pavemeat of the suet is replaced transpare sheets of gas, so thatthe Mewopolitan fdsnr~ with a sito ure wll experience a kind of Baudeaiean Vertigo of Infastuctute’~ a sudden rea sation ~ part exilaraion, part hort ~ ofthe precarious ata of his styl, thats supported by thes mpl services that ean no longer be ds uised as objecve technology: they have become a phantasmagorn. To New WafareIsland/the deologial Landscape, next the Ductpark” appears the OMA symbol, transformed into a building n a Magri leap of sale Cy-arhipelgo of Ungers the example of Brin *Koolhsas went back to work with Ungers in 1977, during the Cornell Sun rer Academy held in Belin, on a study aime! at identying and exploiting ‘only the urban island” of the ety endowed with parila “identi” ram which to develop the model ofa eity-archipelago”-The results of dhe study are suramarized in eleven theses that center on the definition ofan urban pro ‘gam to counter the demographic dete of Bertin and to stop the “exodus sychose” (a phenomenon found in most tes), while eeting nostic pro Posals to store thefonmer histori substance and configuration” of Berlin." The study went so far as to propose"partal demon of those districts that are superuous and work badly" long with ideniention and improvement ‘of ones that deserve to he preserve "These enclaves liberated fom the anonsmity of the cty would, in thelr quality f quasiisland, form a green Urban areipelag in nara lagoon’. The“iden of the city in the cy" is proposed to counter“planing eeory ‘which stems from a definition ofthe et asa single whole’ his ide leads to issolving of the stictre on all scales ofthe proj, and fundamental cool Iaves against “typization” and “wansdardizaton’ Wes based on 8 reading of the ewoation ofthe city as happening by “supeinposition of ens concepts, eeisions,causalts", which would give rise to not" unitary image but fv ing collage, a union of fragments" "The project for eical antithesis and for a civergent mukiplicty isthe profound sense and characteristic of Bl ‘ead inthe conelison of the nih thesis ne withthe theoretical program ‘of Tho Cty ofthe Capioe Gob. ‘Koolhaas based the principles of his future urban projets and funda ‘mental comidertions about the fate ty on some ofthe points made in the theses of Unger. And certain examples presented inthe theses canbe direly teaced ack to Koolhaas. The linea design of Leonid for Magnitogorsk— swe ead = is similar rom a typologeal point of ww t dhe srr of the buildings slong the Unter der Hien" Tn 1978 Koolhaas retuned to the idea of dhe "et-archipelago" w ex plain the meaning of the Cty ofthe Captive Globe: "The Grid ~ or any other subdivision of the metropoian terstory into maximum inerements of contol Ants 3767 Hae ete Arr vn, Un ile. 1M Fly ve eater Duct, 17 "tiene omar ie "re ia ‘oan ih te PaTeaching at he Architects if de ‘a nese 3 deserts an rehipelago of ‘Cites within Cites'emore each sland” el crates diferent yal, the more unity ef the archipelago as system i wn forced. Because change’ is contained on the component “islands such a system will never have to be revise’. Ascaciton Seo! of Architecture, 1875: ‘Manhattan would devour even the most sophisticated of Koolhan's serps, ‘ripping off the European surrealistic aura of his architectare and Teaving be- hind merely the forms oferypte kitsch. So the metaphorical Hoang Swim ‘ning Pool set sal for Europe, where the athitc ifeqvards brought the most reco plunder they had gained daring thei sty in New Yorks the doctrine ‘of Manhartanism, whose pertinence no Tonger limited othe island! fin ‘erin’ "If New Yor isa Nisaschean arena” ashe himself wrote. then Koolhaas isthe personifiation of Zazahusra, following the ave tered in the fee ofthe “eat ity "Where one can no longer low, there should one ess by! "Thus spake Zarathistra, and passed bythe fool andthe gent iy" "" 1h 1975 Koolhaas returned to London to teach with Zenghlis a the AASchool of Architecture, in Diploma Unit 9 ofthe last year. This chee was intueneed by the experiences of Unger, Aldo Rossi, Robert and Lon Keer tnd other architects engaged in acral revision of the Modern Movement fd the historical ety these are the "manifestations of taionalism™ of whieh Koolhaas speaks Prec there in London, in 1975, an exhibition ented. [Revonal Avehiectare was organized by Lion Krier, following the one with the same tle succesfully organized by Ross at the Bilan Tena in 1973. The London show was followed by the book Ratiomal Architecture Rationale, pu lished in 1978, which included the projets by OMA-Ungers for Roosevelt Tan and the Eat Rive in New Yor, while in 1977 Jencks, withthe essay The Tanguage of PostMadern Aveitecture cotebuted to the fare ofthat Post modernism that would become the main target of OMA’ erigue "The teaching experience of Kocthas ad Zenghclis inthe framework of Diploma Unit 9 unl 1980 represents a cual caper forthe clarifcation of the theoretical and design concerns of OMA. "The progfam of Diploma Unit in 1973-74, when Zenghels tok over its direction in elaboration with Lig Krit,Focsed on the study of"wrban lrcitecure and urban space as “typology” which eoresponds fo ideas Gal social, and cultural nsitons"* and on the type of lie” staring with fn idea ofthe ety asa “desired domain and asia teritory fr the max ‘num falllment ofthe aspirations of non-alenated, social man” In the pro- jam the expansion ofthe ey is summed up in ewo diferent forms of eas ftvarban intensity” "Points () or Lines (—) of wrban radiation and ate thot Tixonctially and ideally these work ke ele the restr the in tensity the greater the magnetism, and hence desirability The visionary component typical ofthe teaching ofthe AASehool of Architecture and of ‘works lke Erode is geflected in the request for projet conceived on an “deal or utopian basis" and capable of mugging “Rew injections of urban in tensity in the areas of urban growth (Teal City isa deme taken diecty From the competition projet for Casabell)."”The program ineladed seminars i mnt ES tome conducted by Superstiioom the Frei components of eet process inarchitectr Tn 197, when Keer moved he dein of nee Unt 0, the program of Diploma Unit 9 wa open to considerations on thes enton of nbn inthe trop tng the content othe NTA nan. Expresions ike"Mtgpltan ie ani Metropolitan architect” an °Metropoizan etna noe oa progresae de tachment of Diporia Une fom the urban eta of rier “The Uitte program spe n 197373 wl be devote other ation of he Meopelan ed ond ies I lett how a hie ane an insremen oft operon Thi aphasia the ret of bt nthe coining imate ay of lage a intense con Cenzatons ape ingtogtiron lately sce res Thiel Save om ong en view of the word whi ns cone coh ofthe present body of stra nals and rq, Sen a a combinant Sch and sig, his programme wl conn of he sy and inerprecaton of historia! Metopotan architec (easton and projet) terms nach programme suffer, an ofthe rodtono Proposals fo ne etropoitan Streit which come ofr wh the sy ‘ature ofthe conto of bastion This bis ean be exes in ise ideologies. The soon are of nes therfore the omni Baween a hte and elo th hstfcton of he one in em of he rhe Selected aes and poe of Nespoitan content, o acl compettons ‘ith saficen smb pra alloted of dng, which the bone asertons wl b ted. and antec wl be cn she Tevied vehi for he ms fete and conte mpsonation of se An coosl poston and programmatic speclaton abou the cs "he teoehing wo ied nto tv prs, ike the ela program of OMA: theoreti” parton the sty ofthe rogram” of astral ettopotian atte mainly Lenton, NewYork, Fas and anh “prepa” Some pests fa ont carter te i pie by lap Dita, ke neo epee by Nay Rober fr NewYork stg he {Cae Bking and the Exe State Hing. nthe eects writen atthe ‘dof theyre tn revo ofthe stents wor, Zang far acne ts wih eae rom OMA ani, tending al inpt o t ‘ccna expres hat bas st een competed, whith vs Gesiged ie ‘ougs te development ofan itinerant o> Stcandconerart ofthe Md Movement inthe same wy a cepa ‘the Metropoitanconiton sania was ae she coger fru t ros tca igna*Tde OMA mane te poset frat“ tempting» Zeyh oe on =f al he known ‘hm’ by allosng hem ata of oe, ws ao hp ee ‘yer the ino of pga dons of ds, by along anes tury, eymbol, my oneal poplar ncony “The aval of Koolhaas detorof Diploma Uni in place of Ker in the school sear 197576 mck the dane evolution of the is lent, me ‘eda