Rem Koolhaas Quotes

A collection of quotes by Rem Koolhaas.

Rem Koolhaas is a renowned Dutch architect, urbanist, and writer, born on November 17, 1944, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He is the founder of the architectural firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and has been influential in shaping contemporary architecture and urban design. Koolhaas has designed numerous iconic buildings worldwide, including the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing and the Seattle Central Library. He is known for his innovative and provocative approach to architecture, exploring the relationship between buildings, cities, and society. Koolhaas has also authored several influential books on architecture and urbanism, cementing his status as a leading figure in the field.

Japan lives with drastic segregation between the sublime, th

Japan lives with drastic segregation between the sublime, the ugly, and the utterly without qualities. Dominance of the last 2 categories makes mere presence of the first stunning: when beauty 'happens', it is absolutely surprising.

Not many architects have the luxury to reject significant th

Not many architects have the luxury to reject significant things.

We say we want to create beauty, identity, quality, singular

We say we want to create beauty, identity, quality, singularity. And yet, maybe in truth these cities that we have are desired. Maybe their very characterlessness provides the best context for living.

Escape from the architecture ghetto is one of the major driv

Escape from the architecture ghetto is one of the major drivers and has been from the very beginning.

Any architectural project we do takes at least four or five

Any architectural project we do takes at least four or five years, so increasingly there is a discrepancy between the acceleration of culture and the continuing slowness of architecture.

It is not possible to live in this age if you don't have a s

It is not possible to live in this age if you don't have a sense of many contradictory forces.

The intellectual force of the West is still dominant, but ot

The intellectual force of the West is still dominant, but other cultures are getting stronger. I expect that we will develop a new way of thinking in architecture and urban planning, and that less will be based on our models.

People can inhabit anything. And they can be miserable in an

People can inhabit anything. And they can be miserable in anything and ecstatic in anything. More and more I think that architecture has nothing to do with it. Of course, that's both liberating and alarming.