_ Rem’s Kit of Parts

06/05/2015 |RemsKitofParts

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RemsKitofPartsKoolhaass 15volume look into architectural elements isexhaustive and exhausting, mad and maddening.SAMUELMED INA



A constellation of Koolhaass elements stamps the entrance vestibule of the Central Pavilion. The exhibitionwas the backbone of the architects threepronged agenda for the biennale.

EXHIBITIONIMAGESCOURTESYFRANCESCOGALLI/LABIENNALEDIVENEZIA

Anexhibitionisnotabookandabookisnotanexhibition,readsanuggetfromtheFundamentalscatalog,theblueprintforRemKoolhaassVeniceArchitectureBiennale.Thedisclaimer,thesortonehascometoexpectfromanyKoolhaasianenterprise,isactuallyintendedforElements(Marsilio,2014),a2,336pageblockoftextsthatanchorstheexhibitionofthesamename.PreparedbyOMAsresearchoutfit,AMO,incollaborationwithamultiyearstudiofromtheHarvardGraduateSchoolofDesignandateamofcollaborators,Elementsisatechnophilictreatiseonthestateofarchitecturalthinkinginthetwentyfirstcentury.

DespitewhatKoolhaasorhisbandofeditorssay,itisnteasytodisentangleElements(theambitious,overreaching,maddeningbook)fromElements(theambitious,overreaching,maddeningexhibition).Thebookisactuallysplicedinto



15bookletsmeasuringfromslimtopaperbacklikethickness,eachonedevotedtoasingleelement.Anecdotes,timelines,andothermarginaliadelineatetheevolutionarytreesofarchitecturalcomponentsliketheceilingorwall,fromtheirancientinthecaseofthefireplace,prehistoricbeginningstotheirdigitalprogeny.ThismethodofanalysiswasfirstdevelopedinDeliriousNewYork(1978),whoseidiosyncraticstudyofelevatorsandothermodernbuildingapparatusprefigurestheennobleddisplayof2014sElements.Byminingtheshadowyhistoriesofthesetechnologies,bytacklingthemfromallsides,Koolhaashoped,thenandnow,toproduceadeliriumofinterpretation[s]capableofrechargingtheworn,consumedcontentsoftheworld.

DeliriousNewYork,however,appearedatthecrestofatidalchangeinarchitecturalthinkingandculture.AtVenice,some40yearslater,Koolhaassprovocationscanbeconstruedasconservative,andhisargumentbanal.Indeed,thebacktobasicspropositioncontainswhiffsofareactionary,evendesperatepragmatism.Todaysarchitecture,KoolhaasdefiantlyreportedtobiennaleattendeesinJune,isnotinparticularlygoodhealth.Allthemorereason,then,toseverallconnectionstothediseasedhostandstartagainfromnewprinciples.Theposturingwaspreposterous,andthelogic,adeadend.AsaruefulPeterEisenmanwarned,Koolhaassglorifiedkitofpartsleadstotheendofmythology,theendofeverything,theendofarchitecture.FrencharchitectandblatheringhereticFrancoisRochefannedthecriticalflames,demanding,whogaveRemtheauthoritytotakepartintheburningofthediscipline?

BiennalepresidentPaoloBarattaevidentlydid,afteraprotractedperiodofKoolhaasplayinghardtoget.ThetypicalpreparationperiodwasextendedfromtwotofouryearstoaccommodatethearchitectsambitiousprogramBarattaalsoseemstohavefacilitatedtheseveralcorporatesponsorshipsnecessarytotheexhibitionsrealization.AlargeRolexlogopopsupintheopeningpagesofFundamentals,followedbyasmallerconstellationofcorporateinsignia.Itbarelyregistersasacriticism,andonesurelycantfaultKoolhaasforthis"Faustian"pact.Ifanything,thescenarioamplifiesKoolhaasschiefpointofcritique,whichdevolvedintoakindofmantraduringtheopeningweekend:theuncomfortabletruththatarchitectscanenactlittlewithoutsnugglinguptocorporatelargesse.Thishascoincided,ofcourse,withdecadesofneoliberalism,andhashadtheperniciouseffectoferodingarchitecturespublicrole.



Elements expands on, and fills in the gaps of, the Venice exhibition. Encyclopedic in reach, the book is split upinto 15 parts, each one devoted to the history and evolution of a single element.

COURTESYOMA

Unfortunately,Koolhaasfailstounpackthelanguageofhisargument.TheissueismostlyabsentinElements,atleastinthetextsattributedtothearchitect(oftenaverydifficultthingtotrackduetoIrmaBoomshaphazarddesign).Whenitdoesrearitshead,itstreatedtepidlywithsneeringoneliners.Thethesisismorepreciselytakenupbytheguestcuratorsandessayists,particularlyKellerEasterlinginhersophisticatedhistoryofthefloor(Volume1).Heressay,looselytranslatedintoagloomy,boorishwedgeofexhibitionspaceatVenice,teasesoutthesocialandpoliticoeconomicdimensionsofthebiennaleagendabetterthanKoolhaashimselfdoes.Onceimbuedwithnearcosmicmeaning(asatancientplacesofworship),andoftenaffirmedasthemoststableelement,thefloorhasbecomeameremachineforgeneratingprofit.Floors,Easterlingwrites,alwayscoveranarea,andbyassumingthatabstractvalue,theyactivelyconditionthefinancialappreciationofbuildings.TakentotheMiesianextent,wherebyorderedstacksoffundamentareerectedmidair,sheathedincasesofglass,thefloorisreducedtoFloorAreaRatio,theglobalshorthandformonetizingandnegotiatingurbanspace.

Facade(Volume7)buildsofftheseruminations,particularlyintheirrelationshiptothemodernofficetower.DevelopedbyAlejandroZaeraPoloandhisstudentsatthePrincetonUniversitySchoolofArchitecture,theessayanditsaccompanyinginstallationencompassthefullbreadthoffacadeinnovationssincetheCrystalPalace.ZaeraPolo



identifiesthepostFordistglazedwallasadevelopmentawayfromtherectilinear,perfectlymullionedprismsofMies,SOM,andSaarinenallcruciblesofColdWarindustries.FollowingthedemiseofBrettonWoods,themonolithicaestheticsofParkAvenuewerephasedoutinfavorofamoreeclecticexpressionism.Butthecorporateinfrastructureremained,onlynow,asZaeraPolonotes,obscuredunderpoliticallycorrectandpoliticallyunconsciousclothes.ToputitinKoolhaasianterms,architectsmetcrisisthewholesaledismantlingofModernismwithgleefulcomplicity,asbestsignaledbythehighlyengineered,surfacethinworksofFrankGehry,JeanNouvel,andothers.Timiditywrappedupinafireworksdisplay.

The Window room at Venice is dominated by a wall of nineteenthcentury windows on loan from the collectionof Charles Brooking, a lifelong collector of building parts.Theothervolumesarelessblatantwiththeirpoliticalpronouncements,andaim,instead,toeducateanddivert.Towardsthatend,Koolhaashascompiledapeanutgalleryofoddballspecialistswhoallhaveattemptedtoelevatetheirnichesubjectstogreatersignificance.ThebulkofStair(Volume12)isdevotedtothecollectedworksofFriedrichMielke,theoneleggednonagenarianfounderoftheInstituteofScalology(themeticulousstudyofstairs).Mielke,whohaspenned27booksonthesubject,believesthereisabroadfutureforhisdecadeslongpetproject:Oneshouldestablishanentireuniversitydedicatedtothestudyingofstairsintheworld."

OnemighteasilyimagineCharlesBrooking,whosecollectionofwoodcarvedwindows(featuredinVolume6)ispartiallyonloanatVenice,wouldsaythesameabouthisownpersonalobsession.InVolume11,welearnofAlexanderKiraandhisuntiringfixationwiththetoilet,whatKoolhaascallstheprimordialelement.Overthecourseofadecade,fromthemidsixtiestotheseventies,Kiraconductedthousandsofsurveys,mappingouttheempiricalergonomicsofevacuationandcoiningaminorvocabularyofkookyneologismsalongtheway,allinthevainefforttoovercometheostensibleinertiathatplaguesbathroomdesign.



The toilet room, one of the biennale's most popular displaysAlltheseeccentricswereallowedtoindulgetheirhobbiesinreclusivesafety.ThesamecannotfullybesaidaboutChinesearchitectandscholarLiangSicheng,whosebiographyisrecountedinRoof(Volume4).AfterbeingintroducedtoYingzaoFashi,thetwelfthcenturybuildershandbooktothearchitectureoftheSongDynasty,Liangtraveledthecountrysidevisitingprovincialmonumentsmorethan2,000inalltakingdetailednotesoftheiruniquefeaturestodecodetheunderlyingspatialgrammartheyshared.(ThiswasatleastadecadebeforePevsnertooktoEnglishtownshipsforhisBuildingsofEnglandseries.)Heeventuallycompletedhisannotationsforthetextin1963,bywhichtimehisarchitecturaltheoryhadfallenoutoffavorwiththeparty.AtthelaunchoftheCulturalRevolution,Liangwasforcedtoselfcriticizeandrejecthiswork,andwassubmittedtoseverepersecution.

Liang,whowaslaterrehabilitated,isonlyanasideinKoolhaassnarrative,buthisplightresonateswiththelattersexpectationsfromtheprofession.Koolhaasclearlylongsforthedayswhenarchitectsheldprinciplesthatextendedpastprofitandfashionwhen,backedbythewelfarestateandlocalgovernments,architectsactuallyhadastakeinshapingsocietysfuture.SeveralhavecriticizedKoolhaasforcynicalnostalgia,and,surely,heistoodamninginhisassessment,tooeagertospeakforallarchitects,everywhere.Andso,thebadtasteleftafterpagingthroughElementsencyclopediccompilationofobjects.Thoughtheysaysomethingsaboutthehistoryofarchitecture,Koolhaassfetishizedbuildingbitsdontactuallyyieldanapplicablesynthesis.

Butwhatcouldbemoreappropriatetoourtimes?Koolhaasbegsustoask.UnlikeAlberti,Semper,orGiediontheideologue,Koolhaasthecatastrophisthasnotassembledacompositionalrulebookwithwhichtocreativelyreconfigurehiselements.Hedeniesusthecatharticresolutionofthingsandrefusestopointthewayoutofourmorass.Ashewritesoftheescalator(Volume13),imbuinglifeintoitsmechanicalinnards:Likethissystem,[it]churnsoutwardlywithcontinuousdynamism,butofferstheexactsamethingeverywhere.Whatdoesitsaywheneventheescalatorishauntedinitshiddengutsbythesuspicionthatbusinessasusualcantgoonforever?

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_ Rem’s Kit of Parts