Architecture

S, M, L, XL

S, M, L, XL

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  • Create Date：2021-09-23 06:54:10
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Rem Koolhaas
  • ISBN：1885254865
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Summary

S， M， L， XL presents a selection of the remarkable visionary design work produced by the Dutch firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture （O。M。A。） and its acclaimed founder， Rem Koolhaas， in its first twenty years， along with a variety of insightful， often poetic writings。 The inventive collaboration between Koolhaas and designer Bruce Mau is a graphic overture that weaves together architectural projects， photos and sketches， diary excerpts， personal travelogues， fairy tales， and fables， as well as critical essays on contemporary architecture and society。

The book's title is also its framework: projects and essays are arranged according to scale。 While Small and Medium address issues ranging from the domestic to the public， Large focuses on what Koolhaas calls "the architecture of Bigness。" Extra-Large features projects at the urban scale， along with the important essay "What Ever Happened to Urbanism？" and other studies of the contemporary city。 Running throughout the book is a "dictionary" of an adventurous new Koolhaasian language -- definitions， commentaries， and quotes from hundreds of literary， cultural， artistic， and architectural sources。

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Reviews

Aggrey Odera ，

A compendium （beginning to dislike that word） of Koolhaas' best critical work， from Junkspace and Bigness to meditations on Dutchness， with remarkable pictures interspersed everywhere。 It's a worthy 1300 or so pages， and not a slog to get through since it thankfully has no narrative arc at all。 The only other book i've come across that is as useful AND interesting is the Harvard Graduate School of Design Guide to Shopping， also largely compiled under Koolhaas' supervision。 A compendium （beginning to dislike that word） of Koolhaas' best critical work， from Junkspace and Bigness to meditations on Dutchness， with remarkable pictures interspersed everywhere。 It's a worthy 1300 or so pages， and not a slog to get through since it thankfully has no narrative arc at all。 The only other book i've come across that is as useful AND interesting is the Harvard Graduate School of Design Guide to Shopping， also largely compiled under Koolhaas' supervision。 。。。more

Mukul Phansalkar ，

Exceptionally profound

Leslie ，

I understand that to call this book a phenomenal failure is a bold statement but it is one that I am prepared to defend with specific examples， instead of asking you to take my word for it。 We will use as a case study one of the most well-known sections in the book， Koolhaas' treatise on the "Generic City。" Have you ever looked at a building that was so ugly that your soul died a little by looking at it and wondered why on earth someone would build something so hideous？ The answer lies before yo I understand that to call this book a phenomenal failure is a bold statement but it is one that I am prepared to defend with specific examples， instead of asking you to take my word for it。 We will use as a case study one of the most well-known sections in the book， Koolhaas' treatise on the "Generic City。" Have you ever looked at a building that was so ugly that your soul died a little by looking at it and wondered why on earth someone would build something so hideous？ The answer lies before you。Koolhaas tells you to: "Close your eyes and imagine an explosion of beige。 At its epicenter splashes the color of vaginal folds （unaroused）， metallic-matte aubergine， khaki-tobacco， dusty pumpkin; all cars on their way to bridal whiteness。。。Built at incredible speed， and conceived at even more incredible pace， there is an average of 27 aborted versions for every realized—but that is not quite the term—structure。” pg 1260Close your eyes and imagine an explosion of beige！ This is an apt poetic description for the vision behind Koolhaas' Generic City。 It is homogenous， it has no center。 But instead of merely saying in plain language that the city shouldn't have a center because that makes some people feel left out， he says instead: "The last vibes emanating from the exhausted center preclude the reading of the periphery as a critical mass。” Or this one， “The persistence of the present concentric obsession makes us all bridge-and-tunnel people， second-class citizens in our own civilization， disenfranchised by the dumb coincidence of our collective exile from the center。" pg 1249The reason why such writing irritates me so much is that when an intellectual has an idea that likely will not hold up when scrutinized under the light of day， one way to make the idea sound more plausible is to couch it in erudite and subversive language。 He goes on for several pages making the same point that cities should not have a downtown or a center but I won't sport with your intelligence by quoting any more of it。 I， for one， would be more interested in more practical arguments beyond the mere point that some people are going to feel left out if there's a city center。 Why can't there be individuals boroughs that each have little downtowns and then one main downtown？ But I digress。Let's talk some more about this Generic City， all in beige， homogenous， and without a center， shall we？“The Generic City is what is left after large sections of urban life crossed over to cyberspace。 It is a place of weak and distended sensations， few and far between emotions， discreet and mysterious like a large space lit by a bed lamp。 Compared to the classical city， the Generic City is sedated， usually perceived from a sedentary position。 Instead of concentration—simultaneous presence—in the Generic City individual “moments” are spaced far apart to create a trance of almost unnoticeable aesthetic experiences; the color variations in the fluorescent lighting of an office building just before sunset。” pg 1250Is it just me， or do others also not see many color variations in the fluorescent lighting of office buildings？ When you actually analyze the concepts rationally， many of them don't make sense。 But one gets the idea when reading it that it's actually not supposed to make complete sense。 It's instead supposed to wash over you like a beige nightmare that you can't wake up from。Here's yet another quaint passage for you about the Generic City: "The city used to be the great [sexual] hunting ground。 The Generic City is like a dating agency; it efficiently matches supply and demand。 Orgasm instead of agony; there is progress。 The most obscene possibilities are announced in the cleanest typography; Helvetica has become pornographic。" （pg 1264）Here's the translation for the everyday person like myself who likes things expressed a little more plainly。 In the olden days， you had to go to the "Red Light District，" to certain sections of towns to find the prostitutes， the strip clubs， and other obscene things。 But in the Generic City， that kind of stuff is everywhere。 THIS IS PROGRESS， Koolhaas tells us。 People， this is a special species of swamp garbage that is being taught in architecture programs all over the country。 Do you want to live in a city that has the feel of an airport such that every section looks exactly like every other section？ There's no history， no character， just the flatness of the Nihilistic dream？ The head of my local university's architectural department is teaching this Nihilisic garbage to an upcoming class of students who will then go out and spread such horrors throughout the earth。And when I say Nihilistic， I do not say that lightly。 The head of the architecture department announced on day 1 of class that Nietzsche is his hero。 If everything is heading towards meaninglessness and destruction， the blandness and mediocrity of the Generic City is supposed to ease our transition into nothingness。 What one believes about where history is heading is incarnated by the way one builds cities and buildings。 The entire idea behind the Generic City is fundamentally opposed to truth， beauty， and goodness， and every beige， bland， nondescript corner of this hellish nightmare is telling the story of meaninglessness。So if that's your cup of tea， Nihilism mixed in with a good dose of existentialism， incarnated through hideous urban sprawl without a center， without beauty， without history， without character， then knock yourself out reading this textbook。 In the introduction to this section on pg 1248 he says: "What are the advantages of blankness？ What if this seemingly accidental—and usually regretted—homogenization were an intentional process， a conscious movement away from difference towards similarity？ What if we are witnessing a global liberation movement: “down with character！” What is left after identity is stripped？ The Generic？”However， there do still exist in this world， a few people who relish beauty， charm， character， creativity， loveliness， quaintness。 In fact， this may come as a shock to university professors everywhere， but 75% of people actually prefer traditional architecture to modern architecture。 However， in the entire U。 S。 of A。 there is only 1 University with a program in traditional architecture （Notre Dame） and all the rest are devoted to modern theories。 So there you have it。 We plebians are so backward that we don't know what's good for us。 The elite in academia have to mediate their fever dream of disillusionment to us through hideous buildings and cities that no one wants to live in but that everyone must。There is one thing that I did learn from this book。 All my life I have been perplexed by the hideousness of modern architecture and I have been scratching my head thinking， "Who designed this and why？ Why did someone sit down and sketch out that ugly building？ And someone built it？ Why？" Now it all makes sense。 There is a worldview behind modern architecture。 I finally understand where it came from。 In conclusion， I'd like to share with you one last thought from Koolhaas。 I just said that his Generic City lacks beauty。 But to be fair to Koolhaas， he would disagree。 For he tells us that:"The architecture of the Generic City is by definition beautiful。"P。S。 Additional quotes for those still reading: page 1262: “The style of choice is postmodern， and will always remain so。 Postmodernism is the only movement that has succeeded in connecting the practice of architecture with the practice of panic。 Postmodernism is not a doctrine based on a highly civilized reading of architectural history but a method， a mutation in professional architecture that produces results fast enough to keep pace with the Generic City’s development…All resistance to postmodernism is anti-democratic。”[I encouraged my daughter to attend an architecture program because I wrongly imagined that on so attending， she would be schooled in some “doctrines based on highly civilized readings of architectural history。” Silly me！ In my profound naiveté， of which I am now embarrassed， I never dreamed that she would instead be encouraged to embrace a method， a mutation in professional architecture with the end goal being the development of the Generic City。]Pg 1251: “The Generic City is fractal， an endless repetition of the same simple structural module; it is possible to reconstruct it from its smallest entity， a desktop computer， maybe even a diskette。”Pg 1253: “Its immoral lushness compensates for the Generic City’s other poverties。 Supremely inorganic， the organic is the Generic City’s strongest myth…All Generic Cities issue from the tabula rasa; if there was nothing， now they are there; if there was something， they have replaced it。 They must， otherwise they would be historic。”Pg 1255: “The Generic City presents the final death of planning…But its most dangerous and most exhilarating discovery is that planning makes no difference whatsoever…The Generic City is loosening every structure that made anything coalesce in the past。” 。。。more

João Henrique de Melo Alves ，

A powerful manifesto on "mega scale architecture" that emphasizes its usefulness on many levels。 A short， but definitely worthy， reading。 I wish I had read it during my Masters thesis， it would have helped clearing up my argument。 A powerful manifesto on "mega scale architecture" that emphasizes its usefulness on many levels。 A short， but definitely worthy， reading。 I wish I had read it during my Masters thesis， it would have helped clearing up my argument。 。。。more

Sandro ，

I've finally read this book properly from cover to cover for the first time after having encountered it for I don't know how many times since my early bachelor years over a decade ago。 As many have known， the essays are really brilliant and I keep thinking about them all the time ever since I finished reading the book。 However， the sidenotes were a bit distracting for me。 Well， some are witty and funny， some are splendid and somewhat complementary， but there are some that I read quickly just to I've finally read this book properly from cover to cover for the first time after having encountered it for I don't know how many times since my early bachelor years over a decade ago。 As many have known， the essays are really brilliant and I keep thinking about them all the time ever since I finished reading the book。 However， the sidenotes were a bit distracting for me。 Well， some are witty and funny， some are splendid and somewhat complementary， but there are some that I read quickly just to get over with it。 。。。more

Ghia ，

A+++++

Mark ，

Rem’s ‘Lookbook’ momentarily entertaining

Kaden Beilman ，

practically the bible of contemporary architectural thought。 koolhaas's "fictional" approach allows him to piss people off without being affected by criticism， because it's psuedo fictional。 did the same thing with delerious ny。 a genius practically the bible of contemporary architectural thought。 koolhaas's "fictional" approach allows him to piss people off without being affected by criticism， because it's psuedo fictional。 did the same thing with delerious ny。 a genius 。。。more

Leandro Llorente ，

Bookazine。 Excerpts of key thoughts of Rem Koolhaas。 A must-read。

Brian ，

Read cover to cover （perhaps not as intended）。 Of all the impressions from the book the strongest was Koolhaas' mastery of reference， irony， and observation。 Read cover to cover （perhaps not as intended）。 Of all the impressions from the book the strongest was Koolhaas' mastery of reference， irony， and observation。 。。。more

Dylan ，

I only read Koolhaas' Singapore Songlines， but I did read it twice I only read Koolhaas' Singapore Songlines， but I did read it twice 。。。more

Lee Barry ，

I ordered a copy of the book after watching the （excellent） documentary on Koolhaas， and was particularly interested in his “Bigness” essay。 What I’d like to see is a smaller version with mostly text and a few photographs。 Speaking of bigness， this tome is 1350 pages， so big the spine collapsed。

Derenik Baghramian ，

A masterpiece， written by a legend in Architecture。 Read it for the second time。 Absolutely well written with various topics that are related to architecture and urban planning。

Gürsu Altunkaya ，

Why spend money on a novel and an architectural monogram？ Buy this one， get both。

Kate ，

"Monuments are embarrassing to Dutch culture: it is not that there is nothing to remember， but Protestant ethics suspect icons that embody， then supposedly trigger， reminiscence。 A monument compromises any memory's authenticity。" "Monuments are embarrassing to Dutch culture: it is not that there is nothing to remember， but Protestant ethics suspect icons that embody， then supposedly trigger， reminiscence。 A monument compromises any memory's authenticity。" 。。。more

Imran Ali ，

This book got me through my Architecture Diploma。 Essential for understanding urbanisation and the design of cities。

Samudyatha ，

WOW！ full of anecdotes and the progression of OMA as a body of work through time expressed clearly。

Isa Braunstein ，

An explosion of creativity。 I remember reading this in college and couldn't help but be inspired to go out and create something， something different。 It's a book chocked full of raw creativity。 I dare you to 'observe' 10 pages of this book and not start planning a project of some kind。 An explosion of creativity。 I remember reading this in college and couldn't help but be inspired to go out and create something， something different。 It's a book chocked full of raw creativity。 I dare you to 'observe' 10 pages of this book and not start planning a project of some kind。 。。。more

Ilmije ，

greaat

Mills College Library ，

720。92 S6356 1995

Patricia ，

Dude， man。 What's the point in even trying to write when Koolhaas is out there doing things like this with words？ Dude， man。 What's the point in even trying to write when Koolhaas is out there doing things like this with words？ 。。。more

Antonia ，

I realized that architecture is the ultimate form of art when I saw the Seattle Public Library designed by Rem Koolhaas。 Admittedly， until then I haven't expressed any interest about architecture， but seeing this impressive building I was fascinated。 Ever since I got obsessed with buildings and spaces。 Rem Koolhaus is the pioneer of post-modern architecture and this tremendous volume is a must-read and inspiration to anyone who is interested in this form of art。 I realized that architecture is the ultimate form of art when I saw the Seattle Public Library designed by Rem Koolhaas。 Admittedly， until then I haven't expressed any interest about architecture， but seeing this impressive building I was fascinated。 Ever since I got obsessed with buildings and spaces。 Rem Koolhaus is the pioneer of post-modern architecture and this tremendous volume is a must-read and inspiration to anyone who is interested in this form of art。 。。。more

Aditya ，

Im not even into architecture。 But i absolutely loved this book。 Its a NOVEL as such。 and so MAD in its telling。 its all the projects done by OMA in the field of architecture ranging from their small to XL projects。 As random as someone calling them ot a vacant plot of land in Paris and saying i want this odd shaped house and from a particular height on a particular part of the land you can see the eiffel tower so here i want a swimming pool。 And they've built this crazy home and it rocks！ Im not even into architecture。 But i absolutely loved this book。 Its a NOVEL as such。 and so MAD in its telling。 its all the projects done by OMA in the field of architecture ranging from their small to XL projects。 As random as someone calling them ot a vacant plot of land in Paris and saying i want this odd shaped house and from a particular height on a particular part of the land you can see the eiffel tower so here i want a swimming pool。 And they've built this crazy home and it rocks！ 。。。more

Arun ，

I wish someone has copy of it。。。

George ，

。。。 & this collection of all that constitutes human wit will be my pillow。

Vanlilith ，

-

Abraham ，

Been wanting this book for some time。 But jeez， am I really going to read this whole thing？ I have already read parts separately， and loved the excess of it。

Less_cunning ，

"a déjà vu that never ends。。。" "a déjà vu that never ends。。。" 。。。more

Rubén ，

big book from a big thinker

Christopher ，

Important book on the ever changing and complex world of architecture。 This book opened a lot of new perspectives on architecture for me as a young student in architecture school。 For one thing this quasi-monograph takes an unorthodox and interesting way of representing the work of Koolhaas and the Office of Metropolitan Architecture。 Some projects are represented with only images and some notes and others are dense essays on the state of cities/economics。 As the title reads， the subject matter Important book on the ever changing and complex world of architecture。 This book opened a lot of new perspectives on architecture for me as a young student in architecture school。 For one thing this quasi-monograph takes an unorthodox and interesting way of representing the work of Koolhaas and the Office of Metropolitan Architecture。 Some projects are represented with only images and some notes and others are dense essays on the state of cities/economics。 As the title reads， the subject matter is organized by size of the projects from smallest to largest。 An interesting dictionary of 'personal definitions' offers a more personal look into the personality of Koolhaas。Recommended reading for anyone。 It offers insights and a unique look at architecture and urbanism that I think anyone can enjoy。 And a definite recommendation for anyone interested in architecture。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=S, M, L, XL

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=S, M, L, XL&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,S, M, L, XL&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0