SikkensFoundation

Publications

REM KOOLHAAS: THE GENERIC CITY, 1995 — In 1995, The Generic City was published as an essay on the occasion of the Piet Mondrian lecture given by Rem Koolhaas. This was a reproduction from his magnum opus S, M, L, XL, which was published by 010 Publishers in Rotterdam. Koolhaas wrote a number of impressive theoretical es- says, including The Generic City – an “essay” or attempt in the best traditions of research into design, in which he tested a new way of seeing, a new way of thinking, by holding the implications up to the light. The Generic City described the new type of urban environment which was developing in the Far East, but which can also be seen in other places: an urban environment without history, wit- hout a centre, without identity, but with an intrinsic de- gree of freedom which combines tolerance with many dif- ferent possibilities. More recently, Rem Koolhaas, together with his students from Harvard, also focused on Lagos, the Nigerian metropolis, which at first sight seems absolutely chaotic and an impossible place to live, but which incorporates very effcient forms of self-organizati- on and recycling in its chaos. Back to index Download text as pdf