Collective Memories & Individual Heroism

In the recent lecture that Rem gave to AUS students, he mentioned the idea of collective architecture, such as those of columns, and individual architecture, such as those of Frank Gehry.

However, he didn't express strong statement about neither of them. Instead, this references of two types of building leads to his three buildings: The CCTV tower, The Rotterdam, and the newly constructed Prada Foundation in Milano. These examples, in my opinion, stated Rem's design attitude very clearly, architects should design based on both collective forms and also individual values or discretion.  All of the three examples are the consequence of the two seeming conflicting aspects. The first two use forms of Internationalism, but in a deformed and twisted configurations. The last one (Prada foundation) is even more obvious by adopting Italian classical architecture directly, but using very modern even bizarre material (e.g. the real gold-painted tower).

What he was and is doing, reminds me of Michelangelo, and all the other Mannerism architects. Modernism the is new Renaissance, for the 21st century Mannerism architects, like Rem Koolhaas.

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