Rem Koolhaas

Journalist and screenwriter before architect, author of the texts that have had a greater influence on architectural practice over the last three decades, professor at several British and American universities and author of remarkable buildings such as Rotterdam’s Kunsthal or the Fukuoka dwellings, the Dutch has gradually established his position as a ‘top’ figure (almost a rock star) comparable to the great masters of the 20th century. The recent awarding of the RIBA medal rounds off a long list of recognitions – including all those mentioned on this page –, that acknowledge an essential contribution to the professional development of the young generations. The city of London, where Koolhaas graduated in 1972 and in which he founded OMA in 1975, will be the site for the awarding ceremony of this prestigious prize, which has finally given in to him. Tired of the slow pace at which architecture takes shape and eager to cover all realms of contemporary culture, OMA has recently engendered a theoretical and symmetrical partner, AMO, a publisher of books and magazines and a current-trend research lab.