Rem Koolhaas needs to get back to the fundamentals

摘要

The parties are over, the prizes awarded, Peter Eisenman has declared it to be the end of architecture ... Is there anything left to say about the Rem Koolhaas Venice Biennale? Most critics have already weighed in. The 'Fundamentals' theme has drawn mixed responses, especially Koolhaas's effort to return architecture to its Mements (Floor, Stair, Door, Toilet, etc) in a dedicated exhibition in the Giardini's Central Pavilion. Some hail Elements as inventive; others dismiss it as pedestrian, even atavistic. In the hubbub over content, however, less attention has been paid to another notable aspect of Elements: the way it has been put together.