Oswald Mathias Ungers and Rem Koolhaas

1. Why did you choose this topic?

I have always been interested in what architecture says about the undercurrents of society. The book looks at the work of two architects who worked together in the 1970s: Oswald Mathias Ungers and Rem Koolhaas. Originally, I felt their urban thinking most relevant, but as my research progressed, I found that they shared a fundamental belief in the cultural value of architecture. Their work reflects these ideas on architecture's relevance and how this materializes in writings, drawings and projects.

2. What new perspectives does your book offer?

It reveals a fundamental undercurrent to architecture as a negotiation between disciplinary autonomy and service to society. In their built work and their writings, both Ungers and Koolhaas grapple with these questions, addressing key features of what architecture contributes, albeit in different ways. For those who know their work well, I hope it sheds new light on the shared premises in their work and its relevance for today.

3. What makes your topic relevant for current research debates?

Architecture as a field has a hybrid nature: it is an art that needs a scientific and engineering perspective, it is societally embedded, and it is invisible yet present in daily life. As such, it has many often hidden effects: buildings may continue to shape spatial habits long after the context in which they were realized. An in-depth look at exemplary oeuvres such as these, reveals timeless qualities in architecture thinking.

4. Choose one person you would like to discuss your book with!

Siegfried Kracauer.

5. Your book summary in one sentence:

The book reflects on contextual and timeless qualities of architecture – a ›plausible‹ relation between the social and the formal – through the work of Ungers and Koolhaas.