OMA as tribute to OMU: exploring resonances in the work of Koolhaas and Ungers

• Published in: Journal of architecture (London, England) Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 235 - 261
• Main Author: Schrijver, Lara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 01-06-2008
• ISSN: 1360-2365; 1466-4410
• DOI: 10.1080/13602360802214927

This article explores the resonance between the work of Rem Koolhaas and that of Oswald Mathias Ungers. It has been suggested that the roots of OMA lie in Berlin, which this article expands upon. The ideas of Koolhaas and Ungers exhibit important parallels throughout the period from 1968-1978, when Koolhaas was a student and later a colleague of O.M. Ungers, beginning with Koolhaas's admission to Cornell in the Autumn of 1972. This period was a formative period in the work of Koolhaas, where many of his ideas on architecture and its relationship to the city took shape. Exploring a number of ideas and projects in the period from 1968-1978 (from his studies at the Architectural Association through to his time working with Ungers), this article argues that, contrary to popular belief, the formal tools of architecture play a central role in the work of Koolhaas.