The House of Dr Koolhaas

Through the symbiotic interplay of its editorial and design approaches, this 200-page-plus paperback about an early work by the Dutch starchitect Rem Koolhaas becomes an object alien to the architecture field – a book in the style of a pulp novel. The author (also the co-editor of the series of which this book is the first) investigates the building from a historical and theoretical perspective, but presents her findings as a novelistic narrative about an enigmatic case. The design evokes this approach visually starting with the glossy laminated cover that, with the embossed title and four-colour illustration of the partially illuminated, moonlit house, augurs a feeling of suspense that is typical of the genre. A sensationalist summary on the back cover and promotional quotes further emphasise that the architectural discourse is here being made accessible to a broad public. In comparison, the rather restrained design of the black-and-white interior almost suggests that the cover was meant to deceive, and yet the connection between the two becomes evident through the similar way in which text and images are combined to tell a story. Each page of text is entirely filled and features a single column of text in a serif typeface, and is often complemented by between one and three black-and-white illustrations that offer a fascinating search for connections within art, culture and architectural history. The interplay between text and images throughout is superbly achieved despite the small page format, while constantly changing layouts, with two different image widths and occasional full-page images, ensure that boredom never sets in.

Editor
Thomas Weaver, London (UK)

Author
Françoise Fromonot, Paris (FR)

Design
John Morgan studio – John Morgan, Teresa Lima, Adrien Vasquez, London (UK)

Printing
Nørhaven, Viborg (DK)

Publisher
Park Books, Zürich (CH)

ISBN
978-3-03860-407-5