Rem demands boycott

Koolhaas campaigns to overhaul star-studded design competitions after Gazprom HQ controversy

Rem Koolhaas has called on architecture’s superstars to join him in
a campaign to overhaul the competition system, which he has condemned
as “hideous” and a drain on resources and influence.

Koolhaas
spoke out following BD’s revelation that Norman Foster, Rafael Viñoly
and Kisho Kurokawa walked off the jury that selected RMJM for the
Gazprom headquarters in St Petersburg (News December 8).

Koolhaas was also on the shortlist.

His
outburst, in an exclusive interview with BD, won enthusiastic backing
from Frank Duffy, founder of DEGW, who believes that the current system
encourages clients to appoint architects on the basis of a single
design rather than an ongoing relationship and shared vision.