{"id":952,"date":"2024-03-28T22:00:24","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T22:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aiadallas.org\/columns\/?p=952"},"modified":"2024-03-28T22:00:24","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T22:00:24","slug":"koolhaas-houselife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aiadallas.org\/columns\/koolhaas-houselife\/","title":{"rendered":"Koolhaas Houselife"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Koolhaas Houselife<\/em> is an architectural documentary that centers on Rem Koolhaas\u2019 prominent work, Maison \u00e0 Bordeaux, a private residence in France. Created by Ila B\u00eaka & Louise Lemoine as part of a series called \u201cLiving Architecture,\u201d this 58-minute film shows architecture through the lens of everyday moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Organized into short chapters, the documentary portrays the engagement of various individuals with the building. As the documentary progresses, it delves into chapters exploring the \u201cElements of Architecture,\u201d <\/a>encompassing components such as stairs, windows, and the elevator. These elements are examined within the context of the house and its housekeeper, Guadalupe Acedo, as she navigates through the space, cleaning and organizing as she goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach provides a fascinating angle, examining architecture not through the architect\u2019s or owner\u2019s viewpoint, but from the housekeeper\u2019s perspective. Guadalupe contends with the intricacies of the spiral stairs as she attends to hard-to-reach corners. She voices concerns about window leaks while rationalizing their forthcoming replacement. She\u2019s curious about the home\u2019s structural support, given no visible columns in the open plan, yet is apprehensive that the house might collapse someday, despite her fondness for its current state. Her candid observations blend humor and authenticity, perhaps even more genuine than Koolhaas\u2019 poetic sketches and design theories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This approach provides a fascinating angle, examining architecture not through the architect\u2019s or owner\u2019s viewpoint, but from the housekeeper\u2019s perspective. Guadalupe contends with the intricacies of the spiral stairs as she attends to hard-to-reach corners. She voices concerns about window leaks while rationalizing their forthcoming replacement. She\u2019s curious about the home\u2019s structural support, given no visible columns in the open plan, yet is apprehensive that the house might collapse someday, despite her fondness for its current state. Her candid observations blend humor and authenticity, perhaps even more genuine than Koolhaas\u2019 poetic sketches and design theories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe movement of the elevator continuously changes the architecture of the house,\u201d Koolhaus says. \u201cA machine is its heart.\u201d Labeling the elevator as the house’s core, Koolhaas conceived a 3-by-3.5-meter elevator platform that functions as a mobile library and office. Positioned at the center of the house, the elevator connects its three levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amusingly, Guadalupe expresses concern about the books sticking out from the library shelf, which could potentially lead to the elevator getting stuck again while she\u2019s on it. The diagram below <\/a>depicts Guadalupe\u2019s path juxtaposed on Koolhaas\u2019 floor plans as she moves through the house as she cleans. The documentary culminates at dusk, capturing the moment when the homeowner<\/a>\u00a0draws the curtains and orchestrates the shutdown of the machine at its center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Considering Rem Koolhaas\u2019 inclination toward contrarianism in his professional practice, this documentary subtly comments on the realism of architecture and, more crucially, architectural theory. The documentary abstains from elucidating the design intent or the theory underpinning the architecture, instead focusing on how the structure is utilized. After all, isn’t that the fundamental purpose of buildings? Or is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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