Two Ends of the Spectrum: a Comparative Study on the Architectural Strategies Employed by Koolhaas and Siza in Asia

Both Rem Koolhaas (1944-) and Á lvaro Siza (1933-) are regarded as two of the most significant architects in the world. They have devoted to architectural creation for a long period of time and produced a great number of works with high quality. It’s not surprising that Koolhaas and Siza came to Asia for architectural development in 2002 and 2005, respectively.
In the past, research and discourse on Koolhaas’ and Siza’s architectural works focus majorly on their works in Europe and America. Although there are some individual reports on Koolhaas’ and Siza’s activities and works in Asia, it lacks of systematic investigation and analysis, not to mention cross region comparison. As the architects with great respect, the modification and/or transformation of their design idea, thinking, processing, and making, i.e. their architectural strategies including design strategies and management strategies for Asian
cultures and regions will constitute important issues of exploration in architectural history and theory.
After the exploration on Siza’s architectural works in Asia, the proposed research attempts to extend the accumulated experiences and take Koolhaas as the subject for study, and furthermore to make an analysis and comparison between the two architects. On the one hand, the proposed research can be seen as a preliminary study on Koolhaas’ works in Asia. It will establish a more complete database for the study on Koolhaas’ works. The cross region
analysis and comparison on Koolhaas’s works in Asia and the investigation on their relevance will also respond to certain issues which contemporary architectural history and theory may be concerned with. Moreover, the proposed research will provide valuable reference and foundation for the future broader and deeper study on Koolhaas’ works in Asia. On the other
hand, Koolhaas and Siza can be seen as two different models for those European and American known architects engaging in Asia. The contrasts and differences derived from the comparison will help to clarify the issues related to the international architects who come to Asia for creation and practice. It will gradually increase our understanding on the impact of globalization on Asian architecture and urbanism.