I Love Delirious New York

(or The Importance of Oswald Mathias Ungers in the Formation of Rem Koolhaas)

Abstract

Over the years, Rem Koolhaas’ early career and his seminal book Delirious New York have been widely discussed. One aspect that deserves closer attention, however, is Koolhaas’ strong intellectual attraction to Oswald Mathias Ungers and the influence of their coexistence during Koolhaas’ period at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In 1972, Koolhaas began researching New York City as the field for his theoretical investigation, marking the beginning of his engagement with urban morphology as a conceptual tool. The intellectual exchange with Ungers during this time proved decisive. Ungers’ summer studios became an important source of inspiration. Within this context, Koolhaas’ background in journalism found a productive outlet, and his collaboration with Ungers and their students led to the speculative project City Within a City, later published in Lotus International which helped to establish many of the conceptual and methodological foundations that would define his work throughout the following decade. This project helped establish the theoretical framework that would later inform Delirious New York, widely regarded as one of the most influential architectural books of the twentieth century. This article examines the mentorship dimension of their relationship by tracing Koolhaas’ trajectory through the volumes of Veröffentlichungen zur Architektur and assessing their impact on his architectural thinking. Arguing that the ideas developed within this collaborative environment became deeply embedded in the conceptual structure of Delirious New York, revealing how Ungers’ influence and their intellectual exchange shaped Koolhaas’ early theoretical formation.