Rem Koolhaas is a renowned Dutch architect known for his innovative and experimental designs. Some of his notable achievements include founding OMA, receiving the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2000, and designing the iconic Seattle Central Library. The library design featured a distinctive spiral layout for the book stacks and maximized daylight while minimizing energy usage through sustainable design strategies. It has been widely praised for its functionality and success in revitalizing the library as a community institution.

1. Presented By:
Charu Sukheeja
B. Arch. IV yr.

2. EARLY
LIFE
• Dutch architect
• Born on 17 november 1944 in Rotterdam,
Netherlands
STUDIES
• Studied scriptwriting
• Journalist
• In 1968, he again started studies, in architecture
at the Architectural Association School of
Architecture in London
• In 1972, studied further at Cornell University in
New York
• In 1975 Koolhaas along with some other architects
founded the OMA (Office for Metropolitan
Architecture), dedicated to finding "new synergies"
between architecture and contemporary culture.
• OMA got their first project as ‘the Netherlands
Dance Theatre’ in 1987.
• In 2005, he co-founded ‘Volume Magazine’ together
with Mark Wigley and Ole Bouman.
• Principal of the OMA and of its research-oriented
counterpart AMO, currently based in Rotterdam,
The Netherlands.
ROAD
TO
SUCCESS

3. HONOURS & PRIZES:
 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate in 2000
 TIME Magazine Best Architecture in 2004 for Seattle Central Library
 RIBA Gold Medal in 2004
 The Mies van der Rohe Award in 2005 for the Netherlands Embassy, Berlin
PHILOSOPHY-
 Called as “the guru of contemporary architecture”
 Great architects impose their vision on the world who come bearing
significant forms and whip cities into shape.
 “Architecture should not change the world instead world should
change architecture.”
 He was fascinated by the dynamics of the New York city and how it
stood apart from the urban-design trend toward "dedensifying"
cities, tearing down entire blocks to create open malls and plazas.

4.  Manhattanism i.e. a world totally fabricated by man
 Modernism
 Deconstructivism – stylish designs and unususal concepts
 Boldly produces buildings that defer visually to their
surroundings
 Form follows function
 Linking of technology and humanity
 Rigorous analysis and audacious ideas
 Asymmetry
 Nonlinearity
 Articulation causing mutation in contemporary architecture

6.  Entries were invited through a competition
DESIGNING BASIS
 He conceived the new library as a celebration of books.
 In the "digital age“ of 21st century also, people respond to books printed on
paper.
 Wanted to make the library inviting to the public rather than stuffy
 Was ambitious to redefine the Library as an information store, no longer
exclusively dedicated to the book .
 Although unusual in shape, but the building's required functions dictate
what it should look like.
HISTORY
The Collins Block at
Second and James
Henry Yesler's former mansion at
Third and James
The Carnegie Library, on
the site of the current
building

8. FLOOR SPACE: 362,987 square feet
PARKING: 49,000 square feet, underground
NUMBER OF LEVELS: 1 1
BUDGET: $165.5 million
BUILDING POPULATION: 328 staff, 8,000+ visitors per day
Combination of like with like.
Identification of five platforms each dedicated to a specific cluster.
Each platform is a programmatic entity that is architecturally defined
and equipped for maximum, dedicated performance.
As each platform is designed for a different purpose, they are different
in size, density and opacity.
The in-between spaces are like trading floors where librarians inform
and stimulate.
Interface between the different platforms is organized.

9. Level 0: Basement
Level 1 : Book return/check out
 Children's Center –
 Includes - books, DVDs, CDs and more.
 Microsoft Auditorium –
• 275-seat Auditorium.
• The back of it can expand, creating an
additional 150 seats for larger programs.
• Learning Center
• Restrooms are here as well.
Level 2: Staff
 For staff members only .
 It has shipping, receiving, book sorting and technical and collection
services

10. Level 3: The Norcliffe Foundation Living Room/Fifth
Avenue
 Includes areas to gather or read and is open and airy with a ceiling of 50 feet
height.
 The bright, colorful carpets - patterns of lifelike plants are laid.
 The base of the atrium is located on this level.
 FriendShop (gift shop), Chocolate coffee cart, Starbucks Teen Center, Feature film
video and DVD collection, Family Fiction Collection and Large print collection.
Level 4: Meeting Room
 The corridor walls, floors and ceilings
are painted in deep reds and pinks.
 The meeting rooms are calm, neutral
colors - such as brown and gray. .

11. Level 5
 Mixing Chamber
 The Tech Logic automated book conveyance
and sorting system that moves and sorts books
and other materials using Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) technology
 Entry to the Books Spiral.
Levels 6 - 9: Books Spiral
 Four floors of book stacks, connected by gentle ramps.
 75 % of the entire collection — is located on the Books Spiral.
 Collection exist in one continuous run
 Avoids moving of the books into other rooms or floors as the collection
expands.
 Independent of stairs, escalators or elevators.

12. Level 10: Betty Jane Narver Reading Room
Light-filled.
Seating for 400.
Ceiling height – 40-foot
Views of Elliott Bay.
Level 11: Headquarters
Has administrative offices

13. SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Careful design of spaces for use for public gathering for many years
to come.
Expansion of collections eventually encroaches public spaces, but the new
design prevents this through clear separation of public spaces and spaces for
other library functions.
Views of surrounding skyscrapers - feel connected to the city and the
outdoors through the library’s glass exterior.
Seattle’s Public Art Program - main artworks are integrated into the building
in fun and innovative ways.
BARRIER-FREE DESIGN AND
FLEXIBILE USE
Continuous spiral
Gently sloping ramps
WAY FINDING AND USABILITY
Large signs give direction
Important elements are color coded
Escalators and elevators – yellow color
Computer areas - aluminum flooring
Breaking up areas into zones, and the atrium that connects nine levels, help
orient the visitor

14. INNOVATIONS IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY
 The library is exceeds Seattle’s energy code by 10 percent.
 The expected energy savings would power at least 125 homes.
HIGH PERFORMANCE GLAZING SYSTEM –
 50% exterior glass has triple-glazed
system
 50% double-glazed clear glass
 Outer layer : low-e coating filters non-visible light energy.
 Better shading effect than most tinted glass buildings, without the undesirable
darkening.
 Diagonal grid system : protection against earthquake or wind damage

15. LIGHTING
Low cost and easy maintenance
Example, the light bulbs in the
Faye G. Allen Children’s Center,
above, are expected to last 10 years
Light and motion sensors
Plenty of natural daylight
Reading Room has a north-facing
skylight bringing in natural light
VENTILATION
Air distribution system, called displacement ventilation, used on Levels
1, 3, 5 and 10.
Ventilation comes from the floor
Gives the advantage of “free cooling” when the temperature of cooled air is not
much different from the outside air
Provides more fresh air at a person’s working height
Modular nature of the raised floor system allows easier relocation of interior
spaces than conventional systems, reducing long-term costs.

16.  RAINWATER COLLECTION –
 40,000-gallon water storage water tank
 Used for landscape irrigation.
 Prevents combined sewer overflows in Puget Sound.
 Saves about 75,000 gallons of water per year.
 WATERLESS URINALS -
The 16 urinals in the building save 720,000 gallons of water per year,
enough to serve the indoor water needs of more than 13 homes.
SUSTAINABLE SITE DESIGN
 LIGHT POLLUTION REDUCTION
Exterior lighting is shielded
 DROUGHT-TOLERANT LANDSCAPING
Zero potable (drinking) water is used for landscaping due to rainwater
collection system
 HEAT ISLAND REDUCTION
Providing shade to exterior spaces and a light colored Energy Star® roof
that reflects heat and light lessens this effect.

17. REDUCING AIR POLLUTION
 Bicycle storage and showers with lockers encourage staff to bike to work.
 Nearby access to public transit and the University Station bus tunnel,
encourages staff and patrons to leave their cars at home.
 Two electric vehicle charging stations in parking garage.
 Underground parking minimizes pollution-laden runoff.
SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
OZONE PROTECTION
Library’s refrigerants contain no HCFCs and the fire suppression system uses no
halogens.
RECYCLING CONSTRUCTION WASTE
 Building construction contributes to 40% of the materials destined for municipal
landfills worldwide.
 More than 80% of the waste generated in building the library was recycled.
 More than 95% of the demolition waste from the old library was recycled.

18. RECYCLED-CONTENT MATERIALS
 Concrete rubble used as fill before construction
 Wood flooring, called Worthwood, made in Oregon from scrap wood
 Structural steel: 90 percent recycled scrap
 Steel rebar: 97.5 percent recycled scrap
 Exterior aluminum: 30 percent recycled content
 Steel doors and frames: 48 percent recycled materials
 Sheet aluminum flooring: 20 percent recycled materials
 Gypsum wall board: 10 percent recycled materials
 Library shelving: 80-90 percent recycled materials.
LOCAL AND REGIONAL MATERIALS
HEALTHY INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS
Healthy material/strategies that contribute to good indoor air quality:
 Most adhesives and carpets are low toxic
 Monitors protect air quality by measuring carbon dioxide
 Indoor air quality management plan during construction managed air
filtration and provided for proper materials storage
 A two-week, 100 percent outside air “flush” before occupant move-in removed
residual chemicals/particles left from construction.

19. EFFICIENT USE OF MATERIALS ELIMINATES WASTE
Materials and systems with elements serving more than one purpose
 Diamond grid structural steel :
backup for the glass exterior and
interior finish for the walls
 In the core of the building, the structural concrete also serves as a finish.
 Some spaces have lighting shielded with polycarbonate panels that diffuse the
light, finish the ceiling and act as a return air plenum.
 Fireproofing on interior structural steel serves as the finish and a sound
absorber.
 Using the foundation walls from the previous library in the new construction
reduced the amount of new concrete needed and reduced demolition waste.

20. Public opinions :
 Awarded for innovation and engineering in its "structural solutions".
 Usage of the building is double the predicted volume.
 Many less fond of its unusual design
 Condemned by the Project for Public Spaces, which noted "if the library were a
true 'community hub,' its most active areas would connect directly to the street
Personal opinion :
 Rigorous analysis of -
1. The site
2. The city
3. Its existing structures
4. Culture of people.
 Exploration of the capabilities of various architectural materials available.
 Care for the technologies from the beginning of the project.
 Proper use of warm and cool colors.

21. LIBRARY AND LEARNING CENTRE, VIENNA
BY
ZAHA HADID
REFERENCES
A+U(Architecture + urbanism) magazine
http://www.oma.nl/
http://www.articlemyriad.com/33.htm
http://www.architectenweb.nl/aweb/projects/project_show_list.asp?iMID=2542
http://eng.archinform.net/arch/434.htm
http://www.classic.archined.nl/sites/RemKoolhaas_sourcepage_e.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rem_Koolhaas
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748.html
THANK YOU