S, M, L, XL: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large

Koolhaas, Rem; Mau, Bruce

ISBN 10: 1885254016 / ISBN 13: 9781885254016

Published by The Monacelli Press, 1995

About this Item

Like New.

More than a monograph, S, M, L, XL is a genre-defying chronicle of architectural thinking at the close of the 20th century. Conceived by Rem Koolhaas and designed in collaboration with Bruce Mau, the book serves as both a visual diary and intellectual record of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) from its inception through its first two decades. Projects are organized by scale: Small, Medium, Large, and Extra-Large- each category presenting built works, speculative proposals, and critical essays that reflect the shifting ambitions of the firm and its evolving relationship to global urban conditions.

Koolhaas's writing, ranging from manifestos to travel notes and meditations on urbanism, provides deep insight into his vision of architecture not as isolated object but as a vehicle for engaging with economic systems, media, and cultural transformation. Bruce Mau's layout, with its radical use of typography, layering, and image sequencing, transformed architectural publishing, positioning the book as a milestone in graphic design as well as architectural discourse.

In 2025, S, M, L, XL continues to be studied for its experimental format and its synthesis of narrative, theory, and practice. It remains essential for understanding how architecture can function as a cultural document- responsive to political, technological, and environmental forces- and for how collaborative authorship between architect and designer can redefine the limits of the architectural book itself.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1768500242587

Bibliographic Details

• Title: S, M, L, XL: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large
• Publisher: The Monacelli Press
• Publication Date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1885254016
• ISBN 13: 9781885254016
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Fine
• Dimensions: 7.14W x 18.14H x 23.93D centimeters 7.14 centimeters width by 18.14 centimeters height by 23.93 centimeters depth
• Weight: 6.499 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

S,M,L,XL presents a selection of the remarkable visionary design work produced by the Dutch firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture (O.M.A.) and its acclaimed founder, Rem Koolhaas, in its first twenty years, along with a variety of insightful, often poetic writings. The inventive collaboration between Koolhaas and designer Bruce Mau is a graphic overture that weaves together architectural projects, photos and sketches, diary excerpts, personal travelogues, fairy tales, and fables, as well as critical essays on contemporary architecture and society.

The book's title is also its framework: projects and essays are arranged according to scale. While Small and Medium address issues ranging from the domestic to the public, Large focuses on what Koolhaas calls "the architecture of Bigness." Extra-Large features projects at the urban scale, along with the important essay "What Ever Happened to Urbanism?" and other studies of the contemporary city. Running throughout the book is a "dictionary" of an adventurous new Koolhaasian language -- definitions, commentaries, and quotes from hundreds of literary, cultural, artistic, and architectural sources.

About the Author

Rem Koolhaas is founder of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (O.M.A.); the firm's most important projects include the Lille Grand Palais in Lille; the Kunsthal in Rotterdam; Netherlands Dance Theatre in The Hague; Nexus Housing in Fukuoka; the Dutch House in Holland; and Villa dall'Ava in Paris, all of which are included in S,M,L,XL. Koolhaas is author of the seminal Delirious New York and professor in practice of architecture and urban design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Bruce Mau founded the critically acclaimed firm Bruce Mau Design in 1985. He is the author of Life Style and Massive Change.