Rice at 100

World-famous architect dismisses preservation in Houston, offers an alternativeapproach

Architect Rem Koolhaas spoke to more than 1,000 attendees for a talk onglobalism, architectural history and the future of the built environment.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Koolhaas discussed his new design for Moscow's Garage Center for ContemporaryCulture.
OMA/Facebook
Housed in a ruined Soviet-era restaurant, the renovation will retain as much itscurrent crumbling state as possible.
OMA.eu
"For me, this is a beautiful condition," he said, motioning to an image ofplaster casts of Romans who perished during the Mt. Vesuvius[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruption_of_Mount_Vesuvius_in_79] eruption.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Garage Gorky Park is slated to open in 2014.
OMA.eu
Koolhaas detailed his ongoing master plan work for St. Petersburg's HermitageMuseum.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Construction on the innovative Taipei Performing Arts Center started in spring2012.
Photo courtesy of OMA

The Houston design scene basked in the presence of starchitectural greatness as Rem Koolhaas took to the podium at Rice University's Tudor Fieldhouse Thursday for an hour-long talk titled "Architecture as a Global Practice."

During a brief introduction, Rice architecture dean Sarah Whiting described the Dutch designer's background as a "condensed version" of contemporary global society — born in Rotterdam during World War II, raised in Jakarta, lived in Paris during the 1968 riots before moving to London, relocated to Manhattan in the '70s, during which he penned his influential urban manifesto Delirious New York.

"Preservation is a highly artificial term," Koolhaas explained. "History happens and leaves its traces . . . I have to say, I prefer history without preservation."

Building upon a short Wednesday evening presentation he gave at Rice, Koolhaas opened with discussion of historical preservation, a topic that elicited mixed emotions for the architect while, at the same time, offered a window into his approach to the built environment.

"Preservation is a highly artificial term," he explained. "History happens and leaves its traces . . . I have to say, I prefer history without preservation."

Koolhaas showed an image of the famous 19th-century plaster casts made of Roman victims who perished during Mt. Vesuvius eruption of 79 C.E. "For me, this is a beautiful condition," he said, motioning to the large screen behind him. "It's not so much about preserving history, but about revealing history."

This notion of "revealing" a specific time and place proves a central theme in recent work by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), the multi-national firm Koolhaas launched in 1975.

After detailing a current master plan project for the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the architect turned to his design for the new home of Moscow's Garage Center — the ultra-hip contemporary arts organization which played a major role in the recent Russia-themed FotoFest Biennial.

The architect hopes to leave much of the current ruin in place, including everything from the faded '60s decoration to the graffiti painted last week.

Known as Garage Gorky Park, the project will convert a Soviet-era restaurant into a two-story gallery space. But rather than stripping it to a concrete shell and dousing the walls in white paint, Koolhaas hopes to leave much of the current ruins in place, including everything from the faded '60s decoration to the graffiti painted last week.

To do so, the design calls for only the most basic of renovations and a skin of translucent acrylic to replace the exterior walls.

Since the rise of architectural preservation in the mid 1700s, Koolhaas noted the manner in which conservationists have focused more and more on projects closer to their own era. Architects working today consider the preservation of their buildings, not as an afterthought, but as a part of the design process. The Gorky Park gallery offers a perfect example.

Koolhaas closed with a discussion of the Taipei Performing Arts Center, an innovative complex of three theaters in which all backstage areas are shared, before opening the floor to questions from ecstatic architecture students.

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Concert News

Classic rockers Styx will sail away to Houston on summer 2025 tour

Photo courtesy of Styx

Styx will tour in summer 2025.

Legendary rockers Styx and Kevin Cronin, lead singer of REO Speedwagon, will team up to co-headline the “Brotherhood of Rock” tour in 2025, which will include a stop at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on Friday, June 6.

The large, 40-city tour will take place over three months, starting in Greenville, South Carolina on May 28, and wrapping up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 24.

In addition to Houston, the tour will go to Austin on June 4 and Dallas on August 1. It will include special guest Don Felder, former lead guitarist for the Eagles, at all dates.

Fans can expect some of the greatest rock anthems of all time, including “Renegade,” “Keep On Loving You,” “Come Sail Away,” “Can't Fight This Feeling,” and “Hotel California.”

Styx and Cronin (as part of REO Speedwagon) first toured together in 2000 and in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, coming together to form the Rock to the Rescue 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. This will mark their sixth time joining forces on the road.

2022 was the 50th anniversary of Styx's self-titled debut album, but they have yet to slow down. The band released their 17th album, Crash of the Crown, in 2021. Of course, not everyone is a fan, as this classic clip from The Simpsons illustrates.

REO Speedwagon's recording days appear to be done, with their last album coming out in 2009, but the main group of five has been together since 1989. On this tour, Cronin will be joined by REO's lead guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bryan Hitt.

General tickets for the tour will go on sale starting on Friday, December 13 at 10 am at LiveNation.com.

Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets in the U.S. beginning on December 9 at 10 am through the Citi Entertainment program.

Styx and Kevin Cronin will be offering VIP packages via their own exclusive pre-sales beginning on Tuesday, December 10 at 10 am, as well as at LiveNation.com.

“Brotherhood of Rock” tour dates

Wed 5/28 Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Sat 5/31 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Mon 6/2 Jacksonville, FL Daily's Place
Wed 6/4 Austin, TX Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Fri 6/6 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
Sat 6/7 Ridgedale, MO Thunder Ridge Nature Arena
Mon 6/9 Denver, CO Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
Wed 6/11 Salt Lake City, UT Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Fri 6/13 Concord, CA Toyota Pavilion at Concord
Sat 6/14 Bend, OR Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Sun 6/15 Ridgefield, WA RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
Sat 6/28 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater
Mon 6/30 Colorado Springs, CO Ford Amphitheatre
Wed 7/2 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
Sat 7/5 Birmingham, AL Coca-Cola Amphitheater
Sun 7/6 Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Tue 7/8 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
Wed 7/9 Raleigh, NC Coastal Credit Union Music Park
Fri 7/11 Virginia Beach, VA Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Sat 7/12 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
Mon 7/14 Syracuse, NY Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
Tue 7/15 Bridgeport, CT Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
Fri 7/18 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion
Sat 7/19 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center
Sun 7/20 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Fri 8/1 Dallas, TX Dos Equis Pavilion
Sat 8/2 Brandon, MS Brandon Amphitheater
Mon 8/4 Franklin, TN FirstBank Amphitheater
Wed 8/6 Richmond, VA Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
Fri 8/8 Camden, NJ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Sun 8/10 Burgettstown, PA The Pavilion at Star Lake
Tue 8/12 Saratoga Springs, NY Broadview Stage at SPAC
Wed 8/13 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage
Fri 8/15 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center
Sat 8/16 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre
Tue 8/19 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Wed 8/20 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
Fri 8/22 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sat 8/23 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Sun 8/24 Milwaukee, WI American Family Insurance Amphitheater

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