Rem Koolhaas says the west is missing out on crucial conversations about architecture and urbanism because of a prejudice towards projects in authoritarian countries.
Dutch architect Koolhaas, who said he "believes deeply in democracy", has warned that an automatically negative approach to work completed in China, Russia and the Arabic-speaking world is counter-productive.
"In China, there's a very authoritarian regime that is doing wonderful things in many ways for its citizens," said the OMA founder in a keynote speech at the World Architecture Festival on Friday.
"What preoccupies me is the only thing we can do is judge, and judge those developments entirely as negative," he stated. "We are unable to be both critical and have sympathy." "There is too much moralism going on"
The architect, who is also a professor in architecture and urban design at Harvard University, called for western architects to adopt a more nuanced approach when looking at developments in countries with dictatorships.
"We are not active enough in undoing the sense of innate superiority that we have seen as our birthright," he added. "Dialogue is clearly crucial. There is too much moralism going on that sabotages that."
"Chinese architecture will benefit" from CCTV building, says Rem KoolhaasOMA has completed projects in all of the places Koolhaas mentions. Among them are the Garage Museum in Moscow, the CCTV Headqu...