Koolhaas's response to iconic buildings in Dubai

The invasion of Koolhaas's projects into Dubai shows no signs of ending. His latest contribution to the competition of world architects for the most interesting building in Dubai is a skyscraper distinguished by its ordinariness. Amidst the flood of many shapes and structural experiments of surrounding buildings, Koolhaas's project stands out as being rational at first glance. Ultimately, the simple form overshadows all the ambitions of the authors of surrounding buildings, who strive to create something extraordinary in an environment overwhelmed by exceptionalism.
The anti-iconic building project is essentially a revised competition proposal for Business Bay in Dubai, which was won last year by Zaha Hadid, with OMA in second place. Koolhaas hopes to kickstart a "renaissance of Dubai." In a world where architecture generally, and high-rise buildings in particular, loudly and eccentrically demand attention, and where every hot dog stand becomes a significant landmark, he has made a statement with the “Anti-Icon,” breaking through with its subdued architecture. According to Koolhaas, Dubai could become the first significant city of the 21st century to realize this trend of “credibility.” The “Anti-Icon” is a high-rise slab building designed to be constructed similarly to elevator cores. Its proportions are reminiscent of a vertically oriented plasma television: it is extremely thin yet very wide. The metaphor comparing the house to a monitor is also fitting due to the way the facades are treated, with openings resembling pixels on the screen. The project was designed for Dubai Properties Ltd. and is intended to be 200 meters wide and 300 meters tall. On a floor space of nearly half a million square meters, there will be apartments, a hotel, offices, culture, shops, and parking. Link>