On the Nature of Post-Critical Architecture

Text: Zoltán Bun

Rem Koolhaas (OMA): Euralille, Lille, 1989-1994

The so-called architectural criticality was a subject of theoretical debates at the turn of the millennia, through which participants tried to redefine the confines of the architectural discipline and the role of architects amongst basic contemporary changes (economic, politic, social and technological). Debates were generated by members of the generation of architects who started their careers in the 1990s and represented an expressedly practice-oriented pragmatic approach with their seeking ways and holding positions as opposed to the one prevailing the previous decades defined by avantgarde theoretical-critical attitudes. The text below outlines the power relations, the factors currently defining the discipline and the role of architects as well as the returns of the debate.