Rem Koolhaas Reimagines the Countryside: A Radical Look at Rural Futures
By Leila Antakly
In an era dominated by discussions of smart cities and urban innovation, architect Rem Koolhaas and his research studio AMO (the think tank of OMA) flipped the script with their 2020 Guggenheim exhibition, Countryside, The Future. Challenging the assumption that progress happens only in metropolitan hubs, Koolhaas turned his sharp, contrarian gaze to rural landscapes—revealing how climate change, technology, and politics are transforming them at a staggering pace.
For decades, architecture and policy have fixated on cities as engines of growth. But Koolhaas argues that this urban obsession has left us blind to the radical shifts unfolding beyond city limits. "While we were busy analyzing skyscrapers and subway systems, the countryside changed almost beyond recognition," he noted. From automated farming and genetic experimentation to mass migration and political upheaval (he famously linked rural neglect to Trump’s 2016 victory), the exhibition framed non-urban spaces as the new frontier of global change.
Staged in the Guggenheim’s iconic spiral, Countryside, The Future was a sensory overload of data, models, and provocations. Visitors encountered:
AI & Automation: How robots are replacing farmers.
Climate Experiments: Arctic greenhouses and rewilding projects.
Digital Colonization: The physical impact of Amazon warehouses and data centers.
Political Landscapes: How rural discontent fuels populism.
Koolhaas, ever the polemicist, didn’t offer tidy solutions. Instead, he exposed contradictions—like how "green" energy initiatives often displace rural communities or how Silicon Valley’s high-tech utopianism clashes with agrarian realities.
Koolhaas’ Legacy: Provocateur of the Built World
The Dutch architect has spent decades upending conventions, from his 1978 manifesto Delirious New York to the gravity-defying CCTV Headquarters in Beijing. With Countryside, he again proved that architecture isn’t just about buildings—it’s about power, ecology, and the systems that shape our lives.
Why This Still Matters
Four years after the exhibition, its themes feel even more urgent. As climate disasters accelerate and urban-rural divides deepen, Koolhaas’ call to rethink the countryside isn’t just visionary—it’s essential. Whether you love or loathe his work, one thing’s clear: ignoring the countryside is no longer an option.
Final Thought: Countryside, The Future wasn’t just an exhibition; it was a warning. As Koolhaas put it: "The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed."
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