Dutchtown: A City Center Design by OMA / Rem Koolhaas

Publisher's blurb: Almere, the Netherlands's newest town, took a significant step towards maturity with its recently completed city center, designed by Rem Koolhas, leader of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), the Netherlands's most internationally oriented architectural practice. Compared to such high-profile OMA achievements as Euralille and Generic City, Koolhas' scheme for Almere is an interesting departure as it succeeds both in the contexts of old Dutch towns and contemporary metropolitan design. In addition to documenting the city center design, this book explores the design process involving the city, the property developers, and the project leaders. Also included are the designs made to flesh out the master plan, amongst them a theater by Kazuyo Sejima, housing by Claus & Kaan and Frits van Dongen, William Alsop's pop/rock center, Benthem Crouwel's business center, OMA's parking garages and cinema, and the public space design by DS Landschapsarchitecten.