Prada, Parte 1

In his inimitable style, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas presents his designs for Prada Stores in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Beginning with the proposition that "indefinite expansion represents a crisis... it spells the end of the brand as a creative enterprise," Koolhaas suggests an alternative: "expansion can also be used for a permanent redefinition of the brand...the epicenter store becomes a device that renews the brand by counteracting and destabilizing any received notion of what Prada is, does, or will become." Koolhaas proceeds to consider general ideas of brand, expansion, tourism and workspace, before launching into the specifics of his designs for the three locations. The book concludes with the plans he developed for the use of in-store technology, expanding the usual definitions of architecture and design. This volume is chock full of images: photographs, drawings, graphs, charts, all of the visual information that Koolhaas has become known for through such books as S, M, L, XL and Mutations. In Projects for Prada Part 1 his working methods for this unique design job are presented in great depth.