Block Form and Grossform: Bigness Reconsidered

During the 20th Century, architecture’s relationship with the city underwent a profound transformation that can be most clearly seen in the changing attitudes regarding the role of the urban block as a constituent component of the urban fabric. The introduction of the car and the increasing scale of urban development prompted a reexamination of both the block and its defining streets. This paper examines the remarkable convergence of architects seeking to distance themselves from CIAM modernism under the banner of ‘Rationalism’ and their ultimately divergent positions regarding rebuilding efforts in Berlin during the run up to the 1984/87 IBA. During this period we witness the decline of “architecture as urbanism” (the megastructure), and the emergence of the theme of “Critical Reconstruction”. Explorations of collective form, Grossform, and Block Form are here considered in relation to Koolhaas’ conceptualization of Bigness. We follow these debates from Berlin to Cornell University and back again, focusing on the roles of Aldo Rossi, O. M. Ungers, Rob Krier, Rem Koolhaas, Colin Rowe, and J. P. Kleihues.