It may not look like it but, appropriate to its hilltop site, the
Maison à Bordeaux is arranged like a medieval castle. It has an
entry courtyard like a bailey, off which there is some secondary
accommodation for guests and the housekeeper. Along the
courtyard’s south-western side stands a three-storey range of
accommodation for the client and his family.
The levels – stratification – of a castle are an important
part of its architecture. Because of the need for defence, the
walls of its bailey isolate the courtyard from the outside world.
The principal buildings were founded on solid rock, with dungeons
in caves beneath. The main living rooms were usually a
floor above ground level. And the battlements had extensive
views across the landscape so that approaching enemies could
be spotted. The walls had loopholes for bowmen to release
arrows at attackers.
The arrangements are similar but not identical in Rem
Koolhaas’s design. The general principle he follows is to question
and subvert the orthodox or obvious; to contradict the
norm. This is an acknowledged method for generating novelty.