architecture and the identification of artists, and i showed them cctv, would they say, i know that is rem koolhaas? before everybody knew it was such a popular building. rem: you would have to try. charlie: what do you think? is there something in that building other than the fact that is so different, would define it? rem: it was a huge challenge. therefore, i tried to accept every part of the challenge. therefore, it is the kind of building that has not only one dimension, it is also an organization, a feat of engineering, also an identity that is not stable, also looks completely different from every side. very complex entity, and perhaps people would recognize complexity as a characteristic. charlie: how did you win that commission? rem: it was very interesting. the competition was run by a very young chinese lady who studied international law in oxford, 35 years old. we will invite five foreigners and five chinese people. we wanted to be a completely honest process. speaking to her, there was a real intelligence there. there was a jury. the jury selected us. the issue became how to convince t

mi pleased to have rem koolhaas back at this table. welcome. >> hi. >> rose: we missed out, two years ago, when-- or year and a half ago when you were at the, in venice. it continues to be a great life for you. >> a great life, yeah. >> rose: a great life. >> it's an amazing life because it really enables me to be in places in the world when things are really radically changes. and when there is a need to articulate, a particular ambition. or whether for other reasons there is a need to intervene in a kind of situation which is more or less urgent. so it is really a great sequence of opportunity. >> rose: and i mean because what you do and what you-- i mean you help define the time we're in or what we're missing, even. >> yes. but i see my role to some extent more as a kind of reporter who is simply alert and who is describing the changes and kind of basically as you described it, change you will also find the opportunities where to intervene. so in that sense, i don't have the kind of sense of forming the time but really being part of

charlie: rem koolhaas is here. he is one of the most influential architects who works today.e is an author, theorist, and a professor at harvard. some of his most notable projects include the cctv headquarters in beijing, and casa da musica in portugal. the two major buildings have been opened in the last year are the garage museum of contemporary art in moscow and the prada in milan. i am pleased to have him back at this table.

. >> rose: rem koolhaas is one of the most influential architects working today.of his most notable projects include the c.c.tv headquarters in beijing, the seattle central library, and casa de musicico in portugal. in the past two two more of his buildings have opened, the garage museum of contemporary art in moscow. some people suggest you work more like a theorist or a conceptual artist than an architect. do you say, yes, that's right? >> i would say that we operate in a very wide range of things -- >> the world of ideas is where you start. >> yes, but i think at the same time, you see that in the world around us, kind of fewer and fewer professions can retain their previous identity, and that there are many streams are getting blurred. and i'm benefiting from the fact that currently, people are willing not only to consider a predefined profession or a predefined territory or a predefined role, but are willing to kind of experiment and kind of see how things can be combined or redefined or reinvented. >> rose: you have also resisted the idea of a single aesthet