Rem Koolhaas, the prolific architect and author enthralled audiences at a talk session organised in the salubrious surroundings of the XVA Gallery in Bastakiya. One of the events at the on-going Creek Art Fair in Bastakiya, it would be an understatement to say the talk was well-attended. Koolhaas spoke to a packed audience including architects, designers, artists, journalists and cultural glitterati who lounged on bean bags. The Pritzker Prize winning architect who’s working on a number of projects in the UAE including the Porsche Design Towers in Dubai and two projects in Ras Al Khaimah– a convention centre and an eco-friendly mountain resort, has launched his second project in Dubai which was the topic of the evening.  The latest project is the Dubai Waterfront project–  a massive development spanning 1.5 billion square foot that would simulate the density of Manhattan on an artificial island just off the Persian Gulf. Building on the publication Koolhaas launched in 2007 with XVA managing directors Mitra Khoubrou and Daniel Camara, the architect also shared his impressions on the rapid development of Dubai and its urban experiments– a phrase Koolhaas is particularly fond of. A few snap shots of the intellectually stimulating evening above.