Image: Rem Koolhaas

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has named Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas as the recipient of the 2012 Jencks Award.

The Jencks Award is given annually to an individual (or practice) that has recently made a major contribution internationally to both the theory and practice of architecture.

Koolhaas founded OMA (Office of Metropolitan Architecture) in Rotterdam in 1975 and his buildings include the Kunsthal Museum in Rotterdam, Casa da Musica in Portugal, a dance theatre in the Hague and Maggie's Centre in Glasgow, UK.

Through his research and experimentation as well as his built projects and literature, Koolhaas is considered as an architect who consciously works to deepen and expand the intrinsic connection between architecture and contemporary culture.

All of his projects examine ways that architecture can engage with the contemporary city and the cultural context in which it operates.

Previous recipients of the prestigious Jencks Award include Eric Owen Moss, Zaha Hadid and Steven Holl.