If you ask an architect about the most impactful practices today, the acronym OMA will probably be mentioned. As an architecture student, I hear those three letters about every time I visit the studio. The Office for Metropolitan Architecture was founded in 1975 by Rem Koolhaas, Elia and Zoe Zenghelis, and Madelon Vriesendorp. Initially, they developed theoretical and conceptual unbuilt projects. Today, the Dutch firm practices architecture, urbanism, and cultural analysis across offices in Rotterdam, NY, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Doha.
In 1978, Koolhaas and OMA gained attention when he published Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan. The book investigated the city as a metaphor for human behavior, arguing that the unique architecture gave rise to metropolitan culture. The book, along with other conceptual proposals at the time featured surreal illustrations by Madelon Vriesendorp.
Notable Works
For decades, OMA has made a name for itself through its redefining projects. The Maison Bordeaux residence is no exception. A family commissioned the firm to design a home overlooking the French city after the father endured a life-threatening car accident. He became paralyzed from the waist down. Rather than creating a simple, single-story home, OMA envisioned a complex, three-story house with distinct spatial arrangements and conditions.
The lower level is carved into the hill and features an interior courtyard. These cavernous qualities translate the first program: a space for private family activities. A double-layered curtain along the building’s perimeter forms a boundary between the inside and outside, filters light when closed, and thus continues the intimate relationship.
In contrast, the middle level is the most revealing and consists of a large glass facade. An open plan allows for various activities. In addition, the living area extends outdoors, furthering this openness.
The top level is an opaque concrete volume that secretes the children’s and parents’ bedrooms. Portholes along the facade provide views and allow sunlight to illuminate the interior. Three types of curtains hang either parallel to the static walls or as transitional space dividers within the core. Moreso, the family can maneuver the curtains in response to the changing conditions throughout the day and their use of the spaces.
Each level is accessible via an elevator platform that moves using a giant hydraulic piston. Rather than a standard elevator, the space functions as an office for the husband. OMA’s design quite literally supports the famous motto by Le Corbusier, “A house is a machine for living.”
As OMA grew as a name in architecture, so did the scale of their projects. From 2002 to 2012, the firm worked with Chinese and European engineers to develop the CCTV tower located in Beijing. The building‘s unconventional form, a closed loop, is referred to by locals as “big pants.” Moreover, OMA sought to challenge the attitude of building upwards.
“An explicit ambition of the building was to try to hasten the end of the skyscraper as a typology, to explode its increasingly vacuous nature, loss of program, and refuse the futile competition for height." - Rem Koolhaas
Similar to the Maison Bordeaux house, the tower’s form was determined by its required programs. The base features television production studios. One tower is dedicated to editing and offices, while the other is used for news broadcasting. Finally, the overhang portion features administration, cafes, restaurants, and an observation deck. If needed, employees can navigate through the continuous loop to these spaces.
The CCTV tower is also a structural triumph, featuring a 75m cantilever. An irregular pattern of triangulated steel braces extends across the building’s facade. This asymmetry is intentional; the pattern density is in relationship to the building’s loads. Therefore, you can identify moments of more or less stress by looking at how packed the grid is.
Recently, OMA completed another project that introduces alternative forms of architecture. The Taipei Performing Arts Center challenges the standardization of theater design, which commonly includes two different-sized auditoria, a black box, and traditional support functions.
OMA’s version is defined, yet flexible. Three performance spaces protrude from a cube center. The Grand Theater accommodates various performance arts genres. The Blue Box Theater is located opposite and hosts more experimental productions. The two spaces can be merged, generating a larger auditorium with an unorthodox layout. Artists are invited to imagine performances that fit this Super Theater and otherwise couldn’t be put on in conventional auditoria.
Inside the giant sphere is the Globe Playhouse. The circulation conveniently fits between the structure's inner and outer shell. A walkway named the Public Loop gives visitors, with or without a ticket, a tour of the building and backstage areas. Like the merging theaters, the design of the building forms new relationships between artists, spectators, and the public.
“They are two very well-known shapes: a cube and a ball, but when you combine them, they create something that wasn’t there before.” - David Gianotten, managing partner at OMA
While both elements are visionary, Rem Koolhaas believes the distinguishing feature is the public spaces around the venue. By raising the auditorium above ground, a plaza was formed underneath, contributing to the surrounding Shilin Night Market. As a result, OMA’s strategy created another stage for people to gather.
Partnering with Prada
OMA has also applied its architectural thinking to other disciplines, mainly in their research branch: AMO. In 1999, Prada commissioned the studio to design its store in SoHo, NYC.
The boutique features The Wave, a profound curve scooped from the floor, resembling a skateboard ramp. This key element includes stairs to access the basement but also permits for displaying shoes and accessories, seating, and a stage that unfolds on the opposite side. This structure transforms the boutique to host screenings, performances, and lectures. Thus, OMA’s approach to redefining programs complements Prada’s innovative spirit.
In 2004, AMO designed Prada’s set design for the Spring/Summer collection. From then on, the two powerhouses have continuously challenged what runways could be.
Typically, fashion brands lead the set design. Instead, a small AMO team decides the direction, which is then approved by Prada. Making spaces for image production differs from the field of architecture, where the program takes precedence. Consequently, this approach has influenced some OMA projects, like Il Fondaco dei Tedeschi.
Each catwalk utilizes unique technology, materials, and display methods in an attempt to reflect the current state of Prada, politics, and culture. The Men’s and Women’s SS24, Fluid Form, notably featured dripping walls of slime. The cascading flow changes the audience’s perception of the space while alluding to Prada’s analysis of fluid architecture around the body.
“We have begun to actually give value to things not because of their aesthetic value, but because of what they represent symbolically. Now, you’re looking at a particular material, but as soon as you charge it with a new meaning, it becomes something completely different. You could say the same thing about the gold leaf used at the Prada Foundation. It looks extremely luxurious, but if you take its cost per square meter, it’s a lot less than any kind of marble or stone, even most paints. The beautiful thing about Prada, and fashion in general, is that we learn to move through the symbolic meaning of materials in a very agile way.” - Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli
Since the 70s, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture has redefined spatial dynamics by proposing innovative versions of simple typologies. Their theoretical background remains authentic across works as each element is thoughtfully considered for its function and meaning. Furthermore, OMA’s approach has introduced new possibilities in architecture, as well as fashion retail, runway, and set design.
