“OMA is a leading international partnership practicing architecture, urbanism, and cultural analysis.”

-OMA|AMO mission statements. -oma.eu

“AMO operates in areas beyond the traditional boundaries of architecture, including media, politics, sociology, renewable energy, technology, fashion, curating, publishing, and graphic design.”

OMA AMO

The Offi ce of Metropolitan Architecture, based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, is an “architectural” fi rm in the broadest sense of the word. The fi rm prides itself in radical new ideas concerning how the world can experience a space once thought familiar. Through incredible and extreme research methods and a burning desire to challenge our notion of how we feel a building should behave and operate; OMA has begun to redefi ne both the world of architecture and the everyday world we all occupy. Their reach is global, knowing no borders nor boundaries – physical or otherwise-in an attempt to change the world.

fi rm detailsoffi

ces rotterdam, netherlands

new york, united statesbeijing, chinahong kong, chinadoha, qatar*

struc

ture

rem koolhaas: founder, lectureriyad alsaka: partner in charge of OMA North Africa and Middle Eastvictor van der chijs: Managing Partnerdavid gianotten: partner in charge of OMA Asiareinier de graaf: director of AMOellen van loon: partner in charge of De Rotterdamshohei shigematsu: partner in charge of OMA North America

300 employees

spin-

offs zaha hadid architects

mvrdvrexbigworkAC

all pr

ojects

bahamascanadachinaeastern europeindiajapansouth koreakuwaitmalaysiamexiconigeriasaudi arabiasingaporetaiwanthailandtunisiaunited arab emiratesunited states of americavietnamwestern europe

built

proje

cts

beijing, chinahong kong, chinaberlin, germanyessen, germanyshingu, japanamsterdam, netherlandsgroningen, netherlandsthe hague, netherlandsrotterdam, netherlandsutrecht, netherlandsporto, portugalseoul, south koreabelvedere, switzerlandlondon, ukseattle, usalos angeles, usadallas, usachicago, usaithica, usanew york, usa

*The Doha offi ce is set to open in the near future, at an unidentifi ed time

rotterdam of cede rotterdam_rotterdam, netherlands

commonwealth institute_london, ukfondazione prada_milan, italy

projects: 10employees: 120

amo_rotterdam, netherlandsstrelka institute for media, architecture, and design_moscow, russia

projects: 3employees: 15

new york of cemusée national des beaux-arts du québec_québec, canadaprojects: 3employees: 40

hong kong of cetaipei performing arts centre_taipei, taiwanprojects: 3employees: 50beijing of ce

cctv: china central television headquarters_beijing, chinaprojects: 2

employees: 60

doha of ce*doha airport city_doha, qatarprojects: 2employees: 30

locationsOMA|AMO has worked on a project (installations, competitions, research, built work, etc.) on almost every continent in the world. And while not every project has come to fruition, Koolhaas asserts that each one has contributed to the further development of the fi rm.

20km 45km60km 170km

Upon zooming in to Rotterdam-the headquarters of OMA – one can observe the density of built projects in the area as compared to the rest of the world.

OMA: genesis

elia zenghelis

madelonvriesendorp

zoe zenghelisrem koolhaas

OMA was founded in 1975 by Rem Koolhaas, his professor, Elia Zenghelis, Madelon Vriesendorp, and Zoe Zenghelis. Despite their desire to design as their motivation for the creation of the fi rm, the fi rst project ot come out of the collaboration was Koolhaas’ Delirious New York, a “retroactive manifesto” for the city of New York and it’s unbridled, unregulated expansion. Koolhaas’ previous experience in journalism has greatly infl uenced his work, which has inevitably infl uenced OMA’s work. Over the course of OMA’s immense history in the world of architecture and design, OMA has redefi ned what it means to be a design fi rm. Along with it’s counterpart -AMO- OMA has branched out into nearly every possible fi eld of design ranging from libraries, international graphic design, Prada fashion shows, a renewable energy network for all of Europe, and recently, their own school for where creative minds come together to attempt to solve major world issues. In addition to these fascinating works, Koolhaas has taken under his wing some of the most infl uential designers of the modern era. “Starchitects” such has Zaha Hadid (Zaha Hadid Architects), Winy Maas and Jacob van Rijs (MVRDV), and Joshua Prince-Ramus (REX-formally OMA:NY), to name a few, can all trace their genesis as a major player in architecture to their beginnings at OMA.

rem koolhaas

elia zenghelis

madelon vriesendorp

zoe zenghelis

1975-1993

zaha hadid checkpoint charlie apartments_berlin, germany

1975: Rem Koolhaas, his professor, Elia Zenghelis, along with Madelon Vriesendorp and Zoe Zenghelis start the Offi ce of Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam, Netherlands

1975 1978 19801976 1977 1979 1981 1982 1983

OMA projectsAMO projects

publications

Zaha Hadid joined in 1977 as a full partner and left in 1980 to start Zaha Hadid Architects. Of the few projects the fi rm worked on during her time there, none came to fruition.

police station_almere, netherlands

Koolhaas’ fi rst novel, Delirious New York, is a manifesto of the uniqueness of New York as it pertains to the explosion in population and industrialization OMA receives fi rst

major commision, the Netherlands Dance Theater.

Delirious New York

OMA’s fi rst built project. The fi rm researched typologies in order to create a space that best-served the police in Almere.

The apartments built for customs workers at Checkpoint Charlie, these weren’t completed until shortly after the Berlin wall fell.

1984 1987 19891985 1986 1988 1990 1991 1992 1993

lintas_amsterdam, netherlands

uithof_utrecht, netherlands

the netherlands dance theater_the hague, netherlands

patio villa_rotterdam, netherlands

Completion of OMA’s fi rst major commission.

6 projects

A French publication documenting 6 projects of OMA, all centering around “congestion.”

Winy Maas and Jacob van Rijs began their careers at OMA but left in 1991 to begin their own fi rm, MVRDV, another Netherlands-based fi rm, similar in style and execution to OMA but on a smaller scale.

winy maas

jacob van rijs

Lintas, a major advertising agency, asked OMA to design the interior for their Netherlands headquarters, which occupies the top three fl oors of the World Trade Tower in Amsterdam.

The Uithof master plan aims to represent the two main qualities of the area: the old underlying park meadow landscape and the remains of the orthogonal grid of the original plan.

A parody of the classic Dutch section of houses in the slope of a dike.

1995 1998 20001996 1997 1999 2001 2002 20031994

euralille_lille, france

With the completion of the Euralille, OMA completes a 4-year period of major projects and commissions gaining them international fame.

S,M,L,XL

S,M,L,XL is one of the most famous publications to ever come out of OMA. It is a compilation of 20 years of work, organized by size, as well as terrifi c insight into offi ce life and the changing world of architecture.

alliance française_rotterdam, netherlands

1994-2013

educatorium_utrecht, netherlands

Renovation and interior design of classical 19th century Dutch residence into a small study centre.

Living Vivre Liben

A collection of domestic/residential works from Rem Koolhaas and OMA.

OMA 30 : 30 Colours

A range of projects from OMA interpreted through their use of color.

A masterplan for the Breda Chassé Campus. Within the plan OMA also designed a parking structure and an apartment complex.

breda chassé campus_breda, netherlands

eu barcode_rotterdam, netherlands

AMO’s fi rst completed project, a graphic design competition for the EU to create a fl ag that represented all nations in the EU.In 1998, Koolhaas

founds AMO, a thinktank for OMA.

Project on the City I: Great Leap Forward

A joint project between OMA and the Harvard GSD, examining the Pearl River Delta in China, an are projected to become a megaopolis of 36 million people by 2020.

IIT mccormick tribune campus center_chicago, usa

The OMA: New York branch is founded.

The IIT campus center is a conglomeration of several programs all attempting to reinvest in the “urbanism” Mies originally intended for IIT.

The Educatorium is composed of two planes which fold to accommodate a range of distinct programs, including an outdoor plaza, two lecture halls, cafeteria, and exam halls.

2005 2008 20102006 2007 2009 2011 2012 20132004

AMO atlas_worldwide

A visual representation of existing data to show political, economical and social trends.

casa da musica_porto, portugal

joshua prince-ramus

prada catwalk women f/w 2008_milan, italy

Joshua Prince-Ramus, who helped found the OMA: NY offi ce, renames the same offi ce REX and breaks off from the OMA franchise.

Unveiling The Prada Foundation

Documenting the history of the Prada Foundation, which was founded in 1993.

wyly theater_dallas, usa

A famous theater in Dallas, Texas that challenges the typology of the typically theater by organizing it’s program vertically.

Strelka is an education program developed by AMO that challenges a few creative professionals to research aspects like design, energy, preservation, public space, and “thinning.”

strelka_moscow,russia

mckinsey and company offi ce_hong kong

OMA redesigned the consulting fi rm’s offi ce space to allow for better collaboration and communication.

7 screen pavilion_cannes, france

AMO designed this special pavilion for the debut of Kanye West’s fi lm, Cruel Summer, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

de rotterdam_rotterdam, netherlands

A musical center in Portugal.

One of many collaborations between AMO and Prada.

De Rotterdam, scheduled to be completed in 2013, is set to be the tallest tower in the Netherlands (150 meters).

major themesThere are three major themes that continuously

shown up in OMA’s work, they are: research and collaboration, challenging typologies, and reductive forms. And while these themes permeate through the fi rm’s projects, they actually serve as more of a process than as individual ideas. This process can often be witnessed through OMA’s extensive diagraming of each of their projects.

Worth noting is OMA’s level of devotion to “the diagram,” as the original sketches can often be linked into conceptual sketches which proceed to 3D diagrams and fi nally, a built form.

research and collaboration

chall

engin

g typologies

reductive forms

research and collaboration Research and collaboration is the fi rst step in the aforementioned process. It consists of the beginning stages of any project; where either a client seeks out the fi rm, or the fi rm bids on a project. Once this initial stage is completed the project enters into a developmental stage where it becomes subject to the ideas and criticisms of many individuals, groups, and other intangibles that effect the fi nal outcome of any project. It is OMA’s desire that by incorporating all these moving pieces from the beginning the fi nal product will be one cohesive idea where no fi nal parameter had to be shoehorned into the design to meet all the demands of clients, architects, engineers, codes, etc. A consequence of such an ambitious design model is that the parties required from the beginning are unorthodox when compared to a typical brainstorming meeting for any kind of design; often times OMA employs outside professionals such as sociologists to help with the design process. Along with these unorthodox professionals, OMA incorporates professionals typically not seen until later in a design process. Engineers, contractors, the AMO thinktank, to name a few, are some of the groups brought in from the ground level to ensure the absolute success of every project. The perceived chaos of such a process can be likened to a Rube Goldberg machine, a deliberately over-engineered machine that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction. To compare the OMA design process to such a machine is not to say that their process is excessive or that the task of designing a successful building is simple. The comparison stems from the fact that OMA’s process is exhaustive and incredibly ambitious when compared to other fi rms.

“During...the design process, OMA leads a...series of collaborations—brainstorm sessions, presentations and workshops—between clients, engineers, architects and other...participants...such as curators, sociologists, and

anthropologists mobilized by our AMO think tank; as well as...cost estimators, construction managers, contractors,

and specialty consultants.”

-american-architects.com

A BC

D

E

F

G

When Rem Koolhaas (A) picks up his coffee, the door opens up and the client walks in which triggers the knife (B) to cut the rope which lifts the gate for the mouse to escape. When the balloon pops it sends the bird (C) to the brainstorm session triggering the

initial idea (D), this is discussed in AMO thinktank (E) where the mouse picks up the drawings and drops it off with the engineer and Rem (F), after which the drawings are sent to the contractor (G) at which point construction will be begin.

challenging typologiesAlthough challenging typologies is not

necessarily an outlined goal of OMA when setting out on a new project, it is always hinted at and easily seen throughout their documented works.

Their desire to “invent new possibilities” out of everyday functions stems more from the notion that with adequate research, a healthy desire to question the normal, and a little creativity a competent designer can re-imagine a building typology and challenge the way we all expect to experience the classic spaces we are confronted with each day.

As previously mentioned, OMA often starts in a research and collaboration phase which produces a diagram that the fi rm will stay true to throughout the rest of the process. These diagrams are incredibly rich in information both about the beginning stages of the design as well as how the elements of the fi nal project will relate to each other.

“[our designs] insist on intelligent forms while inventing new possibilities for content and everyday use.”

-oma.eu

classic library typology

classic theater typology

procenium playhouse

multiform theatergrand theater

program diagram

program diagram

reductive forms The term “reductive” when used to describe OMA’s built works can be a bit misleading. The idea of reductive forms in OMA’s designs appears to be more of a side effect of their own design process rather than an intended goal. Through the extreme process of refi ning ideas and applying rationalism to the design, often times the fi nal product has very reductive forms placed into seemingly erratic assemblies. This has become somewhat of a trademark of OMA, buildings with highly resolved forms as a product of their own design process, then assembled from the reference of a new, separate design intent.

seattle central library_seattle, usa_2004

taipei performing art center_tai pei, taiwan_2015

procenium playhousegrand theater

multiform theater

identifying program optimizing program size/placement

fi nal form

sourcesKoolhaas, Rem. Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1978. Print.

Koolhaas, Rem, and Bruce Mau. S, M, L, XL. N.p.: Monacelli, 1995. Print.

Koolhaas, Rem, and Véronique Patteeuw. Considering Rem Koolhaas and the Offi ce for Metropolitan Architecture: What Is OMA. Rotterdam: NAi, 2003. Print.

“OMA.” OMA. Offi ce for Metropolitan Architecture, n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.oma.eu/>

“OMA - Offi ce for Metropolitan Architecture.” World-architects.com. World-architects, n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2012. <http://www.world-architects.com/en/oma/en/>.