ARCHITECT OLE SCHEEREN LEAVES OMA TO OPEN HIS OWN OFFICE
Ole Scheeren––who is considered one of the top Asia-based architects for his work on high-profile buildings such as the CCTV tower in Beijing––is stepping down from his role as partner in Rem Koolhaas’s Office for Metropolitan Architecture to open his own office, reports David Ng for the Los Angeles Times. OMA issued a press release saying that “Scheeren will be leaving the firm in order to establish his own studio.”
The firm added that it was streamlining its Beijing operations and expanding its Hong Kong office. David Gianotten, general manager of OMA Asia, will oversee both offices, according to OMA.
In a statement, Scheeren said: “My collaboration with Rem Koolhaas and OMA has been an extraordinary experience––we have generated some remarkable projects both in East Asia and North America. The time has now come for me to pursue new opportunities, and I am very excited about this next phase of my work.”
While he was a partner at OMA, the German-born Scheeren worked on the CCTV and TVCC complexes in Beijing, the MahaNakhon tower in Bangkok, and the Interlace in Singapore. In the US, he helped to design the Prada Epicenter stores in Beverly Hills and New York. In 2001, Scheeren headed a design proposal for an extension of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s main campus.
“After fifteen years of collaboration, we have now decided to work independently,” said Koolhaas in a statement. “I am personally looking forward to furthering OMA’s activities in Asia.”
In China, Scheeren has been an object of the paparazzi in the last few years because of his relationship with Maggie Cheung, a Hong Kong superstar and best-actress winner at the Cannes Film Festival. OMA stated that Scheeren had accepted a post as visiting professor at Hong Kong University.
