John Enright introduces Shohei Shigematsu, head of OMA’s New York office, as a designer and thinker whose ability to bridge disciplines, from economics to architectural history, reclaims the central role of the architect.
Shohei Shigematsu begins with a quick review of OMA’s frustrated attempts to build in Southern California, from the project for a Universal Studios headquarters in 1996 through their proposal for the Broad Museum (2010), ending with three projects that are going forward.
Shigematsu describes the evolution of OMA from a collective, to a practice centered around Rem Koolhaas, to its current configuration as nine offices with their own distinctive agendas and projects. He discusses a number of OMA New York projects, completed works, and works in progress:
•11th Street Bridge Park, connecting the Capitol riverfront to Anacostia, Washington, D.C. (2014-ongoing)
•Boston Seaport Innovation District (2010)
•Facebook headquarters and campus, Menlo Park (2017- in progress)
•Milstein Hall, College of Architecture, Art & Planning, Cornell (2011)
•Project for an extension to the Whitney Museum (2000)
•Albright-Knox Museum campus expansion, Buffalo (2016- in progress)
•Extension to the New Museum, NYC (2017- in progress)
•Pierre Lassonde Pavilion, Quebec National Museum (2016)
•Faena District, Miami Beach (2016)
•“Manus X Machina: fashion in the age of technology” exhibit design, Metropolitan Museum (2016), and also the Met Gala centerpiece
•Project for mixed-use, Jersey City (2007) stacked units for each function
•The Plaza at Santa Monica residential hotel (2013- in progress)
•Two towers for Mori Building Co., Tokyo (2016- in progress)