Baby Rems
The Office of Metropolitan Architecture, also known as OMA is one of the worlds most renowned architecture firms. In 1975 Rem Koolhaas founded the office along side Elia and Zoe Zenghelis and Madelon Vriesendorp. Over the next decades, OMA would design works across the globe that changed the way architects approach design. Simultaneously, AMO, which is the researching side of the office, focuses on everything but architecture. The research team would continue to help Rem Koolhaas publish his various content such as Delirious New York (1978), S,M,L,XL (1995), Content (2004), and II (2010). This relationship between the two sides of the office was the backbone of the development of the younger architects that worked and came through OMA. As architects gained experience with OMA, they would soon leave to start their own practices. These notable architects were given the nickname, "Baby Rems". During the earlier works, a young Zaha Hadid worked alongside the founders of OMA and later in 1980, she would start her own practice that will also become of the worlds most famous firms, Zaha Hadid Architects. Fast forward to the beginning of the 90's, Winy Maas and Jacob van Rijs played integral roles in many projects before leaving and creating MVRDV with Natalie de Vries. In the later decade, Jeanne Gang would leave in 1997 to found Studio Gang and two years later Bjarke Ingels would co-found PLOT (the precursor to BIG). I find it interesting that all these big names have come out of working OMA. People say that these architects have become so skilled because they were able to learn from Koolhaas first hand. I believe that most of what these architects learned was actually through collaborating with the research side of AMO. If you look at what BIG, MVRDV, Studio Gang, and Zaha Hadid Architects, you see how much they research, whether its new technologies that can develop designs, or how they approach the design for the user. I think this is something that is misunderstood by many architects and architecture students. They get this idea that these concepts just magically come to mind but thats not the case. Its the research of the site, material, user, and context that a great project derives from.
Interesting to think that ZAHA came from the similar background of Rem Koolhaas, but if you think about the ambiguous spaces they create they all encourage exploration through their programmatic arrangement of spaces. It also shows the range of architecture that can result from the initial concepts and theory of one architecture practice.
ReplyDeleteGreat point Joe. I feel that the largest offices today that receive the best/most work are the offices with fantastic research departments. As I interview with firms and learn more about firms who have research departments, it always seems they are the few attempting to create extremely innovative designs. The field of architecture is so invested of creating a star and idolizing a specific character we quickly forget all the work the team does in the background.
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy to think all these famous architects worked at OMA. I believe you make a great point that we need to have a better understanding of our context. We are given these technological advantages which allow us to better our designs through research we conduct, or through experiencing the places in person.
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