OMA: The Latest Architecture and News

Architectural grafting, a concept recently popularized by Jeanne Gang in The Art of Architectural Grafting, presents a transformative approach to urban regeneration and sustainability. Drawing inspiration from botanical and horticultural practices — where new growth is added to existing plants for enhanced resilience — this architectural method integrates new structures with existing ones, allowing them to coexist and adapt. Rather than pursuing demolition, grafting prioritizes adaptation, extending the life of buildings while safeguarding their cultural and historical significance.

While Studio Gang has played a pivotal role in advancing this method, architectural grafting embodies a broader principle that architects have long used to enhance sustainability, conserve resources, and honor heritage. Across scales — from individual buildings to urban landscapes —grafting reshapes the relationship between past and present, adapting existing structures for contemporary needs while addressing environmental demands. By reimagining historic buildings for modern use, this approach fosters a sustainable evolution of cityscapes.

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The Western Australian Government has announced the upcoming renovation of the Perth Concert Hall, a 51-year-old heritage-listed venue known for its significant role in the city's cultural landscape. Originally designed by architects Jeffrey Howlett and Don Bailey, the concert hall will undergo extensive upgrades led by OMA's Australian office in collaboration with Perth-based WITH Architecture Studio. The project is set to begin in early 2025, aiming to provide a modern home for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) and improve visitor facilities through new public spaces, upgraded amenities, and improved seating.

The British Museum has shortlisted five architect-led teams for the final stage of its International Architectural Competition, a significant milestone in the museum's ambitious plan to renovate its Western Range Galleries. The teams—6a Architects, David Chipperfield Architects, Eric Parry Architects and Jamie Fobert Architects, Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture, and OMA—were selected from over 60 global entries and will now compete to reimagine a substantial portion of the museum's gallery space.

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The Simone Veil Bridge, designed by OMA / Rem Koolhaas and Chris van Duijn, has officially opened in Bordeaux, France. Serving as the sixth crossing over the River Garonne, the platform stretches 548 meters from either side, with a width of 44 meters. Connecting the municipalities of Floirac and Bègles and offering Bordeaux a new public space, it has been in the making for nearly a decade, and is the first bridge project in OMA’s portfolio.

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Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) has announced the International High-Rise Award 2024/25. Selected from more than 1,000 new high-rises worldwide dating from the past two years, the nominated projects are located in 13 counties from 5 continents. In autumn, the five finalists will be announced, followed by the winner announcement scheduled for November 12, 2024. The main objective of the award is to highlight good practices in the ongoing trend of mixed-use high-rises.

With the increase in the construction of high-rises, special features such as the introduction of greenery in the design, unusual shapes, or the construction of clusters of towers, have become the new normal. DAM’s research this year also shows a growing eco-awareness, as the focus in high-rise construction is increasingly on the use of existing buildings. While the majority of tall buildings continue to be erected in China, followed by the USA, Australia, and Singapore have emerged as new hubs of high-rise architecture.

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This June, the Roppongi Museum in Tokyo is hosting an exhibition titled "Miss Dior: Stories of a Miss." Designed by OMA/Shohei Shigematsu, the display presents the 78-year legacy of the renowned Miss Dior perfume, which was launched alongside Dior's revolutionary "The New Look" in 1946. Organized as a journey through seven rooms, the exhibition design features not only the perfume and related memorabilia but also explores the various inspirations and collaborations that have shaped its cultural significance.

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OMA has just revealed The Perigon, a new residential tower in Miami Beach, United States. Situated in the vibrant Mid Beach Neighborhood, the project is a collaboration between Mast Capital and Starwood Capital Group. The Perigon offers dual-waterfront living, characterized by a series of towers strategically rotated to maximize views toward the Atlantic Ocean.

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For the Fall/Winter Prada 2024 menswear show, AMO has designed a space that draws inspiration from two contrasting elements of modern life: office interiors and the natural landscape. Transforming yet again the space of the Deposito Hall at Foundation Prada in Milano, the designers have chosen to create a contrasting image of seemingly opposite elements: rows of office chairs illuminated by the white glow of LED lights, standing over a pastoral landscape with meandering creaks and ample foliage. The design aims to highlight this separation between natural instincts and the typical environment of modern life.

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NEOM has just unveiled “Leyja” as a new tourism destination in Northwest Saudi Arabia. Featuring three different hotels by world-renowned architects, the Leyja region is located in an ancient valley overhung by mountains 400 m tall. The project includes a staggering hotel by Chris van Duijn, a mirrored hotel by Shaun Killa, and a vertical rock hotel by Mario Cucinella. In an attempt to support sustainable tourism, the destination is part of the Saudi Vision 2030.

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Doha, the capital of Qatar, is the residence of more than 90% of the country's population, which amounts to about 1.7 million people, with over 80% being professional expatriates. In its historical past, Doha was primarily a fishing and pearl diving town, characterized by numerous traditional individual houses until the mid-1960s. Modernizing the city occurred mainly during the 1970s, although its pace slowed in the 1980s and early 1990s. However, Qatar has recently emerged as one of the world's fastest-growing economies, lending significant geostrategic importance to Doha.

The country's development vision revolves around reducing dependence on natural resources and embracing a knowledge-based economy encompassing international universities, high-tech industries, IT services, and advanced producer services. Much of the coastline, including the corniche, has been artificially constructed. Several notable areas contribute significantly to the evolving character of the city. The city’s contemporary architecture has been captured through the lens of photographer Pygmalion Karatzas.

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The MPavilion represents one of the most important architectural events happening annually in Melbourne, Australia. Initiated and founded by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, the event was first launched in 2014 and has since brought internationally recognized architects to design a temporary structure in Melbourne's Queen Victoria Gardens in a system similar to London’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion. From Sean Godsell's solar-actioned panels to Studio Mumbai‘s experimental bamboo structure, each pavilion explores craftsmanship and contemporary design while fostering a rich cultural program for several months before being disassembled and donated to one of the city’s parks. As the latest pavilion was recently inaugurated by Tadao Ando, we look back at the previous editions of Australia’s most famous annual structure.

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As part of the Schools by Circlewood consortium, OMA’s David Gianotten and Michael den Otter, together with Studio A Kwadraat, represented by Jimmy van der Aa, have won the competition to design the Wisperweide school in Weesp. This will become the first school to be built using Schools by Circlewood’s prefabricated wooden modular system, developed in collaboration with OMA. The system has earlier been chosen by the administration of Amsterdam to be employed across the city to provide flexible and sustainable elementary schools.

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