Ole Scheeren

Ole Scheeren ( b. 1971 in Karlsruhe ) is a German architect. He is a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong and was a partner of Rem Koolhaas in the Dutch architecture firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA ) in Rotterdam. Ole Scheerens most famous building is the China Central Television Headquarters, broadcasting center of the Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV ) in Beijing. Since March 2010, he runs his own architecture firm Ole Scheeren with offices in Beijing and Hong Kong.

Life and work

Ole Scheeren is the son of the architect Dieter Scheeren. The age of 14 he worked with in his father's office. He designed furniture and graduated at age 21 from his first architectural project. He studied in Karlsruhe, Lausanne and London. Here he was awarded at the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) for his thesis with the RIBA Silver Medal. The age of twenty he went backpacking through rural China. He lived in poor, simple relationships with the locals.

After the project experiences in Germany, New York, London and Ole Scheeren began in 1995 his work in the Office for Metropolitan Architecture OMA in Rotterdam. He became a partner in 2002 and as director of the office responsible for the entire Asia business. In March 2010, Scheeren OMA left and started his own business.

As Director of OMA Beijing he was instrumental in the design and realization of several new buildings of Chinese state television CCTV (China Central Television ) and TVCC ( Television Cultural Centre) in Beijing as well as the proposed Maha Nakhon, one overlooking the city, 310 m high tower in Bangkok and with The interlace, a large-scale residential complex in Singapore with 1040 apartments in 31 buildings blocks (stacked in a hexagonal arrangement and one above the other ). Scheeren had spent three months in China before beginning his studies.

Other projects were gained competitions for the Taipei Performing Arts Centre in Taiwan and the new city center of Shenzhen in China. Prior to that, Ole Scheeren, among others, responsible for the implementation of the Prada Epicenter flagship stores in New York (2001 ) and Los Angeles ( 2004). Because of its skyscrapers he is also jokingly called "Lord of the towers ."

In addition to the two existing offices in Beijing and Hong Kong, Scheeren planning a third office in London.

In addition to his work as an architect Scheeren has designed exhibitions like Cities on the Move in the Hayward Gallery in London and is represented in collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Scheeren lives since 2004 in Beijing and is in a relationship with actress Maggie Cheung.

Awards

• 2010: Best Architecture - Asia Pacific Property Awards (The interlace )
• 2008: Best Building Site - Wallpaper (CCTV )
• 2008: Best New Global Design - International Architecture Awards (CCTV )
• 2000: RIBA Silver Medal ( Royal Institute of British Architects)