Fortunately, I got some options after this semester. I already got offers from some of them. OMA HK vs UN HQ vs Coop. Definitely, my preference is OMA. But, only concern is HK. I heard that most of star architect's offices in China was set up just as mediator for connection with HQ. So,I am not sure it is good to grab it. Surely, rest of options are good chances either. But, I really hesitate to give up Rem.
I doubt you'd be working directly with Rem if you were in Netherlands. You could work your butt off in HK, prove yourself and get transferred or invited to work with Rem personally down the road. :)
I visited OMA's HK office for a presentation about two years ago - it was cluttered with models, sketches, interns and architects of a dozen nationalities. They seem to run it as a relatively independent design studio, with minimal oversight from Rotterdam. Hong Kong is not China (not exactly) and in my experience most international firms will set up in HK to handle their projects in Southeast Asia. (OMA Beijing, for all I know, might be a rubber stamp and a bottle of Baijiu in a hotel room). I'd take it.
Congrats Lee! From my friend who used to intern at OMA HK, I heard that place is pretty independent and their design is a bit out of control... Since they are so far from the HQ and they know their clients in Asia are so desperate to hire them because of the name, they usually try to approach their design as wild as possible... Have you tried to talk to them about transferring to Rotterdam? They are usually open for that.
Btw, do you have internal connections? I know most people who got into those offices are either through internal referral or someone wrote you a strong reference letter .
Nice job! Do you mind tell me which school are you studying and when did they get back to you after your submission? I just submitted my OMA/ UN intern applications couple days ago : )
I just submitted my portfolio to OMA Rotterdam to appy an internship program but they said their limits for non EU student is reached at the moment.
At the moment im doing my MA in architectural design in UK and wanna apply an internship program in OMA and other big offices around europe. Do you think that I will have a bigger chance to get an internship position in OMA HK?
Drop architecture when you are young and you have not invested too much of your time.
No matter if you work for Rem, Ben or Prix. You will just be one of the thousands slaves who had worked at their offices and got disappointed and decided to go.
Only if you do not mind to waste couple of years to do some models, paint some diagrams at Photoshop and send some print to the print room. Luckily, you might answer phone calls from sales and have a company name card and bear the title of Architectural ASSISTANT.. after finishing 6 years of advance education. Remember, you'll be a vice president if you are in finance industry and earning 3 times the salary!
If you are indeed super rich, ask your parents to donate a building at Ivy League and you could pay Rem, Ben or Prix to design for you.
Most starchitect offices just burn people out. I know several people that have done time at some of these offices and they have a really touch time finding a job in the real world (read job that pays a sustainable wage) later on.
Most just do not have the capability to deal with commercial clients, as they are very used to the whole "starchitect" way of going about projects - long durations, endless supply of free interns etc etc.
Kozumelle: have you ever looked in the back of a book of "starchitect" work? Usually there's a contributors section that lists everyone who worked at the firm during the period in which the work in the book was produced. Often this list is several hundred people long - in some cases even thousands of people long if the book includes work from a longer time span. Sure a tiny number of these former employees may now be well-known in their own right - a very very tiny number may even be considered famous. But when there are 8 pages of single-spaced names in multiple columns per page, and you recognize three of those names, what do you think happens to all those others?
Kozu, I think you are bipolar. On one post you admonish those who dont pay well (starchitects), and on the other you love them.
Case in point, I know of someone that worked at a prominent starchitect's office here in LA for 12 years, got laid off, and bounced around offices for 3 years trying to get a job, and supplementing it with teaching. I heard a few weeks back that he has left the profession.
Kozu, the person in question was a Senior Associate/Project Architect at the starchitect firm. They got hired in 3 jobs in as many years but couldnt hold onto those - starchitects have a very different way of functioning than the usual commercial offices,,,
My suggestion would really depends on what you want with architecture profession.
If you want to be the next star architect, the chance is almost zero. If you want to work at a star architect office and show off to your peer, that is very naïve. If you want to learn the truth of architecture, you will be disappointed because the star architect never design and to be honest they do not know what architecture is.. they only know how to run the show biz. (not all, some of the stars can detail. eg Herzog and de Meuron, but do they have the time to teach an intern?)
If you ask Rem a simple construction question, eg what is a unitized curtain wall system?
he probably would reply, 'why would I care? I have designed the CCTV tower'
'Why do you have to waste so much steel just to cantilever couple of floors for no reason?' ........
'Good question! I am sure those cantilever floors would bring China forward to face the globalized world'
'Is making something weird = moving forward?'
the conversation continues... indeed never end as this is how the show runs on.
Jun 4, 15 3:01 am ·
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working at OMA HK
Hi guys,
Fortunately, I got some options after this semester. I already got offers from some of them. OMA HK vs UN HQ vs Coop. Definitely, my preference is OMA. But, only concern is HK. I heard that most of star architect's offices in China was set up just as mediator for connection with HQ. So,I am not sure it is good to grab it. Surely, rest of options are good chances either. But, I really hesitate to give up Rem.
I doubt you'd be working directly with Rem if you were in Netherlands. You could work your butt off in HK, prove yourself and get transferred or invited to work with Rem personally down the road. :)
where did you graduate from btw?
I visited OMA's HK office for a presentation about two years ago - it was cluttered with models, sketches, interns and architects of a dozen nationalities. They seem to run it as a relatively independent design studio, with minimal oversight from Rotterdam. Hong Kong is not China (not exactly) and in my experience most international firms will set up in HK to handle their projects in Southeast Asia. (OMA Beijing, for all I know, might be a rubber stamp and a bottle of Baijiu in a hotel room). I'd take it.
Congrats Lee! From my friend who used to intern at OMA HK, I heard that place is pretty independent and their design is a bit out of control... Since they are so far from the HQ and they know their clients in Asia are so desperate to hire them because of the name, they usually try to approach their design as wild as possible... Have you tried to talk to them about transferring to Rotterdam? They are usually open for that.
Btw, do you have internal connections? I know most people who got into those offices are either through internal referral or someone wrote you a strong reference letter .
Thank you guys for replying.
arkitex / it sounds great. I really love their wildness, they had shown in their early work. And I don't have any connection with those offices.
Nice job! Do you mind tell me which school are you studying and when did they get back to you after your submission? I just submitted my OMA/ UN intern applications couple days ago : )
Hi all,
I just submitted my portfolio to OMA Rotterdam to appy an internship program but they said their limits for non EU student is reached at the moment.
At the moment im doing my MA in architectural design in UK and wanna apply an internship program in OMA and other big offices around europe. Do you think that I will have a bigger chance to get an internship position in OMA HK?
Im from Indonesia btw..
Did you eventually choose OMA? I am applying to intern at OMA HK this coming summer, may I contact you for your advise please? What is your email?
Fiona
Hi,
Drop architecture when you are young and you have not invested too much of your time.
No matter if you work for Rem, Ben or Prix. You will just be one of the thousands slaves who had worked at their offices and got disappointed and decided to go.
Only if you do not mind to waste couple of years to do some models, paint some diagrams at Photoshop and send some print to the print room. Luckily, you might answer phone calls from sales and have a company name card and bear the title of Architectural ASSISTANT.. after finishing 6 years of advance education. Remember, you'll be a vice president if you are in finance industry and earning 3 times the salary!
If you are indeed super rich, ask your parents to donate a building at Ivy League and you could pay Rem, Ben or Prix to design for you.
Most starchitect offices just burn people out. I know several people that have done time at some of these offices and they have a really touch time finding a job in the real world (read job that pays a sustainable wage) later on.
Most just do not have the capability to deal with commercial clients, as they are very used to the whole "starchitect" way of going about projects - long durations, endless supply of free interns etc etc.
Dont do it!
Kozumelle: have you ever looked in the back of a book of "starchitect" work? Usually there's a contributors section that lists everyone who worked at the firm during the period in which the work in the book was produced. Often this list is several hundred people long - in some cases even thousands of people long if the book includes work from a longer time span. Sure a tiny number of these former employees may now be well-known in their own right - a very very tiny number may even be considered famous. But when there are 8 pages of single-spaced names in multiple columns per page, and you recognize three of those names, what do you think happens to all those others?
^ it's like someone demanding a trailer next to Brad Pitt just because they were once a fluffer for the sound crew of Jurassic Park.
Kozumelle: Needs a flashlight to find his own asshole yet gives advice as if he's a proctologist.
Kozu, I think you are bipolar. On one post you admonish those who dont pay well (starchitects), and on the other you love them.
Case in point, I know of someone that worked at a prominent starchitect's office here in LA for 12 years, got laid off, and bounced around offices for 3 years trying to get a job, and supplementing it with teaching. I heard a few weeks back that he has left the profession.
Kozu, the person in question was a Senior Associate/Project Architect at the starchitect firm. They got hired in 3 jobs in as many years but couldnt hold onto those - starchitects have a very different way of functioning than the usual commercial offices,,,
Lee,
My suggestion would really depends on what you want with architecture profession.
If you want to be the next star architect, the chance is almost zero. If you want to work at a star architect office and show off to your peer, that is very naïve. If you want to learn the truth of architecture, you will be disappointed because the star architect never design and to be honest they do not know what architecture is.. they only know how to run the show biz. (not all, some of the stars can detail. eg Herzog and de Meuron, but do they have the time to teach an intern?)
If you ask Rem a simple construction question, eg what is a unitized curtain wall system?
he probably would reply, 'why would I care? I have designed the CCTV tower'
'Why do you have to waste so much steel just to cantilever couple of floors for no reason?' ........
'Good question! I am sure those cantilever floors would bring China forward to face the globalized world'
'Is making something weird = moving forward?'
the conversation continues... indeed never end as this is how the show runs on.
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