OMA/AMO Projects for Prada
April 28th, 2024
What happens when OMA releases a monograph on their highly conceptual and expansive retail experiences (aptly named Epicenters) with Prada? You buy the damn book.
A 600 page deep dive into the research, imagery, and execution of the three American Prada Epicenter stores in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. In typical Rem Koolhaas fashion (author of Delirious New York, founder of OMA), the writing seemingly bridges unrelated concepts and weaves them together into a tapestry that supports the design choices involved in the Epicenters. This is typical Rem fashion.
As Rem would say in S, M, L, XL, randomness is the underlying structure of all architects’ careers - they are confronted with an arbitrary sequence of demands with parameters they did not establish, in countries they hardly know, about issues they are only dimly aware of.
I would say this book marks the start of a beautiful collaboration between OMA and Prada. It would also be safe to assume that OMA knows Prada inside out by now. The two share similarities in their creative approach and DNA and numerous beautiful projects have sprung since then. See (Prada A/W 24).
This book is a cherished possession of mine - copies of it have sprung up on eBay for eye watering prices but I managed to get it for a song. Or, you could get it new on the OMA website - that would be the financially shrewd decision.