OMA (Office for Masochistic Architecture)

OMA (Office for Masochistic Architecture) is an architectural office that engages in a practice of physically acting out and rehearsing architecture. Through this process, the architects gain insights into the experience of being architecture while simultaneously learning to be architecture. The project investigates a system of varying power and levels of responsibility between body and architecture. It employs a hierarchy of bodies as primary agents and design tools, creating an architecture that is conceptually constructed entirely out of bodies. Within the office, the same methodology permeates the design process for its own projects, exemplified by the Desert House. OMA raises questions about the interdependencies between the resulting architecture and the body, exploring how we can truly merge ourselves with architecture. Through this exploration, it seeks to challenge the role of the body in architecture.

Instructional Instrument

The instrument examines power relationships within ambiguous social conditions.

Body-Architecture

An architecture that is conceptually made entirely out of bodies.

Boss Room, OMA

The construction of the Boss Room entails a collaborative effort between the architects and the architectural components, as both contribute to its realisation and functionality.

Toilet, OMA

The architect switches between the roles of designing the toilet and becoming an integral part of it.

Studio, OMA

Default configuration of the Studio.