OMA's Shohei Shigematsu on New Museum Addition as Infrastructure
OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu discusses the firm's new addition to the New Museum in New York, which opened in March 2025. Designed with Rem Koolhaas, the angular companion building doubles exhibition capacity and redefines the institution's urban relationship. Shigematsu describes the project as a 'pair' of distinct but connected buildings: the original SANAA tower (2007) is vertical and introverted, while OMA's addition is horizontal and extraverted. Koolhaas called it a 'complement or counterpart' rather than a simple extension. The addition addresses the original building's constrained circulation and limited footprint.
Key facts
- OMA designed the New Museum addition, led by Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas.
- The addition opened in March 2025.
- The original SANAA-designed New Museum building opened in 2007.
- The addition doubles the museum's exhibition capacity.
- Shigematsu described the two buildings as a 'pair' with distinct characters.
- Koolhaas called the project a 'complement or counterpart'.
- The original building is a stack of shifted opaque boxes wrapped in metal mesh.
- The addition is angular and set back from the original structure.
Entities
Artists
- Shohei Shigematsu
- Rem Koolhaas
- Kazuyo Sejima
- Ryue Nishizawa
Institutions
- OMA
- New Museum
- SANAA
Locations
- New York
- United States