Wallpaper 5

For most architects, leaving university means kissing

the crazy ideas and impossible designs goodbye and

buckling down to pragmatism and compromise; not

for Ellen van Loon. The Dutch architect, a partner

at Rem Koolhaas’ OMA since 2002, approaches her

projects with the same ambition, uncompromising

passion and conceptual rigour she had when she was

a student back at TU Delft. And what’s more, she

is extremely adept at bringing those ‘crazy’ projects

to life. Following a strong concept is at the core of

van Loon’s work, a quality that makes her buildings

both very easy to explain, but also, often, pretty

challenging to actually build.

‘I have always been driven by concepts; things

like mood boards and styles came much later

for me,’ she says, sitting in a nondescript Rotterdam »

ELLEN VAN LOON

PHOTOGRAPHED ON A

MAIN STAIRWAY IN THE NEW

BLOX BUILDING SHE HAS

DESIGNED IN COPENHAGEN

TO HOUSE THE DANISH

ARCHITECTURE CENTRE,

AMONG OTHER FUNCTIONS

OMA’s Ellen van Loon on her architectural ascent, embracing the

impossible, and boxing clever on Copenhagen’s harbourfront

THIS WAY UP

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALASTAIR PHILIP WIPER WRITER: ELLIE STATHAKI

Architecture

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