Joshua Prince-Ramus
Encyclopedia
Joshua Prince-Ramus is an American
architect
. Prince-Ramus is Principal of REX
, an internationally acclaimed architecture and design firm based in New York City. REX recently completed the AT&T Performing Arts Center
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
in Dallas, Texas and the Vakko Fashion Center and Power Media Center in Istanbul, Turkey. Current work includes Museum Plaza, a 62-story mixed-use skyscraper housing a contemporary art center in Louisville, Kentucky; the new Central Library and Music Conservatory for the city of Kortrijk, Belgium; and a 2643000 square feet (245,542.7 m²) luxury residential development in Songdo Landmark City, South Korea. Notably, within the past year REX received second prize in the international competition for the new Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, and was a finalist in the international competitions for the new Victoria & Albert Museum in Dundee, Scotland and the Finnish Innovation Fund’s Low2No sustainable development in Helsinki, Finland.
Prince-Ramus was the founding partner of OMA New York—the American affiliate of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture
(OMA)/Rem Koolhaas in the Netherlands—and served as its Principal until he renamed the firm REX in 2006. While REX was still known as OMA New York, Prince-Ramus was Partner in Charge of the Guggenheim-Hermitage Museum in Las Vegas and the Seattle Central Library
, hailed as TIME
magazine’s "2004 Building of the Year" and by the late New York Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp
as “the most exciting new building it has been my honor to review in more than 30 years of writing about architecture.” In 2005, the Seattle Central Library was awarded the highest honors bestowed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), and the American Library Association (ALA). In 2010, the Wyly Theatre similarly received the top awards conferred by the AIA and ACEC.
Prince-Ramus was recently described as the “savior of American architecture” by Esquire
magazine. Additionally, he has been identified as one of “The 20 Essential Young Architects” by Icon magazine, as one of the world’s most influential young architects by Wallpaper*, and as one of the twenty most influential players in design by Fast Company
.
Prince-Ramus is a member of the TED Brain Trust—along with thinkers such as Bill Gates
, Craig Venter
, Dean Kamen
, Jeff Bezos
, Larry Page
, and Sergey Brin
—and was a speaker at the TED2006 and TEDxSMU conferences. Videos of Prince-Ramus’ TEDTalks, in which he describes the designs of the Seattle Central Library
, the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
, and Museum Plaza, can be found at www.TED.com.
Prince-Ramus received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with distinction from Yale University
in 1991 and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University
in 1996, where he was both an SOM Fellow and the first Araldo Cossutta Fellow. He was the Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor at the Yale School of Architecture
, and a visiting professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
, the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, and the Syracuse School of Architecture. Prince-Ramus is an NCARB
certified architect, and holds licenses in Florida, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and The Netherlands.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
. Prince-Ramus is Principal of REX
Rex Architecture P.C.
REX Architecture P.C. is the architecture and design firm of American architect Joshua Prince-Ramus based in New York City. Prince-Ramus serves as the firm’s Principal....
, an internationally acclaimed architecture and design firm based in New York City. REX recently completed the AT&T Performing Arts Center
AT&T Performing Arts Center
The AT&T Performing Arts Center, preliminarily referred to as the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts is a $354 million multi-venue center in the Dallas Arts District for performances of opera, musical theater, classic and experimental theater, ballet and other forms of dance...
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre is a theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas . It is one of four venues that comprise the AT&T Performing Arts Center and was dedicated October 12, 2009. The 80,300-square-footbuilding is twelve stories and...
in Dallas, Texas and the Vakko Fashion Center and Power Media Center in Istanbul, Turkey. Current work includes Museum Plaza, a 62-story mixed-use skyscraper housing a contemporary art center in Louisville, Kentucky; the new Central Library and Music Conservatory for the city of Kortrijk, Belgium; and a 2643000 square feet (245,542.7 m²) luxury residential development in Songdo Landmark City, South Korea. Notably, within the past year REX received second prize in the international competition for the new Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, and was a finalist in the international competitions for the new Victoria & Albert Museum in Dundee, Scotland and the Finnish Innovation Fund’s Low2No sustainable development in Helsinki, Finland.
Prince-Ramus was the founding partner of OMA New York—the American affiliate of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture
Office for Metropolitan Architecture
OMA , is a Rotterdam based architecture firm of Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.The firm was founded in 1975 by Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis with Madelon Vriesendorp and Zoe Zenghelis.-History:...
(OMA)/Rem Koolhaas in the Netherlands—and served as its Principal until he renamed the firm REX in 2006. While REX was still known as OMA New York, Prince-Ramus was Partner in Charge of the Guggenheim-Hermitage Museum in Las Vegas and the Seattle Central Library
Seattle Central Library
The Seattle Public Library's Central Library is the flagship library of The Seattle Public Library system. The 11-story glass and steel building in downtown Seattle, Washington was opened to the public on Sunday, May 23, 2004...
, hailed as TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine’s "2004 Building of the Year" and by the late New York Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp
Herbert Muschamp
Herbert Mitchell Muschamp was an American architecture critic.- Early years :Born in Philadelphia, Muschamp described his childhood home life as follows: “The living room was a secret. A forbidden zone. The new slipcovers were not, in fact, the reason why sitting down there was taboo. That was...
as “the most exciting new building it has been my honor to review in more than 30 years of writing about architecture.” In 2005, the Seattle Central Library was awarded the highest honors bestowed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), and the American Library Association (ALA). In 2010, the Wyly Theatre similarly received the top awards conferred by the AIA and ACEC.
Prince-Ramus was recently described as the “savior of American architecture” by Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazine. Additionally, he has been identified as one of “The 20 Essential Young Architects” by Icon magazine, as one of the world’s most influential young architects by Wallpaper*, and as one of the twenty most influential players in design by Fast Company
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
.
Prince-Ramus is a member of the TED Brain Trust—along with thinkers such as Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
, Craig Venter
Craig Venter
John Craig Venter is an American biologist and entrepreneur, most famous for his role in being one of the first to sequence the human genome and for his role in creating the first cell with a synthetic genome in 2010. Venter founded Celera Genomics, The Institute for Genomic Research and the J...
, Dean Kamen
Dean Kamen
Dean L. Kamen is an American entrepreneur and inventor from New Hampshire.Born in Rockville Centre, New York, he attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute, but dropped out before graduating after five years of private advanced research for drug infusion pump AutoSyringe...
, Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos
Jeffrey Preston "Jeff" Bezos is the founder, president, chief executive officer , and chairman of the board of Amazon.com.-Early life and background:...
, Larry Page
Larry Page
Lawrence "Larry" Page is an American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur who, with Sergey Brin, is best known as the co-founder of Google. As of April 4, 2011, he is also the chief executive of Google, as announced on January 20, 2011...
, and Sergey Brin
Sergey Brin
Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin is a Russian-born American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur who, with Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the largest internet companies. , his personal wealth is estimated to be $16.7 billion....
—and was a speaker at the TED2006 and TEDxSMU conferences. Videos of Prince-Ramus’ TEDTalks, in which he describes the designs of the Seattle Central Library
Seattle Central Library
The Seattle Public Library's Central Library is the flagship library of The Seattle Public Library system. The 11-story glass and steel building in downtown Seattle, Washington was opened to the public on Sunday, May 23, 2004...
, the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s
AT&T Performing Arts Center
The AT&T Performing Arts Center, preliminarily referred to as the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts is a $354 million multi-venue center in the Dallas Arts District for performances of opera, musical theater, classic and experimental theater, ballet and other forms of dance...
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre is a theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas . It is one of four venues that comprise the AT&T Performing Arts Center and was dedicated October 12, 2009. The 80,300-square-footbuilding is twelve stories and...
, and Museum Plaza, can be found at www.TED.com.
Prince-Ramus received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with distinction from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1991 and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1996, where he was both an SOM Fellow and the first Araldo Cossutta Fellow. He was the Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor at the Yale School of Architecture
Yale School of Architecture
The Yale School of Architecture is one of the constituent professional schools of Yale University. It is generally considered to be one of the most prestigious architecture schools in the world.- History :...
, and a visiting professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design.-History:...
, the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, and the Syracuse School of Architecture. Prince-Ramus is an NCARB
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards is a nonprofit corporation comprising the legally constituted architectural registration boards of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands as its members...
certified architect, and holds licenses in Florida, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and The Netherlands.
Work
- Museum Plaza (2012) (projected), LouisvilleLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... - Vakko Headquarters and Power Media Center (2010), IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe... - AT&T Performing Arts Center’sAT&T Performing Arts CenterThe AT&T Performing Arts Center, preliminarily referred to as the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts is a $354 million multi-venue center in the Dallas Arts District for performances of opera, musical theater, classic and experimental theater, ballet and other forms of dance...
Dee and Charles Wyly TheatreDee and Charles Wyly TheatreThe Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre is a theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas . It is one of four venues that comprise the AT&T Performing Arts Center and was dedicated October 12, 2009. The 80,300-square-footbuilding is twelve stories and...
(2009), Dallas, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... - Munch MuseumMunch MuseumMunch Museum is an art museum in Oslo, Norway dedicated to the life and works of the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch.-Munch Museum:...
(2009), OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... - Munch Area Master PlanBjørvikaBjørvika is a neighborhood in the Sentrum borough of Oslo, Norway. The area is an inlet in the inner Oslofjord, situated between Gamlebyen and Akersness. It serves as an outlet for the river Akerselva. Since the 2000s, it has been undergoing urban redevelopment, being transformed from a container...
(2009), OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... - Kortrijk LLLibrary (2009), KortrijkKortrijkKortrijk ; , ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders...
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... - Kunsthaus ZurichKunsthaus ZürichThe Kunsthaus Zürich houses one of the most important art museums in Switzerland and Europe, collected by the local Kunstverein, called Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, and holdings running from the Middle Ages to contemporary art, with an emphasis on Swiss art.Kunsthaus is also the name of the tram stop...
Extension Competition (2009), ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... - Madison Avenue (Doll)House for the Calvin Klein CollectionCalvin Klein CollectionCalvin Klein Collection is the brand name for the costly high-end designer menswear and womenswear lines from fashion house Calvin Klein.Designer apparel, dresses, coats, dress shirts, eyewear, footwear and leather goods are sold under this 'black label' line which represents the top level in the...
storefront on Madison Avenue (2008), New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... - Forward Residence for the Forward BuildingThe ForwardThe Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
(2008), New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... - YongsanYongsan-guYongsan-gu is a district of Seoul, South Korea. Its name means "Dragon Hill", derived from the hanja characters for dragon and hill/mountain . It sits to the North of the Han River under the shadow of Seoul Tower. Geographically, it is located right in the center of Seoul. It is home to roughly...
Experiment (2008), SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the... - VestbaneOslo VestbanestasjonOslo West Station or Oslo V, is a former railway station located in Vika in Oslo, Norway. It was the terminus of the Drammen Line between 1872 and 1980, until the Oslo Tunnel opened. The station remained in use until 1989, when all traffic was moved to the new Oslo Central Station...
(2007), OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... - Governors IslandGovernors IslandGovernors Island is a island in Upper New York Bay, approximately one-half mile from the southern tip of Manhattan Island and separated from Brooklyn by Buttermilk Channel. It is legally part of the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
Competition (2007), New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... - Walter & Leonore Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology at the California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Institute of TechnologyThe California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
(2006) PasadenaPasadena, CaliforniaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - Seattle Central LibrarySeattle Central LibraryThe Seattle Public Library's Central Library is the flagship library of The Seattle Public Library system. The 11-story glass and steel building in downtown Seattle, Washington was opened to the public on Sunday, May 23, 2004...
(2004), Seattle, Washington - Guggenheim-Hermitage Museum and Guggenheim Las Vegas Museum (2001) Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
Videos
- Joshua Prince-Ramus: Designing the Seattle Central Library 2006, 19 minutes, 58 seconds, color. www.TED.com.
- Joshua Prince-Ramus: Building a theater that remakes itself 2009, 18 minutes, 42 seconds, color. www.TED.com.
External links
- Joshua Prince-Ramus: Designing the Seattle Central Library at TEDTED (conference)TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
- Joshua Prince-Ramus Profile on TED.com
- Joshua Prince Ramus interview
- Interview in Future by Design on Forbes.com