Business of Architecture Podcast From OMA to Developer: Rethinking Architecture Through Ownership and Value | EP664
Dec 8, 2025
Alex Yuen, a former OMA architect now leading a design and development firm, teams up with Minkoo Kang, a Seoul-based designer and MIT-trained developer. They discuss how their experiences at OMA reshaped their views on architecture, emphasizing the need for architects to engage in development to regain creative control and financial power. They also tackle the importance of understanding the financial side of design, the realities of managing projects, and how teaching financial literacy can enhance design education. Their insights challenge traditional views and illuminate new paths for architects.
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Thinking Over Brand
- OMA taught a way of thinking rather than a business model, shaping designers' problem-solving and rigor.
- That intellectual training is valuable but often unsustainable without business systems or predictable fees.
Finishing School Intensity
- Alex says he learned more in six months at OMA than in three years of undergrad because of intense, immersive work.
- The intensity bonded teams but created burnout and a finishing-school pipeline of talent.
Design Freedom Versus Business Reality
- Big design firms often deprioritize business realities, which shifts costs and pressure onto employees.
- That gap between design freedom and financial constraints explains why many leave to form new practices.
