OLE SCHEEREN
Büro Ole Scheeren, Germany At 1,031 feet high, MahaNakhon Tower claims the crown for Thailand’s tallest building. “MahaNakhon is a vision of a tower that is very much about process—about becoming and developing,” explains Ole Scheeren, principal of the Büro Ole Scheeren Group responsible for this metropolitan skyscraper. Seeing the beauty of his designs as an element of dialogue and communication, Scheeren insists that engagement with the place is very important. “You not only need knowledge of the place, you also have to imagine how people would feel in the building. You have to imagine things that are not there and consider things that are.” Pushing boundaries with iconic buildings across Asia, you either love or hate his quirky designs. “Perhaps, being beautiful is not to be special, but to be simple. Take something simple and experiment with it.”