The Interlace in Singapore by Büro Ole Scheeren. (Iwan Baan)

This Fall, I served as special media correspondent for The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat‘s September symposium in Shanghai. The topic was “Future Cities: Towards Sustainable Vertical Urbanism,” and among the many architects, engineers and other tall building types I interviewed was Ole Scheeren—founder Büro Ole Scheeren and former director at OMA.

A rendering of MahaNakhon, currently under construction in Bangkok. The building exposes the “human grain” of its residential and hotel uses, its designer said. (Courtesy OMA)

In light of Scheeren’s recent work on The Interlace in Singapore and Bangkok‘s MahaNakhon, we talked about exploring the power of public space and shared experiences in tall buildings.

“The city is about sharing,” said Scheeren. “The city is not about individuality per se but it’s about how individuals come together and the spaces they share. And in a way the adventure of that space.”