Design Partner, SOM
Olin McKenzie is strongly influenced by his experience of cities— the spaces, patterns, and buildings that contribute to the novelty and wonder of urban living. His architectural sensibility is deeply invested in restraint and clarity. For Olin, rich, layered work can be most powerfully achieved through an economy of design moves.
When he joined SOM in 2006, Olin initially worked in the education sector, with key projects including the Raffles American School in Iskandar, Malaysia, and a collection of student activity and athletic facilities for the new Kuwait University. He later went on to design some of SOM’s most dynamic and influential transportation projects—including Brightline, encompassing three passenger rail stations in South Florida, and the Philadelphia 30th Street Station District Plan.
A human scale and distinct visual identity are throughlines in Olin’s work. From the curving glass facade which masks the structural columns at Pendry Manhattan West to the locally sourced timber screens that enable passive shading and air flow at the Raffles American School, Olin is known for finding unexpected formal and material solutions that enrich a building’s function and surroundings.
