Samir Bantal

Samir Bantal worked at OMA from 2005 to 2007 and joined again in 2015. Since 2016, he has been the director of AMO, OMA’s research and design studio, which applies architectural thinking to domains beyond architecture. Samir’s work focuses on how institutions and brands engage with contemporary culture, particularly in design, media, fashion, and technology. His early contributions include work on the Image of Europe and Al Manakh, from the period when OMA began expanding across the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As director of AMO, he sustained a multi-year collaboration with the designer Virgil Abloh and co-curated Countryside, The Future, with Rem Koolhaas, which was presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2020 and in Doha in 2025. In addition to AMO, Samir is involved in architectural projects globally at a range of scales.
Projects
- Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave
- Countryside: The Future
- Jebel Al Jais Mountain Resort
- Kuwait Al Rai Masterplan
- Riga Port City
- Stedelijk BASE
- Stone Island Global Stores
- The Image of Europe
- The Image of Europe
- The Pan-European Living Room
- Venice Biennale 2005: Expansion Neglect
- Venice Biennale 2006: The Gulf