Potato Head x OMA :Potato Head Studios
Desa Potato Head (2020)
Potato Head Studios has been designed in partnership with Managing Partner – Architect David Gianotten at OMA, the Dutch practice founded by Rem Koolhaas.
“The essence of Bali lies in the interaction between different cultures. Dedicated to both guests and the community, our design for the new building encourages exchange between different kinds of users and challenges the typical Balinese resort typology that highlights exclusivity,” says OMA’s David Gianotten.
Each studio features furniture and amenities made from recycled plastics and planet-friendly materials conceptualised by celebrated British designers Max Lamb and Faye Toogood, whose work is brought to life by Balinese artisans using indigenous materials and techniques as well as Potato Head’s own Waste Lab, an R&D team dedicated to finding circular solutions.
Every experience on offer at Potato Head Studios has been carefully crafted by the community, for the community. Among them are sustainability workshops for adults and children at Waste Lab, Potato Head’s own streaming station, Headstream, which is set to broadcast talks and music programs from local artists and rising stars 12 hours a day, and Studio Eksotika – a curated library, listening lounge and co-working centre on the mezzanine floor. The entire building is fitted out with local, sustainable materials, as well as art pieces, ceramics, textiles and basketry from small-scale makers on the island. They wrap around a vast creative courtyard which leads to an amphitheatre for modern and traditional arts, a palm-lined swimming pool and, eventually, the sand, surf and sensational sunsets of Petitenget Beach.
About OMA
OMA is an international practice operating within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism. AMO, a research and design studio, applies architectural thinking to domains beyond. OMA is led by eight partners – Rem Koolhaas, Reinier de Graaf, Ellen van Loon, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, Chris van Duijn, Jason Long, and Managing Partner-Architect David Gianotten – and maintains offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Doha, and Australia.
