Tom Wiscombe

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Tom Wiscombe
Born (1970-04-04) April 4, 1970 (age 55)
La Jolla, California, United States
CitizenshipAmerican
OccupationArchitect
Years active1993 to present
Known for Speculative Realism and contemporary architecture
Notable workKinmen Passenger Service Center; The Main Museum of Los Angeles Art
Website tomwiscombe.com

Tom Wiscombe (born April 4, 1970) is an American architect based in Los Angeles, California. He is the founder and principal of Tom Wiscombe Architecture (TWA). Wiscombe's work is often categorized within the lineage of Deconstructivism, stemming from his early career at Coop Himmelb(l)au, as well as contemporary movements such as Speculative Realism and Object-Oriented Ontology. [1] His design approach integrates computational modeling with tectonics influenced by aerospace engineering. [2]

Contents

Qiddiya Performing Arts Centre (2024) QPAC1.jpg
Qiddiya Performing Arts Centre (2024)

Career

Wiscombe began his career as an intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where his father served as a chief scientist. [1] He was later employed for over ten years at the Viennese firm Coop Himmelb(l)au, where he served as a project partner and chief designer for international projects including BMW Welt and the UFA Cinema Center. [2] In 2006, he founded the firm Tom Wiscombe Architecture (TWA) in Los Angeles. [3]

Notable projects and competition results include:

Render of Qiddiya Performing Arts Centre at night (2024) QPAC2.jpg
Render of Qiddiya Performing Arts Centre at night (2024)
Kinmen Passenger Service Terminal, 2014 TWA Kinmen Passenger Service Terminal.jpg
Kinmen Passenger Service Terminal, 2014
West Hollywood Sunset Spectacular, 2016 to present TWA West Hollywood Sunset Spectacular.jpg
West Hollywood Sunset Spectacular, 2016 to present

Academic Career and Resignation

Wiscombe has held academic positions including the Louis I. Kahn Visiting Assistant Professorship at Yale University (2012) and visiting professorships at the University of Pennsylvania. [9] [1] He was a senior faculty member and Chair of the Bachelor of Architecture program at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) for over ten years.

In March 2022, Wiscombe and his partner were placed on administrative leave by SCI-Arc following student allegations of exploitative labor practices at TWA. [10] Following an independent investigation commissioned by the school's board of trustees into whether these practices aligned with institutional values, Wiscombe resigned from the school in September 2022. [11]

Recognition

Wiscombe's work is included in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the MoMA, and the FRAC Centre in Orléans. He has received several AIA Design Awards, and the Qiddiya Performing Arts Centre was recognized with a Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Tom Wiscombe". Syracuse University School of Architecture. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Tom Wiscombe". Arch Out Loud. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Tom Wiscombe Architecture" . Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Young Architects Program 2003". MoMA. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  5. ↑ Shaw, Matt (May 11, 2021). "'This is exciting for artists': is this project the future of billboards?". The Guardian. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  6. ↑ "In Nevada, a Utopian Vision Gets a Blockchain Twist". Bloomberg. March 9, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  7. ↑ "In Utah, These Entrepreneurs Are Creating Their Own Version of Eden". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Futuristic architect lands arts centre in Saudi's Qiddiya" . Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  9. ↑ "School of Architecture 2022-2023" (PDF). Bulletin of Yale University. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  10. ↑ "SCI-Arc Faces a Reckoning Amid Allegations of Faculty Misconduct". Architectural Record. April 7, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  11. ↑ Dreith, Ben (September 27, 2022). "Tom Wiscombe and Marrikka Trotter resign from SCI-Arc amid investigation". Dezeen. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
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