Meet Matthias Hollwich

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Matthias Hollwich. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Matthias below.

Matthias , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Around the age of 12, I found myself struggling with school. My grades were terrible, and getting up to go everyday felt like a burden. One afternoon, my mother stopped me to ask what’d been going on, and instead of buying my dismissive responses, she desided to walk with me through the park. During that walk I finally opened up about how miserable I felt at school.

Only four days later, despite how challenging school transfers can be in Germany, she’d arranged for me to switch. As soon as I was in this new environment everything changed. My grades improved, I found my place within the student community, and for the first time, I enjoyed going. This experience taught me a powerful lesson: circumstances shape everything, and we have the power to change them. It was the best lesson my mum ever taught me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

We are an international architectural innovation firm based in New York City. Founded in 2008, our work addresses today’s biggest challenges through future-forward thinking, while working on neighborhoods, buildings, and installations – mapping opportunities, establishing forward-looking typologies, and designing unforgettable buildings. Honored in Fast Company’s ranking of the world’s top 10 most innovative architects, we seek to shape the future for people, communities and investors alike.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

My advice is to nurture curiosity. My parents instilled in me a deep curiosity about places and activities. During my first internship at Diller + Scofidio, curiosity was at the core—exploring the intersection between art and architecture. At the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, curiosity took a different direction, challenging the modernist approach to the built environment.

In my own firm, we embrace this mindset by calling ourselves the ‘Office of Yes.’ Our philosophy is to first listen, explore, and consider new ideas with an open mind. If something doesn’t work, we can always say no—but only after giving it a fair chance. This approach positively impacts and continuously enhances our areas of quality, skill, and knowledge.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I love discovering what I have yet to learn and surrounding myself with people who have deeper expertise in specific fields. My goal is to empower them to take charge and thrive with their unique talents. I truly believe that together we are always stronger than alone, and this sense of collaboration excites me both in my personal and professional life.

However, embracing collaboration also requires me to be honest with myself—acknowledging my shortcomings, coming to terms with them, and staying open to a wide range of perspectives. I’ve learned to appreciate and embrace diverse viewpoints, which has been invaluable in fostering growth and innovation.

At the office, for instance, I have four partners, and together we create a well-balanced and complete leadership team for our architectural firm. Each of us brings something essential to the table, and without one, there would be a significant gap in the holistic leadership of the company.

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Image Credits

Klemens Renner

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