[6] As a twenty-year-old he traveled with his rucksack through rural China and lived there[7] with the locals spending three months before his studies began.

[11] His other projects include MahaNakhon, a 314-meter mixed-use tower in the city of Bangkok owned until 2017 by Pace Development;[citation needed] The Scotts Tower, featuring high-end apartments in Singapore;[12] The Interlace, a 1040-unit residential complex in Singapore;[13] a project for Shenzhen's new city centre;[14] as well as the Taipei Performing Arts Center.

[16] He also led numerous other projects including the Beijing Books Building, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Leeum Cultural Center in Seoul, and a masterplan for Penang Island in Malaysia.

[18] As principal of Büro Ole Scheeren Group, Scheeren has completed a series of projects in Asia, including Guardian Art Center, the new exhibition space and headquarters for China's oldest art auction house constructed in close proximity to the Forbidden City in Beijing;[19] DUO, a contemporary twin-tower mixed-use development comprising residences, offices, Andaz Singapore hotel and retail gallery in Singapore;[20] and MahaNakhon, at 314-meters use to be Thailand's tallest tower and housing the Ritz-Carlton Residences.

Peter Weibel, the former artistic and scientific director of the ZKM, curated the show in close dialogue with the architect.