James von Klemperer

KPF, President & Design Principal | New York City, United States

About

President and Design Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Jamie von Klemperer’s work ranges in scale from the individual house to city planning, and he contributes closely to these efforts from conception to completion. A major focus of his work has been to heighten the role that large buildings play in shaping successful urban neighborhoods, creating strong symbiotic relationships between program space and the public realm. Within KPF he leads the community of designers in exploring shared architectural agendas and goals. As President of the firm, he is responsible for leading the staff of over 750 architects across nine offices around the world.
In addition to his work as a designer, James von Klemperer has taught courses on the value of design at Columbia University in New York City, and graduate studios at Yale University.

James von Klemperer

CTBUH Roles

Annual Conference, Presenter (Chicago 2006; New York 2015; China 2016; Chicago 2019)

Annual Conference, Keynote Speaker (Shanghai 2014; Middle East 2018; Middle East 2018)

Innovation Conference, Speaker (Chicago 2018; Shenzhen 2019)

Videos

21 October 2018

A Permeable and Polycentric Urbanism: The Atlantis and Other Projects

The tall building community is evolving past pure aesthetic impact and satisfying real-estate pro-formas, into an integrative practice that weaves skyscrapers into our increasingly diverse...

Login

You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.

View all

Research

22 August 2022

Livable Density: The Hybrid Office Building

James von Klemperer & Andrew Cleary, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

The recently completed One Vanderbilt Avenue tower has become the standard bearer for one of New York City’s most ambitious zoning initiatives of the past...

Login

You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.

View all

Research

25 April 2019

Was CTBUH Right to Change Evaluation Categories for “Best Tall Building”?

James von Klemperer, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates; Michael Hensley, Pickard Chilton

One of the most significant changes to the CTBUH Awards program this year is that of the “Best Tall Building” evaluation from regional to height...

Login

You must be a CTBUH Member to view this resource.

View all

18 January 2015

“Network-3D” High-Rise Design Studio Culminates in Shanghai

Final reviews concluded of a semester of intense work for the “Network-3D" studio undertaken by Tongji University students with support from CTBUH and KPF.

21 October 2018

A Permeable and Polycentric Urbanism: The Atlantis and Other Projects

The tall building community is evolving past pure aesthetic impact and satisfying real-estate pro-formas, into an integrative practice that weaves skyscrapers into our increasingly diverse...

31 May 2018

Vertical Village as National Symbol

Joining the ranks of the world’s top ten tallest buildings, the 123-story Lotte World Tower rises to 555 meters and offers one of the world’s...

17 October 2016

X Information Modeling: Data-Driven Decision Making in the Design of Tall Buildings

This presentation outlined X-Information Modeling or XIM, a method of data-driven decision-making for the design of tall buildings. Developed over its application on more than...

17 October 2016

CTBUH 2016 China Conference - Session 3a: Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Q&A

Monday, October 17, 2016. Shenzhen, China. Richard Witt, Quadrangle Architects; James von Klamperer Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates; Keith Griffiths, Aedas; Peter Brannan, Arquitectonica answer questions...

26 October 2015

2015 New York Conference - Session 1e - Q&A

2015 New York Conference Session 1e Questions & Answers session with speakers Alexander Durst, The Durst Organization, Harry Macklowe, Macklowe Properties, James von Klemperer, KPF.

26 October 2015

One Vanderbilt: Approving Midtown’s Tallest Office Building

This presentation traces the development of One Vanderbilt from early design through the complex city approvals process that is ultimately allowing for its realization. From...

26 October 2015

Interview: James von Klemperer

James von Klemperer of KPF is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2015 CTBUH New York Conference at the Grand Hyatt New York. James discusses...

18 September 2014

Interview: James von Klemperer

James Von Klemperer of KPF is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2014 CTBUH Shanghai Conference at the Jin Mao Tower.

22 August 2022

Livable Density: The Hybrid Office Building

James von Klemperer & Andrew Cleary, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

The recently completed One Vanderbilt Avenue tower has become the standard bearer for one of New York City’s most ambitious zoning initiatives of the past...

25 April 2019

Was CTBUH Right to Change Evaluation Categories for “Best Tall Building”?

James von Klemperer, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates; Michael Hensley, Pickard Chilton

One of the most significant changes to the CTBUH Awards program this year is that of the “Best Tall Building” evaluation from regional to height...

20 October 2018

Royal Atlantis, Dubai: A Permeable and Polycentric Urbanism

James von Klemperer & Elie Gamburg, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

The Royal Atlantis innovates on typical high-rise hotel and residential design by introducing substantial areas of true open space into all areas of the tower...

05 February 2018

Lotte World Tower: Seoul’s First Supertall

James von Klemperer, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

The Lotte World Tower became the world’s fifth-tallest building upon completion in 2017, and is currently the only supertall building (300 meters or higher) in...

17 October 2016

X Information Modeling: Data-Driven Decision Making in the Design of Tall Buildings

James von Klempeter, Luc Wilson & Mondrian Hsieh, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

This paper outlines X-Information Modeling or XIM, a method of data-driven decision-making for the design of tall buildings. Developed over its application on more than...

17 October 2016

Cities to Megacities: Perspectives

CTBUH 2016 Conference Speakers

The CTBUH 2016 International Conference is being held in the three cities of the Pearl River Delta, the world’s largest “megacity,” projected to have 120...

26 October 2015

One Vanderbilt: Approving Midtown’s Tallest Office Building

James von Klemperer, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

This paper traces the development of One Vanderbilt from early design through the complex city approvals process that is ultimately allowing for its realization. From...

01 June 2015

Urban Density and the Porous High-Rise: The Integration of the Tall Building in the City

James von Klemperer, Kohn Pedersen Fox

As the skyscraper matures as a building type, its role in actively connecting to, and reinforcing, major threads of urban fabric becomes increasingly more important....