# Wolfgang Wagener

> Wolfgang Wagener is a German-American architect, author, and real estate development advisor based in Palo Alto, California. He runs WOWA WEST, helping clients define, design, develop, and deliver high-value real estate, and has advised companies including Apple, Cisco, and Daimler-Benz. Trained with a PhD from RWTH Aachen and an advanced management degree in real estate from Harvard, he cut his teeth on landmark projects like Berlin's Potsdamer Platz with the Richard Rogers Partnership before becoming a custodian of California midcentury modernism, authoring the first monograph on Raphael Soriano and the award-winning postcard history NEW WEST.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at WOWA WEST
- **Organizations:** WOWA WEST, Foster + Partners, Richard Rogers Partnership, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Murphy/Jahn, Cisco Systems, University of Southern California, Urban Land Institute, American Institute of Architects, Royal Institute of British Architects, Society of Architectural Historians, Southern California Chapter, Friends of Residential Treasures: LA (FORT: LA)
- **Nationality:** German-American
- **Education:** PhD in Architecture and Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Germany, Advanced Management degree in Real Estate, Harvard University, DAAD scholarship study (American modernist architecture), University of Southern California
- **Known for:** Authored Raphael Soriano (Phaidon, 2002), the first-ever monograph on the California modernist architect., Co-authored NEW WEST: Innovating at the Intersection, winner of five Gold 2020 PubWest Book Design Awards (Judge's Choice, Photography, Art, Historical, and Cover Design)., Worked on Berlin's Potsdamer Platz, one of Europe's largest postwar urban developments.

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Wins a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship to USC, his first exposure to American modernist architecture.
- **1990s** — Works with Chicago firm Murphy/Jahn.
- **1990s** — Joins the Richard Rogers Partnership in London, working on the master plan and development of Berlin's Potsdamer Platz for clients including Daimler-Benz, Deutsche Telekom, and Sony.
- **1997** — Becomes Visiting Professor at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
- **2002** — Publishes Raphael Soriano (Phaidon Press), the first monograph on the California modernist, with ~160 photographs by Julius Shulman.
- **2000s** — Serves as Director, Sustainable Cities at Cisco Systems, advising on connected real estate and urban development.
- **2010s** — Joins Foster + Partners as initial California practice lead and Partner connected to Apple Campus 2 (Apple Park) in Silicon Valley.
- **2019** — Publishes NEW WEST: Innovating at the Intersection with Leslie Erganian; it wins five Gold 2020 PubWest Book Design Awards.
- **Present** — Leads WOWA WEST in Palo Alto as Founder & CEO, advising on high-value real estate development as an RIBA-accredited Client Adviser.

## Achievements

- Authored Raphael Soriano (Phaidon, 2002), the first-ever monograph on the California modernist architect.
- Co-authored NEW WEST: Innovating at the Intersection, winner of five Gold 2020 PubWest Book Design Awards (Judge's Choice, Photography, Art, Historical, and Cover Design).
- Worked on Berlin's Potsdamer Platz, one of Europe's largest postwar urban developments.
- Connected to Apple Campus 2 (Apple Park) as a Foster + Partners California practice leader.
- RIBA-accredited Client Adviser providing impartial real estate guidance.
- Built the Wagener-Erganian Collection of 5,000+ American West linen postcards and 300+ Julius Shulman photographs.
- Visiting Professor of architecture at USC since 1997.

## Latest updates

- **2020-09** — Recognized with five Gold PubWest Book Design Awards for NEW WEST: Innovating at the Intersection.
- **2024** — Continues to lead WOWA WEST in Palo Alto as a real estate development advisor and RIBA Client Adviser.

## Links

- Website: https://wowa.net
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wolfgangwagener

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/wolfgang-wagener
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-20