Peculiar Perspective

Throughout history, renowned architects hailing from every corner of the globe have left their mark on the world. This group includes not only the most celebrated names from the past but also the brilliant minds shaping modern architecture today. Over the years, these individuals have transformed our environment, ensuring it serves our needs while also appealing to our sense of beauty.

But, who stands out as the top architects ever?

It might appear overwhelming to single out the very best architect from such an impressive lineup, particularly when considering the entire span of history. However, it’s the architects who have achieved groundbreaking successes who are most remembered today.

The architects we celebrate are those whose innovations have sparked change and inspired future generations to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the realms of planning, design, and construction.

This Article explores the lives and contributions of the 15 most influential architects who have significantly impacted modern architecture and the broader design landscape.

15. Bjarke Ingels

Full Name : Bjarke Ingels

Born : October 2, 1974 (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Notable Works : Via 57 West, LEGO House

One of the most exciting figures in architecture today, Danish architect Bjarke Ingels is creating dramatic, impactful work with his firm BIG. Known for his bold, playful designs, Ingels was mentored by Rem Koolhaas. Through BIG, Ingels is not only designing single buildings but entire urban developments. Sustainability is a core value of the firm, with BIG’s buildings weaving sustainability into the fabric of the design, rather than leaving it as an afterthought.

14. Zaha Hadid

Full Name: Zaha Mohammad Hadid

Born: October 31, 1950 (Baghdad, Iraq)

Died: March 31, 2016 (Miami, Florida)

Notable Works: London Aquatics Centre, Guangzhou Opera House

Movement: Deconstructivist

Affectionately called “the Queen of the Curve,” Zaha Hadid made an indelible mark on 21st-century architecture. She helped usher in a new era of architecture with her futuristic designs and was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize. But while her designs are cutting-edge, they often have a base in nature. For instance, her iconic Guangzhou Opera House was inspired by pebbles that have been rubbed smooth by the waters of a stream. Though she, unfortunately, passed at a young age, her legacy is carried on by her firm, Zaha Hadid Architects.

13. Rem Koolhaas

Full Name: Remment Lucas Koolhaas

Born: November 17, 1944 (Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Notable Works: CCTV Headquarters

Movement: Deconstructivist

Seen as one of the great architectural thinkers of his generation, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas is known for both his architectural theory and building projects. As a founding partner of the firm OMA, Koolhaas has designed important projects like the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing and the Qatar National Library. His deconstructivist work often defies gravity and through wide-ranging designs for retail spaces, corporate headquarters, hotels, and civic buildings, he can bring his architectural theories to life.

12. Tadao Ando

Full Name: Tadao Ando

Born: September 13, 1941 (Minato-ku, Osaka, Japan)

Notable Works: Church of Light

Movement: Critical Regionalism

Japanese architect Tadao Ando is known for his deeply personal aesthetic that focuses on the minimalist form of his buildings. The self-taught architect, who won the 1995 Pritzker Prize, often uses concrete to execute his vision and masterfully incorporates light and other natural elements into the design. In this way, the natural world becomes an important part of his buildings. His work often takes on a spiritual quality and one of his most well-known pieces is the Church of Light.

“I don’t believe architecture has to speak too much,” says Ando. “It should remain silent and let nature in the guise of sunlight and wind.”

11. Renzo Piano

Full Name: Renzo Piano

Born: September 14, 1937 (Genoa, Italy)

Notable Works: Centre Pompidou, The Shard

Movement: High-Tech Architecture

Italian architect Renzo Piano first gained acclaim for his high-tech design of Paris’ Centre Pompidou. His interest in incorporating technology into his designs continued, as he used this technology to solve architectural problems. Some of his most notable projects include the Whitney Museum, the Kansai International Airport Terminal, and London’s The Shard.

10. Norman Foster

Full Name: Norman Robert Foster

Born: June 1, 1935 (Reddish, England)

Notable Works: HSBC Main Building

Movement: High-Tech Architecture

Known for his high-tech, industrial style, British architect Norman Foster is the founder of the highly successful firm Foster + Partners. He is known for his innovative use of steel and glass and some of his most famous projects include London’s “The Gherkin” and the HSBC Main Building in Hong Kong. In 1999 he won the Pritzker Prize and in 2022, it was announced that Foster would contribute to the rebuilding of Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

09. Frank Gehry

Full Name: Frank Owen Goldberg

Born: February 28, 1929 (Toronto, Canada)

Notable Works: Dancing House, Walt Disney Concert Hall

Movement: Deconstructivist

Visionary architect Frank Gehry has been a household name for most of his career. From the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles to the Dancing House in Prague, Gehry is known for his striking postmodernist style. By incorporating unique materials like bent sheets of metal into his design, he has been able to carve out a distinct look to his deconstructivist buildings. In 1989, Gehry was awarded the Pritzker Prize.

08. I.M Pei

Full Name: Ieoh Ming Pei

Born: April 26, 1917 (Guangzhou, China)

Died: May 16, 2019 (New York City, New York)

Notable Works: Louvre Pyramid, John F. Kennedy Library

Movement: Modernist

World-renowned Chinese American architect I.M. Pei was a champion of modernism who is known for his striking use of steel and glass. No stranger to controversy, his most well-known work is the glass Louvre Pyramid which opened to the public in 1989. The daring design is now a beloved part of the museum and is just one of many iconic pieces of architecture that Pei created across Europe, Asia, and North America.

“At one level my goal is simply to give people pleasure in being in a space and walking around it,” he once said. “But I also think architecture can reach a level where it influences people to want to do something more with their lives. That is the challenge that I find most interesting.”

07. Eero Saarinen

Full Name: Eero Saarinen

Born: August 20, 1910 (Kirkkonummi, Finland)

Died: September 1, 1961 (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

Notable Works: Gateway Arch, TWA Flight Center

Movement: International Style

Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen is known both for his work on important monuments and his contributions to industrial design. The son of an architect, Saarinen is known for his dramatic, sweeping forms that are direct in their communication. This makes his work particularly impactful. One of his most famous projects was the TWA Flight Center, which has now been transformed into a hotel. And with his Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Saarinen created one of the most recognizable monuments in America.

06. Oskar Niemeyer

Full Name: Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho

Born: December 15, 1907 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Died: December 5, 2012 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Notable Works: Cathedral of Brasília

Movement: Modernist

Architect Oscar Niemeyer was a leading figure in the modernist movement in Brazil. He is particularly known for his work in developing Brasília, which was then the new capital of the country. Believing that curved lines were more pleasing to the eye, he rejected the angularity of modern architecture. At the same time, his use of white concrete with pops of primary color was thoroughly modern. Niemeyer won the Pritzker Prize in 1988 and his legacy is evident in his many civic buildings in Brasília.

05. Louis Khan

Full Name: Itze-Leib Schmuilowsky

Born: February 20, 1901 (Kuressaare, Estonia)

Died: March 17, 1974 (New York City, New York)

Notable Works: Kimball Art Museum, Salk Institute

Movement: Modernist

Known as a master of geometry, Louis Kahn is one of the most important architects of the 20th century. His most iconic project, the Salk Institute, displays all the characteristics that make Kahn’s work so influential. The use of simple forms, symmetry, and precise geometry are all hallmarks of Kahn’s work

04. Le Corbusier

Full Name: Édouard Jeanneret-Gris

Born: October 6, 1887 (La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland)

Died: August 27, 1965 (Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France)

Notable Works: Villa Savoye

Movement: Modernist, International Style

It’s impossible to overstate the influence of Le Corbusier on the world of architecture. One of the fathers of modernism, Le Corbusier was part of the International Style that arose after World War I. He advocated for an absence of load-bearing walls to give people more living space and accommodate flexible living styles. Though he is also a controversial figure for his political and personal beliefs, there is no denying his impact on future generations of architects.

03. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Full Name: Maria Ludwig Michael Mies

Born: March 27, 1886 (Aachen, Germany)

Died: August 17, 1969 (Chicago, Illinois)

Notable Works: Seagram Building

Movement: Modernist

German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was the last director of the Bauhaus before the rise of Nazism forced him to emigrate to the United States. There, he enjoyed a successful art career and is considered part of the group of architects who were pioneers of modernism. He preferred a minimalist approach to architecture with free-flowing interiors. His acclaimed Seagram Building in New York City was designed in the International Style and is a fine example of his use of steel and glass.

02. Frank Lloyd Wright

Full Name: Frank Lloyd Wright

Born: June 8, 1867 (Richland Center, Wisconsin)

Died: April 9, 1959 (Phoenix, Arizona)

Notable Works: Fallingwater, Guggenheim Museum

Movement: Prairie School, Modernist

American architect Frank Lloyd Wright wanted to create a style of architecture that his country could call its own. Starting with his Prairie School homes in Chicago, Wright certainly created a niche for American architecture that continued as his career developed across 70 years. From iconic residential projects like Fallingwater to important public spaces like the Guggenheim Museum, perhaps no other American architect has left such an imprint on the nation. Favoring clean lines, open spaces, and a dialogue with nature, Wright sought to create architecture that was a record of American civilization.

01. Antoni Gaudi

Full Name: Antoni Gaudí i Cornet

Born: June 25, 1852 (Reus or Riudoms, Spain)

Died: June 10, 1926 (Barcelona, Spain)

Notable Works: La Sagrada Família

Movement: Modernism

When Antoni Gaudí graduated from architecture school, the director stated that he wasn’t sure if they’d given a diploma “to a madman or to a genius.” Time eventually showed that this father of Catalan Modernism was a bit of both. Barcelona is filled with his work, which incorporates natural motifs and new materials that were available thanks to the Industrial Revolution. His most well-known piece of architecture, the Sagrada Familia, has been under construction for over 135 years.

Conclusion: The Legacy Continues

This piece shines a light on a few of the countless pioneering architects whose work has significantly shaped our world across history. Their efforts have made a lasting impression on our society, showcasing the immense capability of humans and how one individual’s actions can influence the direction of history.

Covering the full extent of their contributions in a single article is a tough task. For those interested in diving deeper into their achievements and their approaches to their work, feel free to drop a comment below. We’ll delve into more detail in our next piece.

Moving forward, let’s take inspiration from these individuals, aiming to make a beneficial impact on the planet.