The world as a whole has some beautiful architecture, but some cities stick out with what we would call masterpieces. There are many wonderful architects in the world. Today, we are going to look at the top 5 starchitects and the masterpieces they have created.
Bjarke Ingles
Bjarke Ingels is famous for his project 2 World Trade Center. As you can see in the photo below, his latest idea for 2 World Trade Center is very unique, featuring a staircase-like design. The building is a 1,300-foot-high-rise, with outside terraces at the topmost of each “step”. Ingles opened his own architecture firm in 2005 called Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). By 2015 he employed a staff of 400. He moved to New York City in 2012 and shortly after BIG won a design contest for improving the flood resistance in Manhattan after Hurricane Sandy. Ingels has also won several architectural contests and in 2011 the Wall Street Journal named him the Innovator of the Year for architecture. An interesting fact: Bjarke Ingels is the designer for the 2016 Serpentine Gallery discussed in the next piece about Sou Fujimoto.
Sou Fujimoto
Sou Fujimoto is a Japanese architect who was selected to design the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in 2013. The Serpentine Gallery commissions an architect every year (since 2000) to create a summer pavilion. The pavilion is completed within six months and then is open to the public for three months during the summer. Sou Fujimoto is most famous for his pavilion design at the Serpentine Gallery but that is not all he is known for. He is particularly known for his delicate designs. He is currently a 17-story tower in Montpellier, France. L’Arbre Blanc will be a mix of Japanese and Mediterranean style with office space, an art gallery, condos and a panoramic bar.
Santiago Calatrava
Santiago is from Spain and known for his neofuturistic design style. He’s also a structural engineer, sculptor and painter. The structure he is most famous for is the World Trade Center Transportation Hub. He has a reputation for going over budget, as was the case for the Transportation Hub. The budget was $2B and the final cost was $4B! That being said, it is a spectacular structure, as you can see below.
Norman Foster
One of Britain’s most prolific architects of this generation, Norman Foster has won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1999, the Prince of Asturias Award in the Arts Category, and the AIA Gold Medal in 1994. His most famous project was the Hearst Tower in New York City. The Hearst Tower is a 46 story office building that originally started as a six-story base commissioned by William Randolph Hearst in 1928. Then in 2006, Norman Foster added the 46 story tower. Not only is Norman an incredible architect, he is also a Lord. He was knighted in 1990 and appointed to the Order of Merit in 1997.
Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry has been called “the most important architect of our age” by Vanity Fair. Many of his buildings are well-renowned attractions, even his own private residence. The building he is most famous for is the Walt Disney Concert Hall, as seen below. His most recent design is the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, a 320,000 square feet art museum.
