Glass pyramids, cardboard cathedrals: The degrees of the world-famous architects behind modern masterpieces

When you look at the impressive buildings around us today, it’s clear that some architects have gone above and beyond, designing structures that represent the spirit of their time. 

Take Frank Lloyd Wright, whose Prairie Houses are famous for their simple, natural beauty. Or Renzo Piano, whose deep respect for the environment creates structures that are both functional and environmentally responsible. 

These world-famous architects don’t just create buildings; they create works of art that change how we think about space and design.

Spain’s iconic Sagrada Familia kickstarted its building in 1882 and still remains incomplete. Notably, however, is that the property has incurred a multimillion-dollar debt to the city of Barcelona over 130 years. Source: AFP

Beneath the surface of prestige

Architecture is more than just building immobile structures — it’s also about placemaking.

This act of planning, designing, and managing public spaces takes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, creating public spaces that improve the space for everyone.

So, as an architect, you not only bear the responsibility of safety, construction, and aesthetics; you’re shaping psychological impact, culture, and commodity.

This, however, isn’t always the case.

In December 2023, the Design Advocacy Group (DAG) — a coalition of 2,100 architects and building industry professionals in the US — wrote an open letter in protest of building the new Philadelphia 76ers arena. 

This arena, to be developed by Gensler and 76 Devcorp, aims to make up for inadequate player training facilities. The proposed plans have shown that the local neighbourhood — Philadelphia’s Chinatown, to be precise — would be affected by this development. 

It’s something the Chinatown residents have voiced their concerns over, and rightfully so too.

The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, one of the neighbourhood’s most influential organisations, has released a statement saying: “Stadiums have had a gentrifying impact on low-income communities of colour across the country…The Capital One Arena in Washington DC contributed to the demise of the city’s Chinatown. We will not allow Philadelphia Chinatown to be another one of these tragic stories.”

And that’s not the only architectural controversy to hit the news by far. 

David Adjaye, founder and principal of Adjaye Associates, an award-winning architectural firm based in Accra, London, and New York, has found himself on the frontline news in 2023 for unsavoury reasons too. 

Adjaye was subjected to several sexual misconduct allegations. Former employees had exposed the toxic work environment at Adjaye’s firms, boiling down to emotional abuse. He has denied the respective allegations but has since stepped away from major roles and projects. 

So, while there’s prestige in joining the list of world-famous architects, due to the sheer amount of skill it requires, it’s hardly got a clean slate.

Aesthetic and design is one thing; cultural and societal impact is another.

7 world-famous architects and their iconic works

Designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, the Luma Foundation is located at the Parc des Ateliers, a former SNCF railway workshop turned into an “open campus for creative production, display, study and preservation.” Source: AFP

Frank Gehry

Born in Toronto, Canada, Frank Gehry is a Canadian-American architect known for his unconventional approach to building design. He moved to Los Angeles in 1947, where he studied architecture at the University of Southern California and later pursued city planning at Harvard University.

Gehry’s designs are famous for their bold shapes and use of unexpected materials. His style, often called deconstructivist, breaks away from the norm, resulting in dynamic and fragmented buildings.

Some of his most well-known creations include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; the Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic; and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, US. 

Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid poses for pictures outside her completed design for an extension of the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London.  Hadid was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004. Source: AFP 

Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid is a world-famous Iraqi-British architect. She first studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before pursuing architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.

Also known as the “Queen of Curves”, Hadid’s designs are known for their fluid forms, dynamic lines, and futuristic aesthetics.

Her most iconic projects include the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympics, China’s Guangzhou Opera House, and Azerbaijan’s Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku.

British architect Lord Norman Foster poses before a press conference in Madrid in 2018 to present a new project by Foster + Partners (F+P) group to restore an iconic building at Plaza Colon in Madrid. Source: AFP

Norman Foster

Norman Foster is one of the biggest names in modern architecture, especially in British modernist architecture. He studied at the University of Manchester, where he graduated from the School of Architecture and City Planning. Afterwards, he received a Henry Fellowship to attend the Yale School of Architecture in the US and earned a Master’s degree in Architecture.

Foster founded the architectural practice Foster + Partners in 1967, which has grown to become one of the largest and most influential architectural firms globally. In the 1990 Birthday Honours, he was made a Knight Bachelor and granted the title Sir; in the 1999 Birthday Honours, his elevation to peerage was announced and he was raised to the peerage as Baron Foster of Thames Bank.

Among his standout works are the Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe) in London, the Reichstag building renovation in Berlin, and the Millau Viaduct in France. California’s Apple Park’s main building’s scale and circular groundscraper design were also by Foster. 

Raj Rewal 

Raj Rewal, one of India’s best-known architects, is recognised for his designs that tackle the challenges of urbanisation, climate, and cultural context. He studied at the Delhi School of Architecture and continued his education at London’s Architectural Association and Brixton School of Building.

Rewal’s work is known for its human-centred approach, blending modern needs with traditional building techniques.

Most of his projects can be found in New Delhi, such as the Parliament Library at Sansad Bhawan, the National Institute for Immunology, and the National Brain Research Institute. 

 

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Kimberly Dowdell

Hailing from the US, Kimberly Dowdell has secured her footprint in loads of places. She earned her architecture degree from Cornell University and got her Master’s of Public Administration from Harvard University.

Dowdell is the first Black woman to become the president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), inaugurated in early 2024.

To her, architecture comes in stride with fostering a better world, and her whole backlog reflects that — an award-winning architect whose work ventures into real estate, finance, design, engineering, and construction professionals. Hailing from Detroit, her notice of the rundown buildings spurred on a lifetime of working towards change in the sphere of design and functionality.

Shigeru Ban displays a scale model of his designed pavilion built on the grounds of the Brazilian embassy in Tokyo for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil on June 10, 2014. Source: AFP

Shigeru Ban

Shigeru Ban studied at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and later the Cooper Union’s School of Architecture. He was the winner of the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate and was profiled by Time magazine in their projection of 21st-century innovators in the field of architecture and design.

There are three main materials Ban uses: wood, paper, and bamboo. And yes, this world-famous architect from Japan has a global repertoire which melts traditional Japanese architecture and American Modernism into pot.

But really, what he’s most known for is using his skill through disaster relief projects. He used paper and cardboard to design temporary housing for those affected by natural disasters around the globe. Otherwise, some of Ban’s most famous works include the Aspen Art Museum in the US, the Paper Dome in Taiwan, and the La Seine Musicale in France. 

I.M. Pei’s structures were modern but sensitive to the natural environment, especially light. Source: AFP

I.M. Pei

I.M. Pei is a Chinese-American architect known for his geometric design while remaining conscious of natural elements.

Pei enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania’s architecture school before transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to earn his Bachelor’s of Architecture. Later, he earned his Master’s of Architecture from Harvard University.

His most iconic work is none other than the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Others of note include the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar, the Miho Museum in Japan, and the Kennedy Library in the US.