In just a few words, the term starchitecture— although absent from the Romanian language, yet readily understood as a combination of the words star and architecture—may be defined as the iconic architecture associated with celebrated architects. While the list is extensive and the names vary depending on the source, starchitects are, quite simply, globally recognisable through the distinctive buildings they design, works that attract millions of visitors. Whether their projects place greater emphasis on aesthetics at the expense of today's pressing challenges, technological advancement and sustainability remains a debate far from settled. In the following pages, we invite you to decide for yourself where you stand.
ZAHA HADID
Known as the Queen of the Curve, Zaha Hadid was the first female starchitect. She became renowned for projects that explored new spatial concepts while intensifying existing urban landscapes, with work spanning every scale of design—from urban planning to interiors and furniture. Constantly pushing the boundaries of architecture, the British architect became the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004 and was awarded the Royal Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2016, transcending the long-established conventions of a profession historically dominated by men. In 2012, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Photo: Gul Ișik
Entirely unprecedented at the time, her interest in form—and particularly in parametric form—gave rise to a unique architectural language in which Suprematism, presenting architectural design through abstract compositions based on fundamental geometric forms, merges with Deconstructivism to produce an irregular, complex geometry that defies the conventions of the prevailing architectural styles, resulting in distinctly futuristic projects. Sinuous, destabilised and at times appearing to erupt from the landscape, Hadid's buildings resist easy definition.
Among her best-known works are the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany; the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, Ohio; the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, United Kingdom; the Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany; the Guangzhou Opera House in China; and the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, among many others.
Photo: Iwan Baan; www.iwan.com
Alongside her architectural practice, Hadid continued to teach at prestigious institutions including Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, the University of Fine Arts Hamburg, and the University of Applied Arts Vienna.
FRANK GEHRY
Although opinions have often been divided regarding his radical structures, Frank Gehry's work has popularised architecture in the United States to an extent unseen since Frank Lloyd Wright. Widely regarded as one of the most influential architects of the late twentieth century, Gehry's projects are original, sculptural and frequently audacious. His achievements earned him the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989, the Praemium Imperiale of the Japan Art Association in 1992, the National Medal of Arts in 1998, the AIA Gold Medal in 1999, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
Photo: Enric Cruz López
He first attracted public attention in 1970 with the Easy Edges furniture collection, made from corrugated cardboard and hardboard, but his reputation as an experimental avant-garde architect was established only after the reconstruction of his own house. Using ordinary construction materials such as corrugated aluminium, plywood and chain-link fencing, he created spaces that flow seamlessly into one another.
During the 1980s, he completed the Vitra Design Museum in Germany and designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, eventually completed in 2003. The works of this period explore architecture's sculptural form as a synthetic and unifying proposition. In the 1990s, his formal language evolved towards complex curvilinear forms, culminating in the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain. His ability to challenge viewers' expectations of conventional materials and forms places him among the leading figures of Deconstructivism, while his dialogue with architectural tradition also connects his work to Postmodernism. Other landmark projects include the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, and the Biomuseo in Panama City.
RENZO PIANO
Another recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, awarded in 1998, Renzo Piano was also the first Italian architect to be included in Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World and has served as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador since 2007.
Photo: Andrea de Santis
He is widely recognised for his high-tech public buildings, most notably the controversial Centre Georges Pompidou, designed in collaboration with the British architect Richard Rogers in the heart of Paris. Described by Piano as "a playful urban machine… a creature that might have emerged from a Jules Verne novel", Beaubourg, as the building is commonly known, has become a cultural icon and a testament to Piano's enduring fascination with technology.
He is also the architect of The Shard in London, the tallest building in Western Europe. His interest in technology and innovative architectural solutions is evident throughout his work, although over time he has placed increasing emphasis on the relationship between a building and its context.
The Menil Collection Museum in Houston features a ferrocement roof formed by leaf-shaped elements that both regulate heat and protect the galleries from ultraviolet radiation. At the same time, the building's modest height and continuous veranda respond to the predominantly residential character of its surroundings. One of Piano's most acclaimed projects for its implementation of green architecture is the building designed for the California Academy of Sciences.
Equally committed to urban regeneration, Piano took over the US$500 million redevelopment project for Genoa's historic harbour in 1992. His profound respect for the character of historic cities also led to his winning the international competition for the redevelopment masterplan of Potsdamer Platz, once the centre of Berlin's cultural and social life before the Second World War.
Words by Monica Ady
Discover the full version of this story in Volume I.