Famous 21st Century Architects

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 1 
I. M. Pei
(Architect)
I. M. Pei
7
Birthdate: April 26, 1917
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Guangzhou, China
Died: May 16, 2019

I. M. Pei was a Chinese-American architect who drew inspiration from the garden villas at Suzhou when he was young. He is credited with founding I. M. Pei & Associates, an independent design firm, in 1955. Today, the award-winning firm is known by the name, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Pei is known for designing structures like the Mesa Laboratory.

 2 
Norman Foster
(Architect)
Norman Foster
4
Birthdate: June 1, 1935
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Stockport, Cheshire, England

Norman Foster is an English designer and architect best known for his association with the progression of high-tech architecture. Regarded as an important personality in British modernist architecture, Foster has been granted several prestigious honors like The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award. He also serves as the president of the Norman Foster Foundation which aims at helping young architects.

 3 
Oscar Niemeyer
(Architect)
Oscar Niemeyer
5
Birthdate: December 15, 1907
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died: December 5, 2012
Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer is remembered as a pioneer of modern architecture. He is known for designing major buildings such as the President’s Palace and the Brasília Palace Hotel in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. He publicly spoke about his love for free-flowing designs and his dislike for straight lines.
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 4 
Bjarke Ingels
(Architect)
Bjarke Ingels
4
Birthdate: October 2, 1974
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
 5 
Tadao Ando
(Architect)
Tadao Ando
4
Birthdate: September 13, 1941
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Minato Ward, Osaka, Japan
 6 
Renzo Piano
(Architect, Politician)
Renzo Piano
4
Birthdate: September 14, 1937
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Genoa

Pritzker Prize-winning Italian architect Renzo Piano was born into a family of builders from Genoa. His firm Piano and Rogers, was co-established with British architect Richard Rogers. The Renzo Piano Building Workshop worked on a number of museum commissions, most notably those of Menil Collection.

 7 
Moshe Safdie
(Architect, urban designer, educator, theorist, and author who designed Habitat 67, a model housing complex and landmark in Montreal)
Moshe Safdie
4
Birthdate: July 14, 1938
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Haifa, Israel

Moshe Safdie is an architect, educator, urban planner, author, and theorist. He is best known for designing Jewel Changi Airport, Marina Bay Sands, and Habitat 67. Widely regarded as a thought leader, Safdie's work has inspired generations of architects all around the world. 

 8 
Robert Venturi
(Architect)
Robert Venturi
3
Birthdate: June 25, 1925
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: September 18, 2018

Robert Venturi was an American architect who founded the successful architectural firm, Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates. One of the 20th century's leading architectural figures, Venturi helped shape the way that students, planners, and architects think about architecture. Renowned for designing buildings like the Vanna Venturi House, Robert Venturi was honored with the prestigious National Medal of Arts in 1992.

 9 
Richard Rogers
(Architect, Politician)
Richard Rogers
4
Birthdate: July 23, 1933
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: December 18, 2021

Richard Rogers is an Italian-British architect best known for his functionalist and modernist designs in high-tech architecture. Rogers is recognized for his work on popular buildings like Lloyd's building in London, the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and the building of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Thomas Jefferson Medal. 

 10 
Richard Meier
(Architect & Abstract Artist)
Richard Meier
3
Birthdate: October 12, 1934
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, U.S.

Richard Meier is an American architect and abstract artist who is credited with designing many iconic buildings, such as the San Jose City Hall, the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Getty Center, Los Angeles. Over the years Richard Meier has won several prestigious awards like the Pritzker Prize and the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award.

 11 
Sebastián Marroquín
(Son of Pablo Escobar)
Sebastián Marroquín
4
Birthdate: February 24, 1977
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Medellín, Colombia
Sebastián Marroquín is the son of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. He and his family fled to Mozambique after Pablo’s death, and then to Argentina, where he dropped “Escobar” from his name. He owns an organic clothing line and has written a book and contributed to a documentary about Pablo.
 12 
César Pelli
(Architect, Entrepreneur)
César Pelli
4
Birthdate: October 12, 1926
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: San Miguel de Tucumán
 13 
Jean Nouvel
(Architect)
Jean Nouvel
3
Birthdate: August 12, 1945
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Fumel, France

Jean Nouvel is a French architect who was a founding member of Syndicat de l'Architecture, a labor union for architects. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and entered into a partnership with François Seigneur. He built a brilliant career and is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honor. 

 14 
Daniel Libeskind
(Architect, Musician, University teacher)
Daniel Libeskind
4
Birthdate: May 12, 1946
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Łódź

Daniel Libeskind had initially moved to New York on a music scholarship. However, he later deviated to architecture and also taught for a while. One of his most celebrated designs is the Jewish Museum in Berlin. He also won a contest for a proposed design for rebuilding the World Trade Center.

 15 
Frank Gehry
(Architect and Designer Whose Works are Considered Among the Most Important of Contemporary Architecture)
Frank Gehry
2
Birthdate: February 28, 1929
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
Canadian-born American architect and designer Frank Gehry is best known for designing the Guggenheim Museum in Spain, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in France, and the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, U.S. He has won countless awards, such as the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the Praemium Imperiale.
 16 
Neri Oxman
(Architect)
Neri Oxman
7
Birthdate: February 6, 1976
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Haifa

Neri Oxman is an American-Israeli designer best known for combining design, computing, biology, and materials engineering into art and architecture. She also serves as a professor at the MIT Media Lab, leading the Mediated Matter research group. Praised as one of the modern-time greats, Oxman was included in ICON's 20 Most Influential Architects to Shape Our Future list in 2009.

 17 
Maya Lin
(Designer)
Maya Lin
7
Birthdate: October 5, 1959
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Athens

Maya Lin is an American sculptor and designer whose competition-winning design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial earned her national recognition when she was still an undergraduate. Her life and career inspired an Oscar-winning documentary titled Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision. Maya Lin has won prestigious awards, such as the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

 18 
David Childs
(architect)
David Childs
3
Birthdate: April 1, 1941
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Princeton

Architect and chairman of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, David Childs is best known as the designer of the One World Trade Center in New York. While he initially studied zoology, he later deviated to architecture. His projects also include the Changi Airport in Singapore and the National Geographic headquarters.

 19 
Dieter Rams
(German Industrial Designer and Educator Who Believed in the "Less but Better" Approach)
Dieter Rams
4
Birthdate: May 20, 1932
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Wiesbaden, Germany

German industrial designer and educator Dieter Rams became one of the first designers to focus on environment-friendly design. He headed design at Braun and designed a furniture collection for Vitsœ. Associated with the functionalist school of design, he believed in "Less, but Better," which was also the name of his 1995 book.

 20 
Jeanne Gang
(architect)
Jeanne Gang
3
Birthdate: March 19, 1964
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Belvidere

American architect and the founder of Studio Gang Architects, Jeanne Gang is best known for her sustainable designs. The Aqua Tower in Chicago was designed by her and thus became the tallest building ever designed by a woman. She has also penned books such as Reverse Effect.

 21 
Shigeru Ban
(Architect, Restorer)
Shigeru Ban
3
Birthdate: August 5, 1957
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Tokyo
 22 
Philippe Starck
(Interior architecture, Architect, Designer)
Philippe Starck
4
Birthdate: January 18, 1949
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris
 23 
Rem Koolhaas
(Architect)
Rem Koolhaas
4
Birthdate: November 17, 1944
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Rotterdam, Netherlands
 24 
Steven Holl
(Architect, University teacher)
Steven Holl
4
Birthdate: December 9, 1947
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Bremerton

Steven Holl drew on phenomenology for his architectural designs. The Alvar Aalto Medal-winning architect has built museums, commercial buildings, and residential complexes across the world, most notably the Linked Hybrid in China, the renovated American Memorial Library in Berlin, and a horizontal skyscraper in Shenzhen, named the Vanke Centre.

 25 
Anish Kapoor
(Sculpture known for works like Cloud Gate in Chicago and Sky Mirror in New York, he won the Premio Duemila Prize in 1990 and the Turner Prize in 1991.)
Anish Kapoor
4
Birthdate: March 12, 1954
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Mumbai, Maharashtra, india

Born in India, sculptor Anish Kapoor initially studied engineering in Israel but soon quit his studies to study art in Britain. The Turner Prize-winning artist was the first living artist to earn a solo show at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. The Cloud Gate in Chicago remain his best-loved work.

 26 
Charles Correa
(Architect)
Charles Correa
4
Birthdate: September 1, 1930
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Secunderābād, India
Died: June 16, 2015
 27 
Denise Scott Brown
4
Birthdate: October 3, 1931
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Nkana
Though Denise Scott Brown had mostly been known as the wife of postmodern architect Robert Venturi, she too was a talented architect. She also taught at UCLA and Yale. After Robert Venturi was announced as the winner of the 1991 Pritzker Architecture Prize, Denise snubbed the award ceremony in protest.
 28 
Thom Mayne
(Architect who helped establish the Southern California Institute of Architecture in 1971)
Thom Mayne
3
Birthdate: January 19, 1944
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Waterbury, Connecticut, United States

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne had a major role behind the formation of the Southern California Institute of Architecture. He also taught at UCLA and the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He later co-established his own firm, Morphosis Architects, which fellow architect Michael Rotondi joined later.

 29 
Hermann Tilke
(German Racing Driver, Engineer, and Circuit Designer)
Hermann Tilke
5
Birthdate: December 31, 1954
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Olpe

Hermann Tilke is a German racing driver, engineer, and circuit designer. He is credited with designing a number of F1 motor racing circuits. Over the course of his career, Hermann Tilke has designed many popular circuits like the Sepang International Circuit, Shanghai International Circuit, and Marina Bay Street Circuit.

 30 
Christopher Alexander
3
Birthdate: October 4, 1936
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Christopher Alexander is a British-American design theorist and architect whose theories have had influences on several fields, such as sociology, software, and urban design among others. An influential personality, Christopher Alexander's works have contributed immensely to the development of the technology behind Wikipedia and agile software development. He is also known for his 1977 influential book A Pattern Language.

 31 
Bernard Tschumi
(Architect, University teacher)
Bernard Tschumi
3
Birthdate: January 25, 1944
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Lausanne

Bernard Tschumi is an architect, educator, and writer. One of the most important proponents of deconstructivism, Tschumi is credited with designing prominent landmarks like Parc de la Villette, Rouen Concert Hall, and the new Acropolis Museum. He has also served as an educator, teaching at prestigious institutions like Columbia University, Princeton University, and the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies.

 32 
Edmund Bacon
(American Urban Planner and Architect)
Edmund Bacon
6
Birthdate: May 2, 1910
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: October 14, 2005
Architect Edmund Norwood Bacon initially worked as a designer in Shanghai. He then joined Philadelphia Housing and worked with architects such as Louis I. Kahn in giving shape to the Better Philadelphia Exhibit and designing the major landmarks of Philadelphia. He is the father of actor Kevin Bacon.
 33 
Dara Huang
(Founded the architecture and design firm Design Haus Liberty)
Dara Huang
1
Birthdate: 1983 AD
Birthplace: United States
 34 
Thomas Heatherwick
(Architect, Sculptor, Designer)
Thomas Heatherwick
3
Birthdate: February 17, 1970
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: London

The founder of the London-based architecture firm Heatherwick Studio, Thomas Heatherwick is best known for his works such as the Seed Cathedral for the 2010 Shanghai Expo’s UK Pavilion and the 2012 Olympic Cauldron. A descendant of the owners of fashion brand Jaeger, he studied 3-D design and revolutionized architecture.

 35 
David Adjaye
(architect)
David Adjaye
3
Birthdate: September 22, 1966
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dar es Salaam

David Adjaye is a Ghanaian-British architect known for designing several noteworthy buildings like the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In 2021, Adjaye became one of the youngest and the first African architect to be honored with the Royal Gold Medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

 36 
Gorō Miyazaki
(Film director, Animator, Screenwriter, Architect)
Gorō Miyazaki
4
Birthdate: January 21, 1967
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Tokyo

Gorō Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter. The son of a prominent animator, he consciously decided not to follow in his father’s footsteps and became a landscape architect. Later on, he did enter the film business with the anime epic fantasy film, Tales from Earthsea, his directorial debut. He also served as the screenwriter on this project. 

 37 
Adrian Smith
(Architect)
Adrian Smith
0
Birthdate: August 19, 1944
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
 38 
Vitaly Kaloyev
(Architect)
Vitaly Kaloyev
4
Birthdate: January 15, 1956
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Vladikavkaz, Russia
Tessa Kennedy
4
Birthdate: December 6, 1938
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Guildford

Tessa Kennedy is a British interior designer who works for prominent hotels, restaurants, multi-national corporations, clubs, celebrities, and royalty. She is credited with establishing her own company Tessa Kennedy Design, Ltd., which has received many design accolades. Tessa Kennedy made headlines in 1957 when she eloped with English portrait painter Bede Evelyn Dominick Elwes.

 40 
Peter Eisenman
(Architect, University teacher)
Peter Eisenman
3
Birthdate: August 11, 1932
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Newark

One of the New York Five group of architects, Peter Eisenman heads Eisenman Architects and has designed urban projects. He has also taught at institutes such as Harvard and Princeton, and has penned books such as Eisenman: Inside Out. His creations include the City of Culture of Galicia.

 41 
Nicholas Negroponte
(Computer scientist, Architect, Investor, University teacher)
Nicholas Negroponte
3
Birthdate: December 1, 1943
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York City

Computer scientist and architect Nicholas Negroponte founded the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Laboratory and the non-profit One Laptop per Child. Born into an affluent Greek family, he was educated at MIT and later taught at both MIT and Yale. He also penned the bestseller Being Digital.

 42 
Gauthier Destenay
0
Birthdate: September 21, 1979
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Virton, Belgium
 43 
Vito Acconci
(Architect)
Vito Acconci
3
Birthdate: January 24, 1940
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bronx, New York, United States
Died: April 27, 2017

Vito Acconci was an American installation artist whose works had a profound influence on other popular artists like Karen Finley, Bruce Nauman, Laurie Anderson, and Tracey Emin. Acconci is credited with developing several public parks, artificial islands, airport rest areas, and other architectural projects across the United States.

 44 
Pierre De Meuron
(Swiss Architect)
Pierre De Meuron
0
Birthdate: May 8, 1950
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland
 45 
Eva Gabrielsson
(Swedish Author, Feminist, and Political Activist)
Eva Gabrielsson
3
Birthdate: November 17, 1953
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Lövånger, Sweden

Swedish author, feminist, and political activist Eva Gabrielsson is also an architect who chiefly deals in house and office construction with sustainable architecture. She was a partner of Swedish author Stieg Larsson till his death. Apparently, they never married to keep their whereabouts a secret from extremists.

 46 
Nicola Rizzoli
(Association football referee, Architect)
Nicola Rizzoli
3
Birthdate: October 5, 1971
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mirandola
 47 
Helmut Jahn
(Architect)
Helmut Jahn
3
Birthdate: January 4, 1940
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Nuremberg

German-American architect Helmut Jahn was a significant figure of postmodern movement and is remembered for his steel-and-glass structures. His best-known works include Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Germany’s Munich Airport Center. A yachting enthusiast, he owned three yachts named after his nickname, Flash Gordon. He died in a bicycle accident.

 48 
Isozaki Arata
(Architect)
Isozaki Arata
3
Birthdate: July 23, 1931
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Oita, Japan
 49 
Kurokawa Kishō
(Architect)
Kurokawa Kishō
3
Birthdate: April 8, 1934
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Kanie, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Died: October 12, 2007
 50 
Frei Otto
(Architect)
Frei Otto
4
Birthdate: May 31, 1925
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Chemnitz, Germany
Died: March 9, 2015