Architecture is one of the most long-lasting forms of expression that humanity has witnessed since the start of evolution. Right from the caves during early times to the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt to the modern-day glass skyscrapers seen in almost all cities, architecture has been growing continuously over all these years. The needs of people changed, which led to the innovation of new materials and new styles of architecture that were unique from the earlier ones. Each architect has tried to make an impact on society and create their own sole identity in the world. Many such architects have inspired not only architecture students or other architects but also ordinary people, who are in fear of their designs. So, Here is a list of some of the most famous architects in the world of all time that has continued to inspire generation after generation of people. 

1. Le Corbusier

Charles-Edouard Jeanneret Gris or better known as his pseudonym Le Corbusier (October 06, 1887 – August 27, 1965) was born in the small Swiss city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Corbusier created many unique buildings in the early years of his career and the most famous one being Villa Savoye, which shows his five points of architecture. He also formed his anthropometric scale of proportions called ‘Modular’. However, his contribution to architecture is endless and he helped form the basis for most of the modernist architecture and urban planning of his time.

• Meanwhile, Some of his famous works include:
  • Villa Savoye, France, 1931
  • Unité d’ Habitation, France, 1952
  • Secretariat Building, Chandigarh, 1953
  • Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, 1954
  • Mill Owners’ Association Building, Ahmedabad, 1956
  • Zurich Pavilion, Switzerland, 1967

2. Alvar Aalto

Hugo Alvar Henrik Alto (03 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish famous architects and designer, who formed a different style and created not only buildings but furniture items as well. He was a part of the Modern Movement of Architecture, yet developed his style based on modernist ideologies mixed with the use of local materials. His works range from Nordic Classicism during the early years to a rational Modernism style. It was characteristic of Aalto to design each building like a piece of art, from the structure to the furniture and light fittings.

• Meanwhile, some of his famous works include:
  • Paimio Sanatorium, Finland, 1928
  • Viipuri Library, Russia, 1935
  • Jyvaskyla University Building, Finland, 1951
  • House of Culture, Finland, 1955
  • Maison Louis Carré, France, 1959

Also Read: Best examples of Buildings inspired by Animals

3. Walter Gropius

Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 05 July 1969) was born in the city of Berlin. He was a German famous architects and the founder of the Bauhaus School (1919). Along with this, he is also recognized as one of the revolutionary masters of Modernist Architecture. However, the Bauhaus was the German “School of Building” that incorporated elements of art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, and other related fields in designing. He believed that all designs should be addressed by first understanding the problems that need to be inscribed. In short, he followed the modernist principle that functionality should dictate form.

• Meanwhile, some of his famous works include:
  • The Fagus Factory, Germany, 1910
  • Sommerfeld House, Berlin, 1921
  • Bauhaus Building, Germany, 1925
  • Harvard Graduate Center, Cambridge, 1950
  • MetLife Building, New York, 1959

4. Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (27 March 1886 – 17 August 1969) was a German American architect and known as the pioneers of Modernist architecture amongst others. Mies’ careers started in the office of Peter Behrens, where he served along with Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. His minimalist style has been recognized and used worldwide with his famous proverb “Less is More” which is known to everyone. 

Mies was also the last director of the Bauhaus until the Nazis shut it down in 1933. His architecture supports the end between the interior and exterior spaces and called his buildings “skin and bones” architecture due to the minimal use of materials.

• Meanwhile, some of his famous works include:
  • Barcelona Pavilion, Spain, 1929
  • Villa Tugendhat, Czech Republic, 1930
  • Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, 1950-56
  • Farnsworth House, Illinois, 1951
  • Seagram Building, Manhattan, 1954-58

Also Read: 10 Most famous Pritzker prize winner in the history of Architecture

5. Antoni Gaudi

Antoni Gaudi I Cornet (25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalan architect known to be a part of the Modernist Movement as well. His unique style is defined by freedom of form, curvy use of colors, and texture with organic unity inspired by nature. He spent most of his career in the designing and building of the church Sagrada Familia, which yet remained incomplete at his death in 1926. Gaudi’s work is an extraordinary blend of various movements of the 19th century like the Arts and Crafts Movement, Symbolism, Expressionism, and Rationalism. 

• Meanwhile, some of his famous works include:
  • La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, 1882-unfinished
  • Casa Batllo, Barcelona, 1906
  • Casa Mila, Barcelona, 1912
  • Church of Colonia Guell, Barcelona, 1912
  • Astorga Episcopal Palace, Spain, 1915

6. Louis Kahn

Louis Isadore Kahn (05 March 1901 – 17 March 1974) was an American architect based in Philadelphia. He was known for mixing Modernism with the dignity of old monuments. Kahn created a style that involved designing massive buildings as they do not hide their weight, materials, or the way they were assembled. 

• Meanwhile, some of his famous works include:
  • National Building Assembly of Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1962-83
  • Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, 1962
  • Salk Institute, California, 1965
  • Phillips Exeter Academy Library and Dining Hall, New Hampshire, 1972
  • Kimbell Art Museum, Texas, 1972

Also Read: Famous celebrities in diverse fields who have an architectural degree

7. Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright (08 June 1867 – 09 April 1959) was an American architect and designer who created over 1,000 structures in 70 years. Wright concluded that designing should be done in harmony with humanity and its surrounding environment. And this philosophy he called ‘Organic Architecture’. He devoted his life to building a total aesthetic that would help improve society’s well being and believed that architecture is not just about buildings but about sustaining the lives of those within structures. It was because of such philosophies that he was named “The Greatest American Architect of all time” by AIA.

• Meanwhile, some of his famous works include:
  • Unity Temple, Chicago, 1908
  • Robie House, 1910
  • Taliesin, Wisconsin, 1911
  • Falling Waters, Pennsylvania, 1935
  • Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1959

8. Santiago Calatrava

Santiago Calatrava Valls (28 July 1951 – Present) is a Spanish architect, engineer, and sculptor who is recognized for his bridge designs which are supported by single posts. He gained fame for his expertise to combine superior engineering solutions with dramatic visual statements in his designs. For him, nature served as a design guide which inspired him to design structures reflecting natural shapes and rhythms.

• Meanwhile, some of his famous works include:
  • Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin, 1982
  • City of Arts and Sciences, Spain, 2009
  • Turning Torso, Sweden, 2012
  • Peace Bridge, Calgary, 2012
  • World Trade Center Oculus, New York, 2016

Also Read: Chris Downey: The blind Architect

9. Oscar Niemeyer

Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 05 December 2012) was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the leading personalities in Modernist Architecture. Even though he was never a scholar, his freeform, flowing lines were always perfect. Niemeyer’s goal was straightforward, “Give beauty to the World”, and he did so. Along with Le Corbusier, he contributed to the design for the United Nations Headquarters in New York. He is mostly known for his works done in the city of Brasilia when he was invited by Brazil’s new President in 1956. Oscar Niemeyer also received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1988.

• Meanwhile, some of his famous works include:
  • Alvorada Palace, Brazil, 1958
  • National Congress Building, Brazil, 1960
  • Cathedral of Brasilia, Brazil, 1970
  • Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, Brazil, 1996
  • Oscar Niemeyer Museum, Brazil, 2002

10. Philip Johnson

Philip Cortelyou Johnson (08 July 1906 – 25 January 2005) was an American architect who was known for his Modern and Post-modern architecture. Johnson was the first architect to have received the Pritzker Prize in 1979. He considered Mies Van der Rohe his mentor with whom he worked on some projects and was highly inspired by his ideologies. This can be seen in the design of his residence, the Glass House, which reflects similar elements as those in Mies’ Farnsworth House. 

• Meanwhile, Some of his famous works include:
  • Glass House, Connecticut, 1949
  • Amon Carter Museum of American Art, 1961
  • David H. Koch Theater, New York, 1964
  • 550 Madison Avenue, Manhattan, 1984
  • Chapel of St. Basil, Texas, 1997

References:

•    https://www.archdaily.com/434972/happy-birthday-le-corbusier-2
•    https://www.alvaraalto.fi/en/information/alvar-aalto/
•    https://www.dezeen.com/2018/11/02/walter-gropius-bauhaus-100-founder-director-architecture-design/
•    https://www.theartstory.org/artist/mies-van-der-rohe-ludwig/
•    https://www.biography.com/artist/antoni-gaudi
•    https://www.kimbellart.org/content/louis-i-kahn-biography
•    https://franklloydwright.org/frank-lloyd-wright/
•    https://www.britannica.com/biography/Santiago-Calatrava
•    https://www.pritzkerprize.com/biography-oscar-niemeyer
•    https://www.newyorker.com/culture/dept-of-design/philip-johnson-the-man-who-made-architecture-amoral