The list of the 111 best architects.
01/01/2011
Just arrived the year, and it's the time when we find innumerable lists... the best moments of 2010, the most relevant news, personalities of the year, celebrities, etc. We don't have the ability of creating such lists as the Forbes Magazine, but making a list of the best architects in the world is something that we always wanted to do in Singular Studio. The point is that it is not so easy to decide about it, because while some architects are distinguished by certain qualities, it may not do so in others, and because of architecture is something alive, what you like today, couldn't be appreciated in future. Anyway, the work of these architects is something that in Singular Studio, we follow continuously. We worry about what they do, what they say, usually they like us and we are concerned about them, and sometimes, they just are surprising us.
Anyway, as I said, to make this list has not been easy, since it depends on many factors. The first is the context in which we stand, and therefore we must include in our list our favorite architects from Spain as well. Moreover, it is also concerned our personal taste and thus I fully understand that many of these architects would not like to many people, and finally, we must consider our memory, and so, I apologize for not including a host of very good architects, who simply have not been named, by oversight. Therefore I encourage you to write your comments and so the list may grow. As you can see, the list consists of 50+50+11 best architects in the world. We have included architects who are alive ... only architects who are active. Thus, we have named our 50 favorite Spanish architects, our 50 favorite non-Spanish architects, and of course, in spite of we did not want to name architects who have died, we could not stop of appointing the ones we consider the 11 parents of current architecture, deads, but whose architecture will always live in us, the ones that love this profession. The eleven fathers of the current architecture, for Singular Studio are Alvar Aalto, Coderch, Frank Lloyd Right, Gaudí, Jørn Utzon, Josep Lluís Sert, Le Corbusier, Louis Khan, Mies Van Der Rohe, Oíza and Kenzo Tange. In all cases, and regarding to the order of appearence, in order to not express our preferences in detail, we have appointed them in strict alphabetical order. We encourage you to view their work, and of course, to make comments about them. In alphabetical order, our 50 favorite architects not-Spanish are Aires Mateus, Alejandro Aravena, Alvaro Siza, Arata Isozaki, Arup Associates, Asymptote Architecture, Baumschlager & Eberle, CIE - Frits Van Dongen, Claus en Kaan Architekten, Daniel Libeskind, David Chipperfield, Dominique Perrault, Frank O. Gehry, Future Systems, Glenn Murcutt, Herzog and De Meuron, I. M. Pei, Jean Nouvel, Kengo Kuma, Lacaton & Vassal, Mario Botta, Massimiliano Fuksas, Mathias Klotz, Mecanoo, Morphosis, MVRDV, Neutelings & Riedijk, Norman Foster, Oscar Niemeyer, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Peter Eisenman, Peter Zumthor, Rem Koolhaas - OMA, Renzo Piano, Richard Meier, Richard Rogers, SANAA, S.O.M., Shigeru Ban, Souto de Moura, Steven Holl, Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, UN Studio, West 8, Wiel Arets and Zaha Hadid.
As you can see the level is very high, but no less high than the level at which we can locate many of our 50 favorite Spanish architects, and they are Ábalos-Sentkiewicz Arquitectos, ALIA, AMP Arquitectos, Andrés Jaque, Aranguren y Gallegos, BC Estudio, Blanca Lleó, b720, Campo Baeza, Carlos Arroyo, Carme Pinós, OAB - Carlos Ferrater, César Portela, Cruz y Ortiz, EMBT, Estudio Lamela, Federio Soriano, FOA - Alejandro Zaera, Francisco Mangado, Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra, Josep Lluís Mateo, Juan Herreros, Juan Navarro Baldeweg, Manuel De Las Casas, Manuel Ocaña, Mansilla Tuñón, Martinez Lapeña-Torres Arquitectos, MBM Arquitectes, MGM Arquitectos, Moneo Brok Studio, Nieto y Sobejano, No.mad - Eduardo Arroyo, Oscar Tusquests, Paredes Pedrosa, Pich Aguilera, Rafael Moneo, Rafael de La-Hoz, Ramón Esteve, RCR - Aranda, Pigen y Vilalta, Ricardo Bofill, Rubio y Álvarez-Sala, Ruiz Larrea, Salvador Perez Arroyo, Sancho-Madridejos, Santiago Calatrava, Sotomaroto, TJMª, Vicens y Ramos.