Alright, so you want to sound boujee at your next cocktail party or whiskey on the porch (because we're Southern), and you need some topics to make things more interesting. We got you. Here are a few architects to slip into conversation when there is a lull in the talking. (Note: If you're an architect yourself, these should be old news)
Number 1 - Frank Lloyd Wright
You're probably familiar with the most famous architect of our lifetime. Frank Lloyd Wright designed everything from buildings to chairs to stained glass windows. One of his best known structures is Falling Water in Bear Run, PA which was designed for a wealthy department store owner, Edgar Kaufmann. It has many of Wright's calling card features: concrete cantilevers, lower ceilings and horizontal projections are all used in this house.
A lesser known project was Wright's Usonian houses which were made for those earning a "modest salary." These houses are sprinkled throughout the US and were meant to allow a middle class family to have a well designed abode. Sometimes clients would mail Wright a land survey and he'd sent back house plans.
For more info on Wright's Usonian homes, HERE is a link to a good article by DWELL (which I love).
Number 1 - Frank Lloyd Wright
You're probably familiar with the most famous architect of our lifetime. Frank Lloyd Wright designed everything from buildings to chairs to stained glass windows. One of his best known structures is Falling Water in Bear Run, PA which was designed for a wealthy department store owner, Edgar Kaufmann. It has many of Wright's calling card features: concrete cantilevers, lower ceilings and horizontal projections are all used in this house.
A lesser known project was Wright's Usonian houses which were made for those earning a "modest salary." These houses are sprinkled throughout the US and were meant to allow a middle class family to have a well designed abode. Sometimes clients would mail Wright a land survey and he'd sent back house plans.
For more info on Wright's Usonian homes, HERE is a link to a good article by DWELL (which I love).
Number 2 - Mies Van der Rohe
Mies is well known by architects and many architecture aficionados. He renowned most as the creator of European Modernism which boasts industrial steel and plate glass structures. He coined these buildings as "skin and bones" structures which removed all superfluous ornamentation.
Mies was born in Aachen, Germany and was the last director of the Bauhuas before it was shut down by Nazi Germany. Mies emigrated to the US where he landed at the Illinois Institute of Architecture as the Head of Architecture. While here he designed many iconic buildings, like Crown Hall (shown below) and left a lasting legacy on architectural education. I received much of my own early architectural training in this very building as a graduate student at IIT.
For more information on Mies and the preservation society at IIT look HERE.
Mies is well known by architects and many architecture aficionados. He renowned most as the creator of European Modernism which boasts industrial steel and plate glass structures. He coined these buildings as "skin and bones" structures which removed all superfluous ornamentation.
Mies was born in Aachen, Germany and was the last director of the Bauhuas before it was shut down by Nazi Germany. Mies emigrated to the US where he landed at the Illinois Institute of Architecture as the Head of Architecture. While here he designed many iconic buildings, like Crown Hall (shown below) and left a lasting legacy on architectural education. I received much of my own early architectural training in this very building as a graduate student at IIT.
For more information on Mies and the preservation society at IIT look HERE.
Number 3 - Rem Koolhaas
Rem is regarded as one of the most influential thinkers and Urbanists of his generation. He's won one of the most prestigious awards (the Pritzker Prize) and has published many architectural theory books, which are taught in most universities today. Beyond his theory, he is best known for complex forms and twisting structures, like the one shown below for the Seattle Public Library.
For more info on the Seattle Public Library, check out this article from Architect Magazine.
Rem is regarded as one of the most influential thinkers and Urbanists of his generation. He's won one of the most prestigious awards (the Pritzker Prize) and has published many architectural theory books, which are taught in most universities today. Beyond his theory, he is best known for complex forms and twisting structures, like the one shown below for the Seattle Public Library.
For more info on the Seattle Public Library, check out this article from Architect Magazine.
Number 4 - Frank Gehry
Gehry is most known for the stark formations of metal in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain (shown below). Additional projects like the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA and the Vitra Design Museum have launched him to fame. He has projects all over the world, most of them with his familiar twist and shine.
Ground was recently broke on his controversial Esienhower Memorial Competition win in Washington, DC. The project was originally scrutinized by lawmakers and had to be adjusted prior to approval for construction.
HERE is a link to an archdaily post for more info on the Esienhower Memorial in DC.
Gehry is most known for the stark formations of metal in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain (shown below). Additional projects like the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA and the Vitra Design Museum have launched him to fame. He has projects all over the world, most of them with his familiar twist and shine.
Ground was recently broke on his controversial Esienhower Memorial Competition win in Washington, DC. The project was originally scrutinized by lawmakers and had to be adjusted prior to approval for construction.
HERE is a link to an archdaily post for more info on the Esienhower Memorial in DC.
Number 5 - Zaha Hadid
Zaha was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize in 2004. She was originally a student of Rem Koolhaas and worked in the OMA office before starting her own firm. As she progressed in her work she became known for sensuous curves in her buildings and leaving the geometric world behind.
Zaha passed away in 2016 but her firm still lives on. Many projects that she designed moved forward with construction, like the Qatar World Cup Stadium shown below.
HERE is a link by dezeen for more info on the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 soccer stadium.
Zaha was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize in 2004. She was originally a student of Rem Koolhaas and worked in the OMA office before starting her own firm. As she progressed in her work she became known for sensuous curves in her buildings and leaving the geometric world behind.
Zaha passed away in 2016 but her firm still lives on. Many projects that she designed moved forward with construction, like the Qatar World Cup Stadium shown below.
HERE is a link by dezeen for more info on the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 soccer stadium.
Beautiful architecture changes the world, and you don't need to design an Olympic stadium to make a difference. Whether you are building a home, opening a restaurant, expanding your dental office, remodeling a yoga studio, building an addition to your private school, or anything in between--you have the power to create something special. If you're in our area and looking to partner with an architect in Winchester, Frederick County, Northern Virginia, DC, Maryland or West Virginia, contact Four Square Architects today to see how we can help.
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