In your opinion, who is the most talented architect in modern history - as judged by his/her buildings?
(Alternatively, you just hit a huge Powerball lottery and are building a real nice house for yourself somewhere. Which architect (alive or deceased) would you commision to design it?
Mr. I.M. Pei
Please check http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/I._M._Pei.html
Imelda Golik, of course!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Renzo Piano for big structures. Otherwise it would depend on where the house was to be located.
Funny that all the "moderns" are ancient.
Not Michael, Mies, Philip, Rem, or I.M.
I'd choose a younger, lesser-known architect who has some hands-on, practice building experience, as well as an appreciation of light, landscape, and human scale. Someone who studied Christopher Alexander and Palladio more than French deconstructivists. I liked the guy who designed our house for a few thousand dollars - he really listened and I wouldn't change much three years later (his name is David Strabel, of Brockport, NY).
Or a naval architect. Shipbuilders build wonderful houses!
I do admit to liking Gehry though. And I photographed Michael Graves - a very nice guy - but the Portland Building? - fuggidaboutit! Stick to housewares... (he's retired/sick anyway.)
It's really a matter of taste. Even with the man I have in mind ... I would have to have several long talks with him before I signed a contract because some of his stuff was just too .... 'wierd'. If you are not interested in architecture you would not realize what a huge influence Frank Lloyd Wright was on almost every architect who came after him. Most do not know he was the originator of the 'open' concept or idea that almost dominates all home design today. Prior to him houses were always cut up into very distinct use areas. His ideas were so radical that most of his own generation and even that following can not accept them. My parents and my in-law parents (I'm 55) still prefer to hide away in small rooms.
It is also not commonly known that Wright would often design not only the house but the furniture and even the china for a client. Of course he designed stained glass windows for most of his projects as well. Not only was he a design genius but he was an engineer with few peers. His hotel in Tokyo was one of the few building left standing after a great earthquake in the early part of the 20th century.
BUT ... if you are inquiring because you really are searching for an architect ... AND we are talking homes ... AND you are not made out of money ... then you need to stay local and you need to forget all about names. Search your city for the style of home you like ... find a talented young architect who is known for that style. Or you could even search out the talented student ready willing and able to copy ANYones style.
Just beware. We builders call architectural drawings 'funny-papers'. Always consult a good engineer as regards your architect's designs .. unless you hire a Frank Lloyd Wright level architect.
FLW, no doubt. Some of his stuff that never realized construction, drawn in the 30's, is still futuristic IMO.
Way ahead of his time.
Scott, you do keep things lively. That Wright-designed Tokyo Hotel which survived the great earthquake was later razed because it proved to expensive to maintain. Leaky roofs, high upkeep, etc.
Falling Water IS falling.
And having toured Buffalo's Darwin Martin House (one of his best Praire style houses) I found the low ceiling and open floor plan claustrophobic and dank. I've also "sat" in his high backed chairs.
The "famous" Japanese architect hired to design the Martin House visitor center did FLW one better. While Wright was known for his leaky roofs, at least they had pitch. The modern architect is trying to echo Wright by using the same roofline as his Martin House - only inverted - an upside down roof. Considering Buffalo gets ~ 150 inches of snow per season, I see that many architects still don't "get it" ;-)
Frank Lloyd Wright also designed a gas station in the 1920s. He put the gas storage tanks on the roof. Needless to say, no community ever let one be built out of safety concerns.
(I just finished designing a book on Wright. I admire Wright. But I sure as hell wouldn't ever want to LIVE in a FLW house!)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks