The profession of architecture is often marked by those individuals who employ their talent and resources to enable change and bring forth a vision for a better future. While some of them began their careers with bold gestures that captured the attention of the architectural world and changed paradigms, others worked in a more quiet manner, shifting the focus to the users of the space and asking themselves how they can best contribute to enriching the lives of those around them.
As the new year begins, we pause to look back to the architects who have passed away over the course of the last year but whose legacy and contribution to architecture outlive them. Among them, we remember Pritzker Prize laureate and pioneer of the High-Tech Richard Rogers, Post-Modern icon Ricardo Bofill, the thoughtful Gyo Obata, advocate and innovator Doreen Adengo, social housing pioneer Renée Gailhoustet and the many-sided Pritzker Prize laureate Arata Isozaki.
Read on to explore the impact and legacy of significant architects who have recently passed away.
Richard Rogers (1933-2021)
Architecture is too complex to be solved by any one person…I enjoy the dynamic that flows when different disciplines, from sociology to mathematics, engineering to philosophy, come together to create solutions. - Richard Rogers
In 1977, a relatively young and unknown duo of architects unveiled a building in the center of Paris that “turned the architecture world upside down.” With mechanical ducts and tubes taking the role of ornaments, Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano exposed the Centre Pompidou’s mechanical services on its façade and, in doing so, revolutionized museums and transformed them into spaces of social and cultural exchange. A decade later, when designing Lloyd's office building in the heart of London, Rogers cemented his approach of “celebrating the components and the structure.”
He is today known as the father of the High-Tech movement, a variation of Modernism that proclaims the poetics of structure, technology, and transparency. Over the years, he became known for both his philosophy and his buildings. In 2007 he became the 31st Pritzker laureate, a recognition that further emphasized his lasting effect on the profession of architecture.
Ricardo Bofill (1939-2022)
I wanted, once and for all, to create a space powerful enough to make normal people who know nothing about architecture realize that architecture exists. - Ricardo Bofill
At first glance, a comparison between Ricardo Bofill’s projects could retrieve little similarities: from the stoicism of his home and studio in the former silos of La Fabrica, the classicist post-modernism of the Parisian Housing Estate of Noisy-le-Grand, to the colorful rendition of his La Muralla Roja or the Walden 7 development. Although changing over time, his designs share a common thread in the concept of regionalism. As he stated in an interview, he aimed to find alternatives to “simplistic Modernism by bringing back the spirit of the Mediterranean town.” While some of his projects have had a mixed response from critics, he remains highly regarded as new generations become inspired by his colorful and otherworldly buildings.
Gyo Obata (1923 - 2022)
Listen very carefully and understand what people want, work hard, and find the best ways to enhance the quality of life around you. – Gyo Obata in Gyo Obata: Architect | Clients | Reflections (2010).
Born in 1923 in San Francisco, US, Gyo Obata’s legacy lies in his approach to designing architecture based not on his personal ideology but on the needs and aspirations of the people using the structure. Obata credits his parents, artists Chiura and Haruko Obata, for his inclination to pay careful attention to the clients in order to learn to create spaces that bring meaning and enjoyment to the people who occupy them. Together with George Hellmuth and George Kassabaum, Obata pioneered a tripartite business model, with each partner focusing individually on marketing, production, and design, respectively. This strategy propelled HOK Group to become one of the world’s largest architectural practices. The innovative design solutions guided by Gyo Obata have shaped important cultural and civic buildings that fulfill their functional requirements while creating memorable spaces.
Doreen Adengo (1976 - 2022)
It’s critical to make the case that architects and urban planners can improve people’s everyday lives, helping cities develop sustainably. – Doreen Adengo.
Uganda-based architect Doreen Adengo was recognized as one of the leading practitioners advocating for change and inclusivity in disadvantaged communities. Prominent and innovative, Doreen worked in many design offices worldwide before returning to Kampala to establish her own practice, Adengo Architecture, in 2015. Based on research and multidisciplinary collaboration, the practice has a clear ethos, as Adengo stated in an interview, to focus on “communicating the value of design in African cities.” The same sense of advocacy infused all her initiatives as an academic lecturer, facilitator, and curator. Her legacy spans disciplines and geographies yet is deeply rooted in the African context, in the conversations with the people of Kampala and the care and attention given to Uganda’s architectural heritage.
Fruto Vivas (1928 - 2022)
I always say that I have only one project: the unity of architecture with nature. – Fruto Vivas
Venezuelan architect José Fructoso Vivas, better known as Fruto Vivas, is recognizable through the boldness of his geometrical shapes and the masterful integration of vegetation and light into the architectural volume. Vivas has worked alongside Oscar Niemayer to design the Museum of Modern Art in Caracas and with Spanish architect Eduardo Torroja for the Táchira Club in Caracas, one of his most notable works. In 2014 he was awarded the Ibero-American Prize for Architecture for approaching “architecture and urban planning aimed at improving the quality of life of citizens.”
James Stewart Polshek (1930 - 2022)
The true importance of architecture lies in its ability to solve human problems, not stylistic ones. A building is too permanent and too influential on public life and personal comfort to be created primarily as ‘public art. - James Stewart Polshek
In an era dominated by so-called starchitects, James Stewart Polshek models a different approach to designing architecture. His works are often modest, prioritizing social values over aesthetics and understanding architecture as a “healing art,” as he referred to it. While James Polshek was not well-known among the general public, he received positive reviews and appreciation from critics, who understood the humane and sensible approach of his works. In 1963, he founded the office James Stewart Polshek Architect, which evolved through multiple iterations, finally transitioning to Ennead Architects in 2010.
Meinhard von Gerkan (1935 – 2022)
The architect has a particular social responsibility since architecture is an art with social obligation and use. - Meinhard von Gerkan
Born in 1935 in Riga, Latvia, Meinhard von Gerkan became one of the most successful German architects of the post-war period. Alongside Volkwin Marg, he founded the renowned architectural practice gmp Architects (von Gerkan, Marg, and Partners Architects) in 1965, with whom he completed over 500 projects worldwide. The award-winning firm has an expansive portfolio that includes the Berlin-Tegel, Hamburg, and Stuttgart airports, the main railway station in Berlin, the extension of the Chinese National Museum in Beijing, and the Hanoi Museum in Vietnam. Meinhard von Gerkan was also an author and critic and the co-founder of the gmp Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on the educational development of graduates and young architects.
Arata Isozaki (1931-2022)
My identity is that every time I like to create a difference. Not in one single style, but also always according to the situation, according to the environment; an architectural style as a solution. Every time it's different. - Arata Isozaki
Architect, teacher, and theorist Arata Isozaki has become of the most well-known Japanese architects, despite his challenge of Japanese expectations with sometimes non-traditional designs that “take the style of the West one step further,” in the words of American critic Charles Jencks. From the beginning of his career, Isozaki positioned himself as a member of the avant-garde that practiced outside of architectural convention. In 2019, he received the Pritzker Prize for his transnational and fearlessly futurist approach to design. Besides the over 100 built works in his portfolio, Isozaki has also worked on fashion design, furniture, and graphics through the medium of silkscreens while also delving into writing, architectural criticism, and theory.
Renée Gailhoustet (1929-2023)
Her work has a strong social commitment that brings together generosity, beauty, ecology and inclusivity. - Farshid Moussavi
French architect and winner of the 2022 Royal Academy Architecture Prize, Renée Gailhoustet is one of the few female architects of her generation to achieve international recognition. A strong advocate for qualitative social housing, her work exemplifies a vision of generous housing well-adapted to their urban environments. Through her work in n Le Liégat, Ivry-sur-Seine in Paris, Gailhoustet pioneered a more urban form of Brutalism, with large windows, complex floorplans, and staggered terraces enhancing the quality of life in these ensembles.
