Tag: obituary | ArchDaily

Lorcan O’Herlihy, Founding Principal of LOHA, Passes Away at 66

Reyyan Dogan — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Lorcan O'Herlihy, the Irish-born architect, educator, and founder of Los Angeles-based Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects (LOHA), has died at the age of 66. His death was confirmed by the firm on June 14, 2026. Over a career spanning more than three decades, O'Herlihy became known for advancing an architectural practice centered on housing, urbanism, and social engagement, helping shape conversations around density, affordability, and the civic role of design in contemporary cities.

Farewell to Masters: Remembering the Architects We Lost in 2025

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Every year brings new ideas, projects, and shifts in architectural culture, but it also marks the loss of voices that have shaped the discipline across decades. Architecture moves forward, but it also advances through absence. When figures who helped articulate its language and its ambitions disappear, they leave behind more than completed works or influential texts. Their absence becomes a threshold, a moment in which the discipline pauses to understand what remains, what evolves, and what continues to guide us. These moments of loss remind us that architecture is a long, collective construction, carried not only by those shaping the present but also by those whose visions continue to orient how we think about cities and landscapes.

Tracing Frank Gehry’s Architectural Legacy Through His Most Influential Works

Reyyan Dogan — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Following the news of Frank Gehry's passing at age 96, renewed attention has been directed toward a career that significantly shaped architectural discourse from the late 20th century onward. Over more than seven decades, Gehry developed a design language defined by material experimentation, iterative model-making, and an interest in fluid, expressive forms. His work ranges from early residential interventions in Southern California to major cultural institutions that have contributed to the identity of cities around the world. Together, these projects outline a trajectory that intersected with shifts in fabrication technologies, museum typologies, and urban redevelopment strategies.

Frank Gehry, Visionary Architect of the Bilbao Guggenheim, Dies at 96

Romullo Baratto — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Frank Gehry, one of the most influential and widely recognized architects of the past six decades, has died at his home in Santa Monica at the age of 96. His chief of staff, Meaghan Lloyd, confirmed that the cause was a brief respiratory illness. Gehry's death marks the passing of a designer whose work transformed not only architectural culture but the global imagination of what a building could be.

New National Museum in Abu Dhabi and The Nomadic Library: This Week’s Review

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 06:30:00 +0000

As cultural institutions advanced major preservation projects and new demographic data reframed understandings of urban growth, this week's architectural discussions centred on how cities and museums adapt to evolving social, environmental, and infrastructural conditions. Efforts to safeguard modern heritage, developments in long-term urban planning, and reflections on architectural legacy intersect with global observances such as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, highlighting the ongoing need for more inclusive and accessible environments within the built landscape.

Robert A.M. Stern, Influential American Architect and Educator, Passes Away at 86

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Robert A.M. Stern, the American architect, educator, and historian whose work shaped both the physical and intellectual landscape of contemporary architecture, has died at the age of 86. His passing was confirmed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), the New York-based practice he led for more than five decades. Known for advancing a contextual, historically informed approach during decades dominated by modernist and high-tech architecture, Stern remained a prominent voice advocating for continuity, urban civility, and an understanding of architecture as part of a longer cultural lineage.

British Post-Modernist Architect Terry Farrell Passes Away at 87

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Farrells, the London-based architecture and urban design practice, announced earlier today the death of its founder, architect Sir Terry Farrell. The firm highlighted Farrell's commitment to questioning architectural convention and his advocacy for more responsible, contextual, and community-driven approaches to urban development, seeking creative alternatives to wholesale demolition and rebuild. His death follows that of his early collaborator Nicholas Grimshaw, with whom he founded the Farrell/Grimshaw Partnership in 1965. Together they produced functionalist, modern buildings defined by their structural clarity, before Farrell established his independent voice as one of the leading figures of British Post-Modernism, designing some of the movement's most recognisable works, including London's MI6 Building and the TV-am studios in Camden.

Kongjian Yu, Creator of the Sponge City Concept, Passes Away in Brazil Plane Crash

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 04:30:00 +0000

Kongjian Yu, the pioneering Chinese landscape architect and urban planner credited with coining the "sponge city" concept, has passed away at 62. According to Reuters, he was killed in a plane crash on Tuesday in the wetlands of Mato Grosso do Sul state, in Brazil, while reportedly filming a documentary about his work, after being featured in the opening program of the São Paulo International Architecture Biennale last week.

Nicholas Grimshaw, British High-Tech Architecture Pioneer and Founder of Grimshaw, Passes Away at 85

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 05:30:00 +0000

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, the British architect known for advancing high-tech architecture and for founding the practice Grimshaw, has died at the age of 85. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he delivered public and infrastructure projects that emphasized structural clarity, advanced engineering, and utility. His major works include Waterloo International, the original Eurostar terminal in London; the Eden Project in Cornwall; the Financial Times Printworks; and major transport hubs around the world. Knighted in 2002 for his services to architecture, he helped define an era of British and international design. He served as President of the Royal Academy of Arts from 2004 to 2011 and was awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal in 2019.

Helmut Swiczinsky, Co-Founder of the Coop Himmelb(L)AU, Passes Away at 81

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Helmut Swiczinsky, co-founder of the Viennese architecture collective Coop Himmelb(l)au and a key figure in experimental and deconstructivist architecture, passed away on July 29, 2025, at the age of 81. Born in 1944 in Poznań, Poland, he studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology and the Architectural Association in London.

Léon Krier, Influential Voice in New Urbanism, Passes Away at 79

Reyyan Dogan — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Léon Krier, the Luxembourg-born architect and urban theorist renowned for his critical stance against modernist planning and his influential role in the New Urbanism movement, passed away on June 17, 2025, at the age of 79. Known for his uncompromising critique of modernist planning and his vision for human-scaled, walkable communities, Krier leaves behind a substantial body of built work, theoretical writing, and educational influence.

Kristin Feireiss, Founder of the Aedes Architecture Forum, Passes Away at 82

Reyyan Dogan — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 07:15:00 +0000

Kristin Feireiss, the German architecture curator, writer, and editor, passed away on April 20, 2025. With a career spanning over four decades, Feireiss played a significant role in promoting international public discourse on architecture, urban development, and social change.

David M. Childs, Architect Who Rebuilt New York's Skyline, Passes Away at 83

Maria-Cristina Florian — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 06:23:00 +0000

David M. Childs, the architect renowned for his significant contributions to the New York City skyline, passed away on March 26, 2025, in Pelham, N.Y., at the age of 83. His career, primarily spent at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), was marked by a commitment to urbanistic values and a dedication to enhancing the civic good through architecture. Childs left an indelible mark on the built environment, balancing aesthetic considerations with the complex demands of large-scale urban projects.

Ricardo Scofidio, Co-Founder of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Passes Away at 89

Maria-Cristina Florian — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 07:10:00 +0000

Ricardo Scofidio, a distinguished figure in the world of architecture, passed away on March 6, 2025, at the age of 89. Born in New York City in 1935, Scofidio co-founded the influential architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) with his partner Elizabeth Diller in 1979. Together, they brought to the profession a conceptual art sensibility, influencing the design of globally recognized cultural landmarks and public spaces. Among their most notable projects are the High Line in Manhattan and the transformation of Lincoln Center, each reflecting the studio's ambition of challenging conventional architectural premises.

Architect and Archigram Founding Member Dennis Crompton Passes Away at 90

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Dennis Crompton, an influential figure in the field of architecture, passed away on January 21, 2025, at the age of 90. Born in Blackpool in 1935, Crompton's remarkable career spanned several decades and left an indelible mark on modern architecture. As a key member of the avant-garde architectural group Archigram, established in London in 1961, Crompton played a pivotal role in revolutionizing architectural practice, together with Warren Chalk, Peter Cook, Ron Herron, David Greene, and Michael Webb.

Filmmaker David Lynch, Master of Surrealism, Passes Away at 78

Maria-Cristina Florian — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Filmmaker David Lynch, renowned for his surreal and influential works like Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks, passed away at age 78. Lynch's nearly 50-year career was marked by distinctive, stylized films often featuring surreal elements and fragmented narratives. He received numerous accolades, including a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement and an honorary Oscar. His career began with painting and experimental animation before transitioning to filmmaking, culminating in iconic films and the groundbreaking television series Twin Peaks. His impact extended beyond the silver screen; his unique manipulation of space and atmosphere profoundly influenced architectural discourse.

Yoshio Taniguchi, Architect Behind MoMA Redesign, Passes Away at 87

Nour Fakharany — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 05:30:00 +0000

Yoshio Taniguchi, the renowned architect behind the redesign of New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and other celebrated cultural landmarks, has passed away, at the age of 87 due to pneumonia. Known for his minimalist designs that emphasize clarity and simplicity, Taniguchi's work includes the MoMA expansion completed in 2004, the Heisei Chishinkan Wing of the Kyoto National Museum, and the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art. His projects are characterized by a deep respect for space and proportion, allowing the art within to take center stage.

Celebrating the Lives of Inspiring Architects Who Passed in 2024

Agustina Iñiguez — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 07:30:00 +0000

As the year comes to an end, we take a moment to honor the careers and contributions of celebrated architects, designers, and artists who passed away in 2024. These influential figures have left a lasting legacy in the built environment, prompting deeper thought about the role of their disciplines in society and their ability to evolve over time.