This past November, I spent 10 days in Japan, my first time. Through a whirlwind of architectural sites, cultural discoveries and culinary adventures—I had the best of times, of which I present here twelve.
2024 was a good year of good work. The ten buildings listed below are forceful architectural designs, hailing from Australia, Belgium, India, Mexico, Spain and the UAE. Four projects are from China, and unintentionally, none from the U.S. Perhaps my tastes for the “best of” lean towards international voices or maybe we American architects need to catch up. Nonetheless, here we go.
Of his recent 464-page publication, author Oscar Asensio explains, “At Influencers | Architecture we show the professional careers of the most relevant and influential architects in the world. They offer us their experiences, ideas, knowledge and thoughts . . .”
For past decades, I have explored architectural ideas through drawing: from tentative doodles to scratchy sketches, from colored diagrams to illustrative depictions. Though a variety of technological tools are at my fingertips—CAD, 3DS, Photoshop, even AI—I still prefer the simplest of tools at my desk, a pencil and my hand.
On August 28, 2024, I participated in a podcast entitled, “The Rhythm of Architecture,” from the series, Doctoring Up Design. With host Josh Cooperman, here are edited excerpts, to be presented over three segments. Please enjoy part one about books, ego and concrete.
All great businesses evolve. This cliché we know. But how does a celebrated name-brand architecture firm evolve beyond the celebrated founder? Some companies have lost their cache with the exit of its founder. What will become of Gehry Partners when Frank Gehry retires? On the other hand, Zaha Hadid Architects continues to flourish beyond the 2016 passing of its name founder. Legacies can progress with thoughtful planning or sink under its own weight of arrogance.
