The 10 Most Influential Architects

"This year Forbes.com set out to name 10 architects most influencing our culture. Our Tastemakers pioneer new building techniques, cross cultures and blur boundaries between architecture, art, landscape design and urban planning. They impact more then just aesthetics; they're changing the way we live.

To come up with our list, we surveyed working architects, academics and industry organizations. We tracked English-language print media coverage over the last year through Factiva, noted prominent past structures, museum exhibits and assessed commissions-in-progress. Architects love to honor their colleagues with significant awards, like the Pritzker Prize (considered the highest honor in the field), the International Union of Architects (UIA), Gold Medal and the AIA Gold Medal, so we factored in those as well. These awards recognize more than a significant building; they honor a lifetime of work.

We tried to avoid the classic choices, like IM Pei, Richard Meier and Santiago Calatrava, to focus in on those on the cusp of greatness. We still greatly respect the masters' work, of course."

Who makes the list? Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, and Elisabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio, among others.