Starchitecture

Willis Tower and John Hancock

The 50 Most Influential Tall Buildings of the Last 50 Years

Sure to stir controversy, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has compiled a list of the 50 most influential tall buildings of the last 50 years.

October 31, 2019 - Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

New England Patriots

Tom Brady the Starchitect

New England Patriot's Quarterback Tom Brady, one of the most famous people in the country, said on a radio show recently that he's considering architecture for a post-football career.

August 16, 2019 - The Architect's Newspaper

Foster + Partners

'Tulip Tower' Doesn't Clear the Mayor's Desk in London

A 984-foot tower, with an observation deck, shaped like a tulip, won over planners, but not the mayor, in London.

July 17, 2019 - The Architect's Newspaper

Celebrity

Kanye West Jumps Into the Affordable Housing Business

Seriously.

June 5, 2018 - The Architect's Newspaper

Walters Art Museum - Architecture (3 of 5)

Debating the Future of Baltimore: New Urbanism vs. Global Starchitecture

Pritzker Prize winner Thom Mayne and leading New Urbanist planner Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk squared off in a debate about the future of Baltimore.

April 7, 2016 - ASLA The Dirt

Planned City

Are Asia's Planned Cities a New Colonialism?

While they look clean and green on the drawing board, Asia's planned developments might be nothing more than cloned commercialism set in concrete. By undermining local culture, this 'smart city' approach may also prove unsustainable.

April 12, 2015 - The Global Urbanist

Family Feud

Last Night on Family Feud: 'Name the Starchitect'

Last night's edition of the Family Feud gave starchitects a pop culture moment.

April 1, 2015 - Planetizen April 1st Edition

Gehry Fondation Louis Vuitton

Op-Ed: Starchitecture Fails the Future

An addiction to spectacle and fad, says Peter Buchanan, has set architecture adrift in a sea of meaningless forms. And real design problems go ignored.

March 20, 2015 - The Architectural Review

The Starchitect Debate Continues: Locatecture, Public Art, and Branding

James S. Russell, architecture and design critic, pitches his two cents into the starchitect debate, arguing for locatecture and sensitivity to place.

August 19, 2014 - Architizer

Debate: How Much should 'Starchitects' be Faulted for Urban Ills?

In response to a recent polemic by Witold Rybczynski against the global proliferation of iconic but disconnected projects by starchitects, the New York Times hosts a debate that addresses the question: Are superstar architects ruining city skylines?

July 30, 2014 - New York Times

Design Crit: LACMA's Proposal to Bridge Wilshire Boulevard Misreads Los Angeles

The proposed expansion of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art recently got a major revision—now instead of cantilevering over the La Brea Tar Pits, the building would bridge Wilshire Boulevard.

July 9, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Hearst Tower Norman Foster

In the Era of Starchitecture, Whither 'Locatecture'?

Witold Rybczynski laments the globalization of architecture—especially the personal branding of the most famous architects onto the skylines of cities all over the world.

June 17, 2014 - New York Times Magazine

Norman Foster-Designed Tower to be Demolished in Las Vegas

Around the corner from buildings by Daniel Libeskind and Rafael Vinoly (just to name two) in the CityCenter section of the Las Vegas Strip, a never-complete building, designed by Forster + Partners, stood empty for years. Not for long.

May 29, 2014 - Architectural Record

'Starchitect': Making Use of an Overused Term

As much as architects and critics may hate the term, "we are going to be stuck with 'starchitect' until everybody with a keyboard agrees to retire it," says Guy Horton. So how can architects - star or not - make the term work for them?

July 26, 2013 - ArchDaily

Bizarre Buildings Seen as Tourist Draw

Travel+Leisure Magazine presents a gallery of "the world's strangest buildings", which it presents as sites "worth a detour."

November 20, 2011 - Travel+Leisure

"Architectural Sizzle" in India

With the outsourcing business booming, Indian companies are building sexy new office towers with the goal of attracting the hottest software developers and consultants.

January 4, 2011 - The New York Times

Starchitecture Eroding

Eric Felton writes that buyers of splashy, starchitect-designed buildings are finding all too often that innovation in form leads to unforeseen structural problems.

September 28, 2010 - The Wall St. Journal

Notable Architecture to Watch in 2010

This piece from Business Week lists the most anticipated architecture projects to watch in 2010.

March 9, 2010 - Business Week

Christmastime in the City

Even more so than usual, few people will be receiving buildings as gifts this season.  They're too expensive, you can’t return them, and, notwithstanding Barbie’s Dream House, they probably won't fit under your tree.  But still, this Yuletide affords ample opportunity to take stock of the works that have arisen in this most momentous of decades. 

December 23, 2009 - Josh Stephens

'Urban Planning is Dead in the U.S.,' Says Gehry

In this interview, Frank Gehry defends his record and balks at being called a "starchitect."

December 17, 2009 - The Independent (UK)

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