“Even a brick wants to be something.”  –Louis Kahn

The Framework

Getting into architecture entails strong technical knowledge in the disciplines of engineering, logistics, geometry, building systems, ergonomics, and much more. It also requires a specific sensibility towards arts and aesthetics while demanding a preoccupation with human questions and society’s problems. Architecture can be a very comprehensive and humanistic field that is all technical, artistic as well as social. Architecture courses are traditionally always found at the hybridization of these domains. The role of an architect demands a specific ability to synthesize information coming from incredibly diverse areas, and the designers usually assume the position of leader, mediator, or even centralizer in groups fabricated from various specialists.

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Salk Institute by Louis Kahn ©www.archdaily.com

The Architectonic

Architecture has always secluded itself from other art forms because it plays a function likewise as an aesthetic role, offering shelter obviously, but also shaping our everyday experiences. Architecture also leaves behind monuments to moments in time, signified in stone, glass, and steel in the varied layers of history that outline the evolution of an area. “Architecture is that the will of an epoch translated into space,” the well-known German architect Mies van der Rohe once said and there’s no better proof of that than in NY whose myriad landmark buildings present stupendous views while framing an iconic skyline.

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Farnsworth House by Mies Van der Rohe ©www.architecture.org

WHAT IS FAMOUS?

The Field

Architecture is plausibly the real fabric that clads our civilization. Nevertheless, the wonderful faces behind these creations are often anonymous, or we should rather say as less-popularly known. So, the ordinary person often goes their entire lives without knowing who exactly is liable for developing their daily character of life.

However, with piecemeal developments, one amongst these designers stands out as the real genius of its craft. Ultimately, he becomes renowned for his style of work. Famous architects bear influence, incentivize their companions, and develop the planning structure of the planetoid. Perhaps, an architect can also even garner heaps of wealth along with stardom.

The Fame

Famous architecture is conventionally noticeable everywhere around the world. The moment that we view a photo of a famous construction, we instantly tend to develop an expeditious sense of its broader context, like its location, culture, architectural style, and the epoch that it belongs to. In other words, famous architecture often becomes iconic. But why does this happen? Why do some buildings get abundant honor while others sit quietly doing their respective jobs? And then the questions keep on getting more pertinent.

“Architecture could be a visual art and therefore the buildings represent themselves.”  –Julia Morgan

Becoming famous tends towards being recognized, appreciated, and honored by most of the people. A famous person is the one who is adhered to admiration by the society for an honest reason while infamous is the one who is ill-famed and shunned for the faulty and corrupt qualities.

Thus, the extraordinarily and successfully famous people, buildings, and even corporations lead to influence our lives and societies profoundly.

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Hearst Castle by Julia Morgan ©www.photopilst.com

The Facets

The fact that some designs relinquish the position of growing into a prominent and leading architectural marvel is conceivably the intricate characteristics and innovative aspects of the project. The fascinating experiences that are offered by celebrated buildings are so fabulous that they should be preserved, shared, and revisited timely. To mature into a famous architect, one must fabricate a famous and remarkable architecture that is authentic, unprecedented and presents innovative lives to its users and visitors.

Certain qualities appear to imitate when it involves renowned and famous architecture. These traits are authenticity, uniqueness, and whether or not the building is innovative in any way. You see, authenticity shows that a building sits within its surrounding context well while contributing towards it is its claim. Uniqueness lends itself toward famous architecture because it helps a building stand out from the remainder, becoming memorable and highly wanted. And therefore, the innovative qualities of a building are important because if it creates a “first-time” for something, it is creating history. Famous architecture does just that. It becomes an element of history, standing the test of time and serves those who occupy, visit, or connect to it.

WHO IS FAMOUS?

“My buildings are more famous than me.”

-Jean Nouvel

The Who & What

Famous architects or starchitects are the architects who stand-out from their professional companions for one or the other reason. Their claim to fame can be their unique personalities, their impressive designs, the very fact that they’re public figures, or some specific professional achievements that they hold.

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National Museum of Qatar by Jean Nouvel ©www.jeannouvel.com

The Why

Man has always built, shaped, or renewed the living environment. And as long as man has been building, the architects have existed. Since the quality of the built environment evolved now and then, the public’s appreciation for sound design and review also kept on shifting. Factually, in most cases, it was the architects who took control of managing the responsibility.

The most famous architects in history come from all over the planet. They range from the historical architects who designed buildings that have long outlived them and stood the test of time, to the more modern architects who are redefining architecture as we all know it each day.

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Keys to Fame ©Shanika Nishi

One becomes a famous architect in the identical way that one becomes a famous anything. One may become an extremely great architect; build his own business by satisfying his clients, until eventually his name springs to be adopted as a shorthand for other architects’ style.

A BONUS DIGEST

However, the more we study and research about this subject and develop several parameters that influence fame, it furthermore seems puzzling to conclude what actions exactly we should consider for inspiration. So here’s offering you a brief synopsis regarding the same.

Research, go influenced, and work towards your goal.

Yet, it is noteworthy to consider the ability to be accessible and the role of publication as contributing factors towards what makes a famous architecture (and architect) so iconic. For example, flight allows people to travel everywhere on the planet, hence letting them visit the architectural marvels for themselves. Some architecture becomes more famous than others to go to and this creates fame. Next, with photographs of buildings being published in books, magazines, and newspapers, people get to virtually visit the design, hence inducing a sense of experience and appreciation in them. This becomes even more exaggerated with social media nowadays, where friends share travel photos of architecture with their friends, travel bloggers share their experiences of different spots from all over the world, and instantly the architecture gains name and fame.

Author

Shanika Nishi is currently majoring in architecture. With avid interest in reading and research, she has been regularly penning down her ideas into poems. She has a vision of contributing vivaciously to the profession &further while honing her knowledge. She also believes that ‘We must do what little we can.’