Architecture is present in our lives every day. Buildings play a functional and aesthetic role: they provide housing and shape the image of the city. They capture historical moments and the evolution of the place. Dubai is associated with Burj Khalifa, London with Big Ben and the Shard skyscraper, Paris with the Eiffel Tower, and Sydney with the Opera building.
Take a look at 5 of the greatest architects.
Antoni Gaudi
Spaniard Antonio Gaudi has created a unique look for Barcelona. His most famous creation is the eccentric Sagrada Familia. Its construction began in 1883 and is still incomplete. Gaudi's style is a mixture of Baroque, Gothic and Moorish architecture. He often uses mosaic and other decorative elements. The main "highlight" of the master is the natural forms of buildings. His work is recognizable by the undulating lines of the façade and the treelike columns that support the buildings from the inside. There are no straight lines in them.
The most famous projects: Park Guel, Casa Batlló and Mila House, Sagrada Familia. All works are in Barcelona.
Mies van der Roe
Less is more - the main principle of the German minimalist architect. He transformed architecture to elementary geometric forms, got rid of ornamentation, leaving only reliable and functional materials. The skyscrapers he designed in New York became the prototypes of business centers around the world.
Notable projects include the German Pavilion for the 1929 Catalan Exhibition, the National Gallery of Germany, the Seagram Building in New York and the Crown Hall in Chicago.
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid's unconventional and bold style does not always find understanding with customers. Many of her projects are so eccentric that they were never built. And those works that were nevertheless implemented have forever changed the architectural appearance of modern megacities. She earned the Pritzker Prize, an iconic award that can be compared to the Nobel Prize for Architecture.
The most famous projects: the Museum of Modern Art in Rome, the Bergisel ski jump in Innsbruck, the Faeno Science Center and the Opera in Guangzhou.
Norman Foster
One of the most brilliant contemporary architects, Norman Foster is best known for his minimalist, high-tech buildings. The works of the ambitious architect are recognizable by their characteristic straight lines. It uses spacious green mini-atriums, which allow plenty of natural light to enter the offices. Its buildings are functional and comfortable.
Notable projects include Beijing Airport, the Boston Museum of Art, the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt am Main, the Reichstag in Berlin, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
Le Corbusier
Corbusier is an artist-reformer who completely overturned outdated ideas about architecture. His designs combine functionalism with bold expressionism. He was the first to use raw concrete. This technique satisfied his taste for asceticism and for sculptural forms. He uses glass and large light spaces - his buildings seem to float above the ground, leaning on invisible frames. In 2016, 17 architectural works by Corbusier were included in the UNESCO heritage list.
The most famous projects: Tokyo Museum of Western Art, Basilica of Notre-Dame-du-O and the Monastery of Saint-Marie-de-la-Tourette in France, House of Curuchet in Buenos Aires.
