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In memoriam — those we lost in 2023

2023-12-23T08:00:00-05:00

The death of an architect offers the opportunity to reflect on past icons while narrating their careers through architecture with the thoughts of their peers and a list of achievements in tow. Looking back, we recount lives in the field all too often simplified into being preeminent or respected with their outputs, like the state of architecture, being too far spread and impermanent to ever adequately explain.

In 2022, we saw the passing of many foundational figures in the industry. This year, we add more familiar names as we remember their work and legacy as part of our annual Year in Review rundown.

Below are some of the influential architects, landscape architects, and industry leaders we lost in 2023.

Jean-Louis Cohen (1949–2023)

Jean-Louis Cohen, 1949–2023. Image: Mandanarch via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In August, the passing of the beloved French theorist and architectural historian was shared widely as past students and other admirers remembered fondly what his writin...

In memoriam — those we lost in 2022

2022-12-26T08:00:00-05:00

Each year, the industry loses a host of leading figures whose careers as practitioners, educators, theorists, and writers have brought architecture and design to the place it occupies today. Annual remembrances are a valuable means of examining the luminaries and thought leaders who gifted us with award-winning architecture, groundbreaking intellectual dialogue, and social achievements. This year’s list was no exception.

Below is a summary of the prominent figures we said goodbye to in 2022.

Ricardo Bofill (1939–2022)

Ricardo Bofill

Known for the optimism and complexity of his detail-oriented designs, Bofill’s work was shaped early on by the changing political landscape of his native country before evolving in scale, materials usage, and vernacular inspiration by the dawn of the new Millennium that would bare some of his best-received buildings. Walden 7, La Fábrica, La Muralla Roja, and his 1997 design for the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya were among the projects that cemented his...

In memoriam — those we lost in 2021

2021-12-28T18:05:00-05:00

2021 was unfortunately a record year in terms of the death notices and obituaries of many who contributed to our profession in ways both large and small.

Our pages were filled with heartfelt tributes to the many who were taken from us in fields that included academia (like Thomas Gordon Smith, Lance Hosey, and Donald P. Ryder) and urban planning (Alexander Garvin and Niall McCullough) as well as a multitude whose contributions to modernism (Bernard Judge, James L. Nagle, and Hugh Newell Jacobson) and other forms of architecture (Alan Lapidus) will be tragically missed, and still more whose work in preservation (Charles Cassell), conceptual art (Lawrence Weiner), architecture journalism (Kristen Richards), and philanthropy (Eli Broad and Richard Driehaus) will be remembered with equal fondness.

Here below is a list of select names we lost in the past year.

Photo: Benedict Johnson. Image courtesy Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Richard Rogers (1933–2021)

More than a colorful character...

Umberto Riva has passed away in Italy at age 93

2021-07-01T12:48:00-04:00

Multiple news outlets are reporting that Umberto Riva has died in Italy at the age of 93.

The Italian architect was referred to as a maestro by his contemporaries who reacted to news of the passing of the architect and painter last week in Palermo.

Born to a Milanese family in 1928, Riva studied in Venice before eventually obtaining an apprenticeship in the office of Carlo Scarpa. Major works included the redevelopment of Piazza San Nazaro and the Biblioteca Europea, both in Milan; power plants in Campobasso and Termoli; a restored café in Padua; and several successful lamps for the Italian studio Tacchini.

Riva was widely known for a wide array of projects ranging from his stately private residences, well-lit interiors spaces, and designs for furniture that incorporated Riva’s sense of luminescence while communicating a simplicity of form reminiscent of his lifelong influence, Constantin Brâncuși.

“My work is constantly fostered and tested by my being in this world. Plus, there is...

Architecture helps memorialize basketball legend Kobe Bryant

2020-01-27T16:43:00-05:00

Many are shaken by the recent news of the tragic deaths of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and 7 other people in Los Angeles over the weekend. As fans grieve the loss, the city of Los Angeles mourns for Bryant. With the number of accolades and championships Bryant has won during his 20-year career, the impact he's had on the sport and the city of Los Angeles is insurmountable.

Coverage of the heartbreaking incident sent shockwaves through the media, and curiously, during this time of widespread grief, Los Angeles took to its built environment to honor one of the city's most esteemed athletes. On Sunday night, several LA buildings sported the Lakers' trademark purple and gold team colors. Fans across the nation also shared photos of cities repping Laker purple and gold.

Nice tribute! The Gores Group in Beverly Hills lit up their building tonight too. #RIPMamba pic.twitter.com/TGPbmycGai
— ACF in LA (@ACFinLA) January 27, 2020 From @HoustonTX too- our bridges lit...

R.I.P. Shoji Sadao, the unsung force behind some of Buckminster Fuller and Isamu Noguchi's iconic designs

2019-11-15T12:42:00-05:00

“Shoji’s architectural background was instrumental to these large projects,” Thomas T.K. Zung, who became a partner of Mr. Sadao’s in the firm Buckminster Fuller, Sadao & Zung Architects, said by email. “Shoji’s accomplishment was his service to two geniuses, Bucky and Isamu,” Mr. Zung added. “Shoji was an architectural samurai — he understood them both and added to their mix, without need or benefit of self-glory.”

Architect Shoji Sadao, who played a major role in bringing some of the most famous designs by Buckminster Fuller and Isamu Noguchi into the world, passed away in Tokyo at the age of 92 on November 3.

As one of Fuller's most important collaborators, Sadao applied his mathematical and cartographic expertise for iconic projects like the Dymaxion Airocean World Map and the U.S. pavilion geodesic dome at Expo ’67. Some of the projects he worked on with Noguchi include the Hart Plaza fountain in Detroit and the production of the well-known Akari Light Sculpture. He led the design of the Noguchi Museum in Queens, for which he served as Executive Director from 1989-2003.

In 2006, Sadao authored the book, “Buckminster Fuller and Isamu Noguchi: Best of Friends,” an informal biography of the lasting friendship and shared influences between the two visionaries.

“During his life, Shoji was modest and reserved, keeping his name out of the limelight,” the Buckminster Fuller Institute wrote in an o...

Shaping an architectural legend: what inspired I.M. Pei?

2019-05-17T16:16:00-04:00

I.M Pei's work has influenced many. However, there are several individuals and places that have influenced Pei into becoming one of the most recognized architects in the profession. Growing up in Hong Kong and Shanghai, Pei drew much inspiration from his childhood surroundings, but do you know what else inspired the late architectural legend?

Every great architect is inspired by someone or something which propels them into producing their most significant work. Below is a list of people and places that have influenced I.M. Pei and his work.

Shizilin Garden in Suzhou - The Lion Grove Garden. Image by Gisling courtesy of WikiCommons

Shizilin Garden in Suzhou
As a child, Pei would visit the gardens of Suzhou with his family during the summer. Indeed a place filled with beauty and history the Shizilin Garden was especially influential to Pei as a boy. Built by a Buddhist monk in the 14th century, the late architect described the garden as "an ideal playground." What stuck with Pei the mo...

Architects, writers, museums, and a Prime Minister remember the life and work of I.M. Pei, 1917–2019

2019-05-17T15:39:00-04:00

It is a rare moment when the words "architect" and "architecture" appear in the elusive list of trending Twitter topics, but yesterday's sighting followed a sad occasion: architect I.M. Pei, the revered master of modernist architecture, had died on Thursday at the proud age of 102.

Architecture critic and writer Paul Goldberger was the first to share the news—triggering a prompt outpouring of sympathy and memories from the architecture community and beyond.

Some sad news: I’ve just learned that I.M. Pei died last night, at 102. The end of an architectural era, truly. A sad moment, but a career—and a life—worthy of celebration.
— Paul Goldberger (@paulgoldberger) May 16, 2019

Michael Kimmelman, the current NYT architecture critic, shared his personal experience with Pei's architecture, writing "Like others, I deeply admire Pei's beautiful and thoughtful Islamic museum in Qatar, respect the sculptural power of the East Building in D.C. and the Pyramid in Paris, among obvious landmarks...

Looking back at some of I.M. Pei's building milestones on Archinect

2019-05-17T13:12:00-04:00

The fact that I.M. Pei, who passed away at 102 years old on May 16, lived long enough to see some of his notable buildings reach their own age milestones goes to show how timeless his designs are. Even if some of his buildings were first met with controversy, his buildings and his legacy have been permanently woven into the cultural fabric of cities across the world. Below, you can revisit some of Archinect's previous news and feature highlights that celebrate Pei's illustrious career.

"The Element of Time": Celebrating a Century of I.M. Pei

.M. Pei and wife Eileen at a birthday party. Image: Henry Cobb via YouTube.

Pei turned 100 years old on April 26, 2017. In this feature, his former colleagues, Sir Norman Foster, and even the architect himself give remembrances, anecdotes, and a celebration of the genius of one of the masters of architecture. “He’s always looking at things in between, and that’s why it’s so hard to put him into a category. He’s not an academic or a conceptualist ...

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson announces death of retired principal Jon Jackson

2018-08-24T14:25:00-04:00

In the words of the late Dick Rittelmann (1938-2015), friend and collaborator, and cofounder of Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann: “The breadth and complexity of BCJ’s work over the years is a testimony to the skills of Jon Jackson as not only a great individual architect, but of a manager, mentor, motivator, and collaborator. Jon has matured from one who creates great architecture to one who creates the environment in which great architecture can occur.”

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson announced today in a press release that retired principal Jon Jackson passed away last Friday, August 17. A Pittsburgh-area native and a highly respected figure in Western Pennsylvania and national design communities, Jackson and his work — which focused on large, technically complex projects and also helped define the interactive workplace seen in today's leading tech companies — played an integral role in bringing BCJ to national and global prominence.

“Jon C. Jackson hired me in 1997 to join Bohlin Cywinski Jackson,” tweeted SmithGroup Principal Rosa Sheng, who was also a founding member of BCJ's San Francisco office in 1999. “He was not only just and fair, but a true champion for my career development and instrumental in supporting what became the San Francisco Office where I spent 20 years of my career. Rest In Peace Jon, you are missed.”

Correction: This post previously stated that Jackson was survived by his wife Roxanne Sherbeck, FAIA — with whom he c...

Founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, passes away, age 91

2018-01-29T14:08:00-05:00

"His legacy will be admired for many years to come and his vision – to create a better everyday life for the many people – will continue to guide and inspire us," says Jesper Brodin, the CEO and president of the IKEA Group.

Over the weekend, the Swedish entrepreneur who created IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad (age 91), passed away quietly at his home in Sweden. The company confirmed Mr. Kamprad's death on Sunday, citing "short illness."

The business magnate displayed a penchant for entrepreneurship from a young age, selling matches to Swedish villagers as a child. In 1943, a 17-year-old Kamprad registered his business as IKEA, originally selling household goods by mail.

Over the course of his seven decades-long career, Kamprad grew the mail-order company into the world's largest furniture retailer. With more than 350 stores in 29 countries, the company amassed him a net worth of over $58.7 billion, making him the world's eighth-richest person according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

He is survived by his daughter, Annika, and sons, Peter, Jonas and Mathias—and, of course, the ubiquitous 'Lack table' that sits in every one of your millennial friends' living rooms.

In Memoriam—Those we Lost in 2017

2017-12-29T09:00:00-05:00

In 2017, we said farewell to some of our most legendary names. This year will regretfully be remembered for its notable losses as we said goodbye to some of architecture's biggest and brightest champions, educators, historians, and practitioners. Here, we pay tribute to those who changed the field, and for many, our lives.

↑ FBI Headquarters

Carter Manny (1918-2017)

Over the course of his decades-long career, Carter Manny, who passed away at 98 earlier this year, worked on iconic projects such as the O'Hare International Airport and the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I Building. He also served a lengthy career as the director of the Graham Foundation, a Chicago organization that offers research grants to architects around the world.

↑ Radio City Music Hall in New York, renovated in 1999 by Hardy

Hugh Hardy (1932-2017)

Over the course of his legendary career, architect Hugh Hardy breathed new life into some of New York City’s most famous theatrical landmarks, with his many restoration and renova...

Peter Pran FAIA, co-founder of Peter Pran + H Architects, has passed away

2017-07-07T19:40:00-04:00

Norweigan-born architect Peter Pran, FAIA, has passed away. He was a co-founder and partner of Peter Pran + H Architects in New York City, and had previously held positions at Ellerbe Becket, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and NBBJ. He has also been an influential educator, having taught at schools across the country including the University of Kansas, Cornell University, and the University of Illinois-Chicago, as well as schools in Japan, Italy, and Denmark.

A full obituary will follow.

Robert Michael Kliment FAIA, cofounder of Kliment Halsband Architects, has died

2017-06-07T20:02:00-04:00

New York architect and cofounder of Kliment Halsband Architects, Robert Michael Kliment FAIA, 1922-2017, has passed away.

Born in Prague in 1933, Robert was one of several hundred children whom the humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton brought to safety in England during the Second World War. He was later schooled in France and Cuba before studying architecture at Yale, where he received his B.A. in 1954. After serving with the U.S. Army in Europe, he returned to Yale to complete his M.Arch in 1959, and upon graduation won a Fulbright Fellowship to study the history and evolution of urban spaces in Italy. He joined Mitchell/Giurgola in 1960 as the firm’s first full-time staff member, and later opened their New York office. In 1972 he founded Kliment Halsband Architects with his wife Frances.

Robert practiced a humanistic architecture that engaged thoughtfully with historical and cultural contexts while also leaving the way open to future uses and needs. As a practitioner, he brought a rig...

William Krisel, Pioneer of Mass-Produced Mid-Century Modernist Housing, Dies at 92

2017-06-06T18:49:00-04:00

Esteemed mid-century modern architect William Krisel, known for his use of the butterfly roof, died in Beverly Hills on Monday at the age of 92.

Working largely in Southern California, Krisel designed over 30,000 homes in the region. Some of the architect’s most influential work was built in Palm Springs, California, a desert haven for modern architectural experimentation in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Krisel is best known for pioneering the modernist tract house, a response to the rise of post-war suburban developments. Employing brightly colored and patterned facades with a variety of asymmetrical roof forms, Krisel delivered modernist design principles on a mass-scale.

Photo by Darren Bradley/Courtesy of Darren Bradley.

“The concept for offering the builder various roof lines — flat, gables, inverted butterfly or whatever — is something that he sort of brought to the table so that they could essentially have very similar floor plans but have homes that looked quite different,” said Chris Men...

Diane Lewis, architect and eminent Cooper Union professor, has died

2017-05-02T13:45:00-04:00

New York architect and professor Diane Lewis has passed away, The Cooper Union announced in a statement today. She was the first woman appointed to the school's full-time architecture faculty and tenured in 1993. Since then, she was a “beloved and influential voice” in the community, wrote Nader Tehrani, dean of the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture.

Lewis won the 1976 Rome Prize in Architecture, being one of the youngest recipients of the award. In addition to her experience at the American Academy in Rome, she spent her formative years working at Richard Meier's office from 1977-78, followed by six years at I.M. Pei and Partners from 1978-83, while launching her teaching career.

Then in 1983, she established her eponymous firm, Diane Lewis Architects. She fiercely dedicated her practice to studio teaching and critical writing on architecture, and she integrated the approach of “the architecture of t...

In Memoriam: those we lost in 2016

2016-12-08T12:21:00-05:00

Reasons for celebration in 2016 have been rare; it was largely a year of profound change and loss, especially within architecture. Here is a brief memorial for 17 remarkable architects, designers, planners, and educators we lost this year.

↑ Balmori Associates' "GrowOnUs Floating Landscape"

Diana Balmori (1932 - 2016)

Designing nature within a highly compact and industrial grid isn't a simple affair: landscape architect Diana Balmori, who died in November of 2016, flawlessly and imaginatively integrated the two in works throughout her award-winning career. In addition to the Abandoibarra District in Bilbao, the Spanish-born and U.S.-based Balmori designed numerous living or green roofs in Manhattan, creating gorgeous and sustainable arrangements. In addition to teaching and running her own firm, Balmori was frequently recognized with awards, including a nod from The National Endowment for the Arts.

↑ "Gunnar Asplund" monograph by Peter Blundell Jones

Peter Blundell Jones (1949 - 2016)

Pro...

Celebrate Zaha Hadid's life at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery on April 8th

2016-04-07T14:44:00-04:00

If you're in London Friday, you can celebrate the late, great Zaha Hadid at a public memorial held at the Magazine restaurant at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery. Between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., visitors can sign books of condolence and pay respects to her surviving family members, which include her brother Haytham, nephew Hussein Haytham, niece Rana Haytham, as well as the family of her late brother Foulath Mohammad.

For more on Dame Hadid's work, life, and passing:

"She had got it." Razan Abu-Salha remembered by her architecture professor

2015-02-18T15:18:00-05:00

Before Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha was killed on Feb. 10, she had an epiphany in her architecture class. [...] "Within a few moments after we began the demonstration, she lit up like she completely got it. In her eyes, I remember the most, just the kindness in her eyes. Behind those deep eyes, a little bulb went on, and she no longer needed me. It's the moment any teacher wants to have with their students, like, 'OK, they get it, you can go now.'

CityLab reflects on August Perez III's influence on his hometown of New Orleans

2014-12-16T14:28:00-05:00

August Perez III had an incredible impact on the way New Orleans looks today, from its skyline to Mardi Gras. Perez, one of the city's most important architects of the 20th century, passed away last week at the age of 81.[...] Taking over his father's architecture firm in 1975, Perez quickly made his mark on postmodern architecture, teaming up with Charles Moore to design the Piazza D'Italia in 1978. The public plaza [...]remains one of the most defining pieces of postmodern design to this day.

Frederic Schwartz, 63, Dies; Designed Sept. 11 Memorials

2014-04-30T13:59:00-04:00

Frederic Schwartz, an architect whose plan to rebuild the World Trade Center site finished second among hundreds of entries, and who went on to create memorials in New Jersey and Westchester County to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 63.

In memoriam: Pritzker winner Hans Hollein dies at age 80

2014-04-24T17:34:00-04:00

Austrian architect and designer Hans Hollein, a winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize whose work ranged from big museums through tiny shops to furniture and sunglasses, has died. He was 80. [...] He won the 1985 Pritzker Prize for his work, which often included touches of fancy, such as bronze-clad palm trees in a Vienna travel agency.

RIP Hans Hollein (1934 - 2014), independent architect, artist and professor.

From 1976-2002, Hollein served as a professor at the University of Applied Art in Vienna, where he was also Dean of the Architecture department. He also held professorships at Yale University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of California, Los Angeles, and Ohio State University. According to Dorothea Apovnik, a spokeswoman for Hollein's family, he died in Vienna after a long illness.

The following is a selection of Hollein's work, including his Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt am Main and Haas-Haus in Vienna.

Additional images of Hollein's earlier work are available here.

Donna Sink has begun a thread in the forum honoring Hollein, discussing his life and work.