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How do Starchitects become Starchitects?

impalajunkie

I'm curious.. is it a product of a rigorous marketing effort, like Mike Jones screaming his name every 10 seconds until he's famous? Where you went to school? If you happened to win a prominent competition? Or is it truly just one's designs?

 
Mar 7, 07 8:29 am
vado retro

i guess mike should scream a little louder cuz i never heard of him.

Mar 7, 07 8:31 am  · 
1  · 

You have to be known to, and convince, the right people of your talents and their applicability. Starchitects have a talent for designing wonderful buildings. They also have a talent for appealing to the kinds of Clients who facilitate their construction. They have a capacity for hard work. They also have a talent to attract talented people to work hard for them, often at lower than average remuneration.
Are they the best architects? In terms of pure design skill, this isn't proven: the potential capacities of many others, in this regard, never see the light of day because they lack those complimentary skills mentioned or because they simply have had bad luck or because opportunities simply didn't present themselves and other life-priorities gradually gained the upper hand.

Or put more simply, how does one become Brad Pitt? By being the best actor? By virtue of being born good looking to others?

The one thing one does have control over is to be one's own star, if you'll excuse the fact that this statement is rather corny...

Mar 7, 07 8:49 am  · 
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r.m.m.

that wasnt corny at all, its a great reminder!

Dec 12, 19 4:52 pm  · 
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i'll let you know

Mar 7, 07 9:23 am  · 
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trace™

You have to have money. Inherit if you can, if not, marry it.

Gotta love political smooching, big words and tons of bs.



I'd be one, if I could, but am lacking at least one of the above 'qualities'.

Mar 7, 07 9:26 am  · 
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JMBarquero/squirrelly

personality seems to be one of those things that people do say carries major weight, and it seems as if those that are STARchitects have just that.....a form of personality, good bad or indifferent, it still is character!

Mar 7, 07 11:02 am  · 
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swisscardlite

like zaha hadid? haha

Mar 7, 07 11:05 am  · 
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JMBarquero/squirrelly

funny enough, I was thinking of that same person as I wrote what I wrote. I mean she's some sort of wicked bag, but it is her character...in other words, it is what makes her Zaha, and love her or hate her, it is who SHE is.

Mar 7, 07 11:07 am  · 
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treekiller

starchitects make other starchitects (and they go to harvard or the AA) and they win competitions.

case-in-point: FOA (farshid mousavi and Alejendro Zenia - pardon the spelling) were Rem's favorites at the GSD, went to work with the delirious master in the EU and then won the yokahama ferry terminal competition and started their stellar career.

Mar 7, 07 11:15 am  · 
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n_

SLEEP AROUND

Mar 7, 07 11:38 am  · 
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holz.box

yeah, there was a whole discussion on oma spinning off like 40 firms, and toyo ito spinning off several as well. it's definitely a function of who you work for, and that often is a function of either how hot your work is, who you know, and/or where you went to school.

but i think the bigger question, is why the desire to become one?

Mar 7, 07 11:55 am  · 
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oddly I took a quick glance at my del.icio.us links saved under "starchitects" and there is an odd trend.

26 listed starchitects
7 are women
3 from the netherlands
3 from nyc
8 from the united kingdom


of course we know that there are two who don't have websites...

so deduction?

be a female architect from the uk :)

but as we know statistics are not a helpful way for determinaton of anything

Mar 7, 07 12:30 pm  · 
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but on that list most were married to | sleeping with other architects or those relative to architecture

almost half

Mar 7, 07 12:39 pm  · 
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treekiller

OMA seems to be the great feeding ground for starchitects

FOA, MVRDV, Zaha, Work, PLOT, REX-Ny all from his loins

Mar 7, 07 12:42 pm  · 
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whistler

My confusion is more about the a starchitect who has risen above the label. Although not the only one but people like Foster, Piano, Rogers to name a few are less about the hipe and have earned their reputation over many years, of consistent high quality projects. I also think that the project types makes a difference ie, not just the high profile museums etc. and deal with heavy issues at a variety of scales, ( social housing, transit facilities, commercial projects ). Some of the Starchitects we comment on in this and other web sites tend to be more about their swagger and use of the media than the work.

Thoughts?????

Three degrees of a Starchitect..... intern Starchitect / Starchitect / Galactitect ( larger than a starchitect, infers a global presence of a substantial nature)

Mar 7, 07 12:43 pm  · 
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treekiller

quasarchitect?

Mar 7, 07 1:00 pm  · 
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mdler

work for other starchitects...project manage a high profile project...meet the right clients while working for the starchitect...design a weekend house for the director of the board of the museum that you just finished project managing...teach a studio at the GSD

Mar 7, 07 1:01 pm  · 
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greenlander1

energy (i think most starchitects are pretty hyper people)
money
political skills

Mar 7, 07 1:22 pm  · 
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strlt_typ

affiliation with a well-known school as a faculty. many architects that we consider starchitects are only starchitects within architecture. and to be a starchitect within architecture you begin by making yourself known to students...and the students will continue the image by talking about you.

Mar 7, 07 1:36 pm  · 
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whislter if I may

I understand your reasoning for seperating fact from faction, the starchitects who rely on hype having a monograph of their works - yet have built nothing of significance.

Two quick points. we are in the era of the starchitect (like the supermodel) where they can get things built a room in a fancy hotel, a housing block, a museum or a host of other things from competitions.

The other is that previously most of the projects by those you mentioned were what was considered "mundane" architecture that thrown out into the market and quickly gobbled by architects trying to make it. As a result there are about 100 transit facilities around Europe built by the starchitects of the previous era.

Mar 7, 07 1:41 pm  · 
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But that said there is only a seperation of time. Some who represent a direct linkage to Philip Johnson's deconstructivist exhibition and those in the uk doing High Modernism...those two actions are believed to be the rise of the starchitect.

Mar 7, 07 1:43 pm  · 
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publix

starchitects make other starchitects (and they go to harvard or the AA) and they win competitions.

case-in-point: FOA (farshid mousavi and Alejendro Zenia - pardon the spelling) were Rem's favorites at the GSD, went to work with the delirious master in the EU and then won the yokahama ferry terminal competition and started their stellar career.


addendum to treekiller's comments:

Rem was on the jury for the Yokohoma Competition. just a small detail...

Mar 7, 07 2:05 pm  · 
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chupacabra

do hallucinogens.

Mar 7, 07 2:05 pm  · 
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Medit
Rem was on the jury for the Yokohoma Competition. just a small detail...

but the entries were anonymous and K didn't recognize Zaera's "hand" on that project... he even told the young couple -after the winner was revealed- that he didn't like their project at all.

Mar 7, 07 4:45 pm  · 
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where does Vado find these songs? Glad he's in a musical / singing mood tho

Mar 7, 07 10:40 pm  · 
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vado retro

its the glimmer twins darlings!

Mar 7, 07 11:26 pm  · 
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aspect

every year many many fresh grad who follow those mentioned path (like work for free at starchitect studio, winning competitions, hang around at universities) and dun make it to stardom...

i think the critical factor is:

1. fate (check ur horoscope)
2. your work must be influential (u gotta have ur own style)
3. write some important theories and get published.

Mar 7, 07 11:47 pm  · 
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accesskb

...by using their time wisely - staying off Archinect and avoiding threads like these.

Mar 8, 07 12:24 pm  · 
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flatroof

Family/Married Money+Connections+Good PR Firm = Starchitect  (Talent Optional)

Dec 13, 19 11:46 am  · 
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thisisnotmyname

^This!^ All day long.

Dec 13, 19 11:59 am  · 
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Let’s not forget academia and media (criticism). Those who can’t do, teach. Those who can’t teach, criticise.

Dec 13, 19 7:53 pm  · 
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sameolddoctor

By sucking upto the right people

Dec 13, 19 9:23 pm  · 
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Happy Anarchy

was looking for a sucking gif...didn't pan out

Dec 13, 19 9:26 pm  · 
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