How to become an influential architect?

What is the path that leads some architects to become so influential in their field? Is it innovation? Extreme creativity? Pragmatism? Business knowledge?

Each case is definitely different! And here, we try to learn from the architects behind our favorite projects. In this edition, let's discover more about the swiss architects, both born in 1950, Jacques Herzog and Pierre De Meuron. Having received jointly the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2001, they must have done something right!

In their case, it seems that their lifelong business partnership has been one of the secrets to the success of their firm. They had known each other since childhood and established their practice almost directly after graduating in 1978.

And it is beautiful to see how far they've got. In the archives of The New York Times Magazine, we found an article dating from 1998! Herzog was saying: 'Whether something lasts or not has nothing to do with whether it's made of stone or steel or wood or fabric...

...A house built all in wood can be a monument that lasts for hundreds of years because it seduces people to live in it, to use it and maintain it. Eternity depends on whether people are willing to take care of something.'

What a statement! It shifts our entire perspective about what we thought architecture should be like. About those monuments that stand the test of time…

Loyal to their vision, Herzog & De Meuron’s projects feel eternal today with their distinctive innovation in material use and spatiality. Yes, all famous architects are relatable. They have dreams and they work hard to achieve them. We can do the same.

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