Famous architects firms, Contemporary design practices, Celebrate designers, Major architecture companies

Famous Architects Studios

Major Designers + Architecture Studios around the world

post updated 29 July 2024

We’ve selected who we feel are the major architects currently working in the world. The focus is on contemporary architects but we do carry information on many historic architects.

Celebrated architects, listed alphabetically by their surname – these design studios are all currently active, ie they are contemporary architecture studios:

Famous World Architects – Contemporary

Santiago Calatrava, Switzerland
Santiago Calatrava - Famous Architects office
photograph : Isabelle Lomholt
Santiago Calatrava studied architecture from 1968 at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Valencia. From 1975-81 Santiago studied at the ETH in Zurich. The architect married and settled in the city. His first architecture competition win, in 1983, was for the Stadelhofen Railway Station in Zurich. Calatrava then set up his architecture studio in the city.

David Chipperfield, UK
David Chipperfield - Famous Architects practice
image © Nick Knight; photograph from HPA
David Chipperfield studied at the Architectural Association, London. Chipperfield worked in the architecture practices of Douglas Stephens, Richard Rogers and Norman Foster, all London. DCA began 1984 in London, 1987 in Tokyo. He is a Foundation member & director of the 9H Gallery, London, and a Member of the Architectural Foundation, London.

Norman Foster, UK
Norman Foster
image from Hotel Puerta America
Norman Foster is the founder and executive chairman of Foster + Partners, a global studio for architecture, urbanism and design, rooted in sustainability. He was born in Manchester, and after graduating from Manchester University School of Architecture and City Planning in 1961 he won a Henry Fellowship to Yale University, where he was a fellow of Jonathan Edwards College and gained a Master’s Degree in Architecture.

Frank Gehry, USA
Frank Gehry - Famous Architects firm
image from STV
Frank Gehry is Design Principal for the firm of Gehry Partners. Before founding the practice, Frank Gehry worked with architects Victor Gruen and Pereira & Luckman in Los Angeles, USA, and with André Remondet in Paris, France.

Zaha Hadid, UK
Zaha Hadid - Famous Architects practice
photograph : Steve Double

Steven Holl, USA
Steven Holl - Famous Architects office
photo © Heitoff

Rem Koolhaas, Netherlands
Rem Koolhaas - Famous Architects studio
photograph from Nitropix

Daniel Libeskind, USA
Daniel Libeskind
photograph from SDL

Jean Nouvel, France
Jean Nouvel
photo from Hotel Puerta America

SANAA : Ryue Nishizawa, Kazuyo Sejima, Japan
Sejima Nishizawa
© SANAA photograph © Takashi Okamoto

Famous World Architects – Historic

Alvar Aalto – major 20th Century architect
Le Corbusier – the most famous architect of the 20th Century
Antoni Gaudi
Walter Gropius – major 20th Century architect
Nicholas Hawksmoor
Arne Jacobsen
Philip Johnson
Louis Kahn – major 20th Century architect
John Lautner
Claude Ledoux
Adolf Loos
Berthold Lubetkin
Edwin Lutyens
Rennie Mackintosh
Pier Luigi Nervi
Richard Neutra
J. M. Olbrich
Frei Otto
Eero Saarinen
Hans Scharoun
John Soane
James Stirling
Jorn Utzon
Mies Van der Rohe – one of the most famous architects of the 20th Century
Otto Wagner
Christopher Wren
Frank Lloyd Wright – major 20th Century architect

Famous Buildings
Sydney Opera House Building by Famous Architects studio
photo © Derek McGavigan

World Architects – Contemporary + Historic

Contemporary Architecture Studios : major contemporary offices

Historic Architecture Studios : major practices from 20th Century & beyond

World Architect Portraits : key designers photos
Wiel Arets Architect
picture : Erwin Olaf

Architecture Studios

Architectural Offices

Architects Studios

Comments / photos for the World ArchitectsFamous Designers page welcome.