e-architect pick out (from our resource) what we feel are the most significant buildings of recent decades in North America, with an emphasis on the last decade…of course some major older buildings are missing, we don’t have images for some 20th Century buildings (photos welcome!). For example, houses by Wright, Neutra, Schindler, Lautner etc.

These aren’t selected as the best North American architecture but as the buildings that asked serious questions, stepped forward, innovated and challenged. Views welcome.

Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois, USA
Date built: 1950
Design: Mies van der Rohe
“an icon of 20th century modern architecture”

The Farnsworth House is regarded as one of the most significant of architect Mies van der Rohe’s buildings, of similar importance to canonical works such as the Barcelona Pavilion.

860-880 Lake Shore Apartments, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Date built: 1951
Mies van der Rohe

photo : William Zbaren
860-880 Lake Shore Drive Based on ideas and theories Mies had been perfecting since his earliest days as an independent architect in 1920s Berlin, these buildings redefined highrise living for the post-war generation.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA
Date built: 1956
Frank Lloyd Wright

photo : David M. Heald, © SRGF, New York
Guggenheim Museum New York – organic Modernist architecture

Habitat 67, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
1967
Moshe Safdie Architect

photo © Timothy Hursley
Habitat 67 began life as a master’s thesis project prepared in 1961 by architect Moshe Safdie, then an architecture student at McGill University. He came up with the idea of a high density apartment building that would provide residents with privacy as well as peace and quiet.

Seattle Public Library, Seattle, USA
2004
Rem Koolhaas Architects / OMA

photo : Philippe Ruault
Seattle Library
“The essence of the Public is that it is free. Increasingly public space has been replaced by accommodations of quasi-public substance that while suggesting an open invite, actually make you pay.”

New York by Gehry, NYC
2011
Frank Gehry Architect

picture : dbox
New York by Gehry
Architecturally, Gehry’s design carries the drama of the exterior curtain wall movement into residents’ private spaces, the building’s folds result in some 200 unique apartment layouts from which to choose. Where the façade undulates outward, large free-form bay windows that change location from floor to floor make the most of the building’s unique site, allowing for unobstructed panoramic views in every direction.

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New North American Architecture

Major projects that are currently in progress, whether under design or construction (or both!):

Chicago Navy Pier Redevelopment, USA
James Corner Field Operations

photograph Courtesy Navy Pier, Inc.
Chicago Navy Pier Competition

Freedom Tower, New York City, USA

tower under construction
Freedom Tower New York

, San Francisco, USA
Snøhetta

image © Snøhetta
SFMOMA Expansion

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Recently Completed Building Designs

, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Foster + Partners

photograph : Nigel Young, Foster + Partners
Jameson House

Natural History Museum of Utah, USA
Ennead Architects, LLP with GSBS

photograph © Jeff Goldberg/Esto
Natural History Museum of Utah

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, USA
Design: Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW)

© Nic Lehoux / Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Museo Soumaya, Mexico
FREE | Fernando Romero EnterprisE

photograph : Adam Wiseman
Museo Soumaya

MIT Media Arts & Sciences Building, Boston, USA
Fumihiko Maki and associates

photo courtesy of Andy Ryan
MIT Media Lab Building

Central Los Angeles Area High School #9, CA, USA
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU – award

photo © Duccio Malagamba
Central Los Angeles Area High School #9

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North American Architecture

Individual North American buildings : Major Projects, alphabetical:

Absolute Tower, Mississauga, Canada
MAD

picture from architect
Absolute Tower Canada

Aqua Tower, Chicago, USA
Studio Gang Architects

picture from architects
Aqua Tower

Arango Residence, Acapulco, Mexico
John Lautner

photo : Sara Sackner
Acapulco house

Contemporary Jewish Museum, USA
Studio Daniel Libeskind

photograph © Andrew McRae
Contemporary Jewish Museum

Crystal Cathedral, Los Angeles, USA
Philip Johnson with John Burgee

picture © Andrew McRae
Los Angeles Cathedral

Florida Southern Colleges, Florida, USA
Frank Lloyd Wright

photo © Robin Hill
Florida Southern Colleges Buildings

Fogo Island Artist Studios, Newfoundland
Saunders Architecture

photo from architects
Fogo Island Studios

The Getty Center, Los Angeles, USA
Richard Meier & Partners

image © Alice McRae
Getty Center Building

GRAM – Art Museum, Grand Rapids, USA
Design: wHY architecture

photo : Chris Barrett(at)Hedrich Blessing
GRAM Michigan

Holy Rosary Catholic Church, USA
Trahan Architects

photograph : Tim Hursley / The Arkansas Office
Holy Rosary Church

, Mexico
Bunker Arquitectura

photo : Megs Inniss
Mexican chapel

Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, USA
Design: Steven Holl Architects

image from SGLA
Nelson Atkins Museum of Art

Nestlé Application Group, Mexico
Michel Rojkind Arquitectos

photo © Paúl Rivera/archphoto.com
Nestlé Building Queretaro

New Tamayo Museum, Mexico
BIG + Rojkind Arquitectos

picture : Glessner Group
New Tamayo Museum

Prada Epicenter, New York City, USA
Rem Koolhaas

photo : Armin Linke
Prada New York

Renaissance ROM Extension, Canada
Studio Libeskind

picture Courtesy Studio Daniel Libeskind
Royal Ontario Museum

Saint Louis Art Museum, USA
David Chipperfield

picture © Imaging Atelier 2007
Saint Louis Art Museumn

Smithsonian Museum Courtyard, USA
Foster & Partners

photo : Nigel Young / Foster + Partners
Smithsonian Institute

, New Mexico, USA
Foster + Partners

picture : Foster + Partners
Spaceport New Mexico

Sunset Chapel, Acapulco, Mexico
Bunker Arquitectura

picture : Esteban Suárez
Sunset Chapel

Swiss Embassy, Washington, D.C., USA
Design: Steven Holl Architects

picture © Andy Ryans
Swiss Embassy Washington, D.C.

, Mexico
Michel Rojkind Arquitectos

photo : Paul Rivera © rojkind arquitectos
Tori-Tori Restaurant

Torre BBVA-Bancomer, Mexico
RSH+P with Legorreta + Legorreta

image from architect
BBVA-Bancomer Headquarters

, Mexico
Carme Pinós

photograph : Lourdes Grobet
Cube Tower Guadalajara

ViILA NM, New York, USA
UNStudio

photo : Christian Richters
ViILA NM New York

, Minneapolis, USA
Herzog & de Meuron with HGA, Inc.

photo : Paul Warchol
Walker Art Center

, USA
Foster + Partners

image : Foster + Partners
Winspear Opera House

More North American Buildings online soon.

American Architecture : major developments + designs

American Architects

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World Architecture – geographical

World Architecture by continent

African Architecture

Asian Architecture

Australasian Architecture

European Architecture

North American (this page)

South American Buildings

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Museum Buildings

Office Buildings

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Architecture Design

Contemporary Building Designs – recent architectural selection from e-architect below:

Architects

Architectural News

House designs

Comments / photos for the North American Building page welcome

Building