Architectural styles & architects

Modernism

You carry the idea that form follows function into the present, putting function and efficiency first. You regard ornament as a crime and find beauty in clear structures and technical innovation. Through logical design, you seek to fulfil modern architecture's social mission of improving people's living environments. You believe that simple, refined design is true beauty.
In other words, you are a serious rationalist.

Representative architects: Le Corbusier / Ludwig Mies van der Rohe / Frank Lloyd Wright / Walter Gropius

Organic Architecture

You consider how a whole building fits together by looking to its natural surroundings and people's activities. You follow Wright's idea of unity between building and environment, as well as Häring and Scharoun's approach of shaping spaces around how they are used. Rather than curves for their own sake, you value connections between rooms and gardens, and the comfort that light and materials bring to everyday life.
In other words, you are an ecologist who seeks harmony with nature.

Representative architects: Frank Lloyd Wright / Alvar Aalto / Hugo Häring / Hans Scharoun

Expressionism

Drawing on natural and fluid forms, you explore psychological and emotional expression in architecture. Through a sculptural, dynamic language of form that goes beyond rational function, you seek to give buildings a spiritual dimension and a sense of narrative. In Spain, you could also be seen as following in Gaudí's footsteps. Although functionalism brought this approach to an end, it has begun to return in new forms in recent years.
In other words, you are an artist of the soul.

Representative architects: Hans Scharoun / Erich Mendelsohn / Santiago Calatrava / Enric Miralles

Structural Rationalism

You think about structure and space together, guided by the properties of materials and the flow of forces. You value buildings whose forms are closely tied to how they are supported, as in Nervi and Candela's thin shells or Otto's membranes and cables. You see this as an approach that derives form from structural behaviour, rather than a style defined by a particular appearance. You are drawn to the ingenuity of spanning large spaces with little material and to the clarity of how these structures work.
In other words, you are a master of the Force.

Representative architects: Pier Luigi Nervi / Félix Candela / Frei Otto / Santiago Calatrava

Brutalism

You value a raw, powerful sense of structural honesty. You seek to unite the physical qualities of exposed concrete with the expression of structure, finding beauty in the inherent strength of materials as an architectural language. You explore how architecture can be both functional and monumental.
In other words, you are a rugged macho man.

Representative architects: Paul Rudolph / Louis I. Kahn / Lina Bo Bardi / Kunio Maekawa

Metabolism

You think about systems through which cities and buildings can grow, change and renew themselves. Applying the biological idea of metabolism to spatial design, you aim to build architectural and urban systems that can adapt to social change. You combine a grand vision of social transformation with a spirit of technical experimentation, continuing to imagine the ideal city of the future.
In other words, you are a passionate dreamer.

Representative architects: Kiyonori Kikutake / Kisho Kurokawa / Kenzo Tange / Fumihiko Maki

Postmodernism

You embrace complexity and contradiction as sources of architectural richness, pursuing diversity in response to the uniformity of modernism. Through historical references and respect for popular culture, you explore layers of meaning and see architecture as a system of signs and symbols. You value different contexts and freedom of expression, and you have a talent for weaving stories and humour into buildings.
In other words, you are a talkative storyteller.

Representative architects: Robert Venturi / Michael Graves / Arata Isozaki / Aldo Rossi

High-Tech Architecture

You seek to bring technical innovation and architectural expression together. You value the visible expression of structural and service systems as elements of beauty, finding a constructive vision of the future in the architectural languages made possible by advances in industry. You cannot resist the latest technology and are always excited by the new possibilities it brings to architecture.
In other words, you are a romantic with a love of machines.

Representative architects: Norman Foster / Richard Rogers / Nicholas Grimshaw / Renzo Piano

Critical Regionalism

You respect history and tradition while seeking harmony between a sense of place and modern life. You apply the dialogue between universal civilisation and national culture to architecture, emphasising topography, climate, light and construction as a response to globalisation. You respect local contexts without slipping into simple nostalgia, aiming to create regional culture with a critical and forward-looking approach.
In other words, you are a cultured person who loves diversity.

Representative architects: Peter Zumthor / Álvaro Siza / Carlo Scarpa / Hiroshi Naito

Minimalism

You value silence and spirituality, seeking an architectural experience grounded in perception. By removing unnecessary elements, you aim to create rich sensory experiences from essentials such as light, shadow and the textures of materials. You cherish architecture's introspective and meditative qualities, seeking spiritual depth through material simplicity.
In other words, you are a solitary seeker of truth.

Representative architects: Tadao Ando / John Pawson / Aires Mateus / Alberto Campo Baeza

Deconstructivism

Deeply influenced by Jacques Derrida's philosophy, you challenge established ideas about architecture. Through fragmentation and asymmetry, you question architecture's metaphysics of presence, deliberately breaking down traditional harmony and continuity to explore new spatial possibilities. You reconsider architecture as a language, applying a critical view of fixed meanings to spatial design.
In other words, you are a philosopher of destruction.

Representative architects: Zaha Hadid / Frank Gehry / Daniel Libeskind / Bernard Tschumi

Diagram Architecture

You use the analysis of a building's programme as a foundation for design, allowing logical thinking to generate bold leaps in form. You find beauty in organising complex functional requirements into clear diagrams and translating them into architecture. You respond to the many demands of contemporary cities by using an intellectual, logical approach to arrive at radical forms.
In other words, you are a passionate thinker driven by theory.

Representative architects: Rem Koolhaas / Bjarke Ingels / Ben van Berkel / MVRDV

Architects

• Le Corbusier
• Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
• Frank Lloyd Wright
• Walter Gropius
• Paul Rudolph
• Louis I. Kahn
• Lina Bo Bardi
• Kunio Maekawa
• Robert Venturi
• Michael Graves
• Arata Isozaki
• Aldo Rossi
• Norman Foster
• Richard Rogers
• Nicholas Grimshaw
• Renzo Piano
• Zaha Hadid
• Frank Gehry
• Daniel Libeskind
• Bernard Tschumi
• Peter Zumthor
• Álvaro Siza
• Carlo Scarpa
• Hiroshi Naito
• Hans Scharoun
• Erich Mendelsohn
• Santiago Calatrava
• Enric Miralles
• Tadao Ando
• John Pawson
• Aires Mateus
• Alberto Campo Baeza
• Toyo Ito
• SANAA
• Sou Fujimoto
• Jun Aoki
• Rem Koolhaas
• Bjarke Ingels
• Ben van Berkel
• MVRDV
• Kiyonori Kikutake
• Kisho Kurokawa
• Kenzo Tange
• Fumihiko Maki
• Shigeru Ban
• Riken Yamamoto
• Lacaton & Vassal
• Alejandro Aravena
• Alvar Aalto
• Hugo Häring
• Pier Luigi Nervi
• Félix Candela
• Frei Otto
• Peter Eisenman
• John Hejduk
• Philip Johnson
• Louis Sullivan
• Bruno Taut
• Diébédo Francis Kéré
• B. V. Doshi
• Terunobu Fujimori
• Kengo Kuma
• Yoshio Taniguchi
• Hiroshi Hara
• Itsuko Hasegawa
• David Chipperfield
• Luis Barragán
• Oscar Niemeyer
• Jean Nouvel
• Rafael Moneo
• Jørn Utzon
• Richard Meier
• Herzog & de Meuron
• Steven Holl
• Antoni Gaudi
• Geoffrey Bawa
• Sverre Fehn
• Eduardo Souto de Moura
• I. M. Pei
• Eero Saarinen
• Herman Hertzberger
• Aldo van Eyck
• R. Buckminster Fuller
• RCR Arquitectes