Every country’s favourite architect

Unsurprisingly, Zaha Hadid was the most popular female architect in our study.

Born in Iraq before moving to London in 1972 to study at the Architectural Association, Hadid’s innovative approach and futuristic designs helped her become one of the most famous names in an industry that hadn’t always been willing to acknowledge the contributions of women.

For example, when Robert Venturi was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1991, his wife, Denise Scott Brown (16th) was not named co-winner despite the two having been work partners for more than three decades. Scott Brown was also told by an architect whose work she had reviewed that ‘We at the office think it was Bob writing, using your name’.

Both an architect and a designer, Charlotte Perriand believed that better design could help create a better society, and that good design should be both affordable and functional.

Although she famously worked with Le Corbusier, their relationship didn’t exactly get off to the best start.

After applying to work at the Le Corbusier studio, she received a dismissive response saying “We don’t embroider cushions here”. However, a month later, Le Corbusier came across some of her work on display at the annual Salon d’Automne, realised his mistake, and hired Perriand on the spot.

Although born in Italy, Bo Bardi is best known for the work she completed following her move to Brazil in 1946.

While her work could be considered modernist as a result of the use of materials like concrete and glass, she also adopted more traditional materials like mud and straw into her designs.

Although best known as an architect, Lina Bo Bardi was also a political activist, furniture designer, set designer, editor, writer, and exhibition curator.

Zaha Hadid - 24 countries

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Belarus, Czechia, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, United Kingdom.

Le Corbusier - 5 countries

Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium, Croatia, Spain.

Gustave Eiffel - 3 countries

Moldova, Portugal, France.

Arne Jacobsen - 3 countries

Iceland, Denmark, Norway.

Renzo Piano - 2 countries

Malta, Italy.

Alvar Aalto - 2 countries

Finland, Sweden.

Rem Koolhaas - 1 country

The Netherlands.

Frank Lloyd Wright - 1 country

Slovenia.

Zaha Hadid - 6 countries

Nicaragua, Belize, Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico.

Le Corbusier - 3 countries

El Salvador, Haiti, Guadeloupe.

Frank Lloyd Wright - 3 countries

Canada, United States, Puerto Rico.

Oscar Niemeyer - 1 country

Costa Rica.

Jean Nouvel - 1 country

The Dominican Republic.

Frank Gehry - 1 country

Panama.

Zaha Hadid - 6 countries

Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador, Peru.

Le Corbusier - 4 countries

Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Guyana.

Oscar Niemeyer - 1 country

Brazil.

Zaha Hadid - 15 countries

U.A.E, Afghanistan, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Azerbaijan.

Mimar Sinan - 1 country

Turkey.

Zaha Hadid - 17 countries

Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar, Brunei, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Mongolia, The Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Russia, Singapore.

Frank Lloyd Wright - 4 countries

Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan, Bhutan.

Le Corbusier - 1 country

South Korea.

Tadao Ando - 1 country

Vietnam.

Zaha Hadid - 16 countries

Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Gabon.

Gustave Eiffel - 4 countries

Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Algeria, Madagascar.

Frank Gehry - 4 countries

Benin, The Congo, Cabo Verde, Mali.

Le Corbusier - 2 countries

Togo, Libya.

Sir David Adjaye - 1 country

Ghana.

Oscar Niemeyer - 1 country

Mozambique.

Frank Lloyd Wright - 1 country

Botswana.

If you’re thinking about renovating your home, you might be wondering whether or not you need to hire an architect.

The good news is that there’s no legal requirement to employ an architect and whether you do so or not is completely up to you.

Whether you decide to hire an architect or not will likely depend on your individual circumstances, such as your experience undertaking renovation projects, the size of the job, or your familiarity and trust in the builders you’ve hired to carry out the work.

If you’re considering making changes to the structure of your home, an architect will be able to help with making sure that the building remains structurally sound and is not in breach of any building rules or restrictions. 

You’ll also want to consult an architect if your home is a listed building, or you live in a conservation area, a flood zone, or near a site of archaeological interest.

As a highly trained design professional, an architect will be able to help with refining the vision for your home so that you end up with a more polished result.

They’ll also be able to advise on how to make the most of the space that you have and how to make your home work better for you, such as ensuring that there’s plenty of natural light, changing the layout of your home, or incorporating innovative storage solutions.

An architect will also consider the finer details that builders might overlook, like which way should doors open, the position of windows and lights, as well as where to place any piping or vents that may need to be moved or installed during construction.

For anyone living a busy lifestyle or who has little experience with renovation works, an architect can also manage the entire project on your behalf, ensuring that works stay on time and within budget.

Hiring a design professional will increase the cost of your renovation, so it’s important to hire the right person for the services you need.

Architect

An architect has to be registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and will be trained in any drawings or technical elements that might be required for your renovation.

With design playing a significant role in qualifying as an architect, they should also be comfortable with leading on any creative decisions.

Architectural technologist

As a member of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT), an architectural technologist will be fully qualified in the structural elements of architecture, but may not have as much experience or focus on the creative side.

If you have a strong idea of what you want and are simply looking for someone to prepare technical drawings for your builder, then an architectural technologist will likely be more affordable than an architect.

Structural engineer

If your plans involve removing a wall, then you’’ have to consult a  structural engineer to ensure it’s safe to do so.

If you’re working with an Architect or Architectural technologist, then they’ll likely have a structural engineer that they can recommend.

Architectural designer

Often used on smaller projects that only need help with specific aspects such as planning applications. 

While there are many great architectural designers out there, it’s worth remembering that they aren’t governed by a professional body so you might want to see examples of their work or references from previous clients.

Interior designers

As the name suggests, interior designers primarily focus on the interior of your home and can be helpful with advising on the overall flow and layout.

While they may not be able to help with the more technical aspects, they’ll likely have a good network of contractors, structural engineers, architects and architectural technologists to lean on, and can help with ensuring a high-end finish to your renovation.

When hiring any design professional, it’s a good idea to look at any images of previous work that they may have shared on their website or social media, or ask to see their portfolio to ensure that their style is a good match for what you’re trying to achieve.

The type of design professional you hire, the services you require, and the size of the project will all have a significant impact on the cost. 

There are also different ways they may choose to charge depending on the work they’re undertaking.

• A flat fee for the whole of the project.

• An hourly fee.

• A percentage of overall construction costs, typically between 5 - 12% depending on the size of the project.

While hiring an architect will add to the cost of your renovation, factoring in those costs at the start of a project could help save you money in the long run. 

Working with the right architect could help increase the chance that planning applications are approved, they can recommend good and competitively priced contractors, ensure that works run on time and on budget and that no mistakes are made along the way that you may need to pay to rectify.

• Google Keyword Planner worldwide search data analysed by money.co.uk in February 2022.

• A seed list of more than 100 famous architects was created by collating architects that appeared in articles such as “20 of the most famous architects of all time”.

• A seed list of more than 100 famous buildings was created by collating those that appeared in articles such as “The 20 Most Famous and Iconic Buildings All Around The World”.

• Countries with low search volumes were excluded.

• Architects that were better known for other pursuits such as art, sculpture or politics were excluded - e.g Thomas Jefferson.

• Ruins and Ancient wonders were excluded - e.g The Colosseum. 

• Instagram hashtag data correct as of May 2022

• A seed list of female architects was created by collating the names of those that appeared in articles such as “The 10 Most Overlooked Women in Architecture History”

• Google Keyword Planner worldwide search data for female architects and design styles correct as of May 2022.