Architects never spend an easy day. With the changing technology, new challenges are always ready for them. However, Architects and architectural firms are always ready with their creative minds to conquer the changing tides.
Utilizing the in-house research divisions and the creativity of young designers AEC industry is developing new ideas. Their design and technology are able to tackle everything right from building an architecture underwater to the skyscrapers touching the heights of unlimited sky.
Here is a list of 10 companies exemplifying the building architecture of 21st Century:
1. WEST 8
West 8 is a Dutch urban design and landscape architecture firm. In 2016, the firm designed storm-resistant infrastructure for a park on New York’s Governors Island that quite literally raised the elevation of the island. In the case of a climatic threat, West 8 becomes more pertinent through their landscape architecture.
2. TOD WILLIAMS BILLIE TSIEN ARCHITECTS | PARTNERS
The firm was founded by husband-and-wife team Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. This is a 30-year-old architecture firm who built the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects are known favorite of former President Obama, who awarded the practice a National Medal of Arts in 2013.
3. AMANDA LEVETE ARCHITECTS
Amanda Levete – The Stirling Prize-winning architect is known for a futuristic architectural style that merges buildings with their surrounding topography. The Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology in Lisbon was completed by Amanda Levete Architects in 2016.
4. NELSON BYRD WOLTZ
Landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz is known for ecological restoration in rural areas. The firm is known for designing the landscape for Hudson Yards, a $25 billion development project on the west side of Manhattan.
5. RAAD STUDIO
James Ramsey – A NASA Engineer was the founder of RAAD Studio in 2004. The firm has completed more than 100 projects. Currently, RAAD Studio’s most innovative project is in progress.
An underground subway station is going to be transformed into a park on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The site has little green space using solar technology and cleverly designed skylights to help plants grow underground.
6. SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL
Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill are one of the largest architectural firms along with the interior design, urban planning, and Engineering. The firm has constructed World Trade Center in Newyork and Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The firm is serving for more than 80 years and still remains on the cutting edge of architectural design.
7. CANNON DESIGN
CannonDesign is a global architecture firms focused on innovative design across health, education, business, and science. In 2016, CannonDesign reimagined the use of exam rooms and doctor offices to create a more efficiently used space so that patients would not have to spend the amount of time in waiting.
The firm is also tackling social challenges—in Cook County, Chicago, it is working to redesign bond courts to be more equitable.
8. ADJAYE ASSOCIATES
Adjaye is a British-Ghanaian architect known for his innovative use of materials. He founded the firm in 2000. Adjaye is the lead designer behind the new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C.
In 2017, Adjaye was knighted by the Queen of England in recognition of his services to architecture.