Will Alsop Tops List of World’s Most Creative People in Architecture

Will Alsop has beaten Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and Herzog & de Meuron to be named number one in a list of the world’s 10 most creative people in architecture.

The list, compiled by American technology and design magazine Fast Company, featured Hadid and Foster in ninth and 10th place.

Yansong Ma, of Mad Architects took second place, followed by Insuk Cho and Kisu Park of MASS Studies in third.

Fourth place went to Rem Koolhaas, with Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries of MVRDV in fifth, Shigeru Ban in sixth, Herzog & de Meuron in seventh, and Pritzker winner Thom Mayne in eighth.

“Few architects have been so dedicated to such an unusual design aesthetic as maximalist Will Alsop,” said Fast Company architecture writer Cliff Kuang.

“And fewer still have been as successful at building their designs. His extension for the Ontario College of Art and Design is one of the strangest, most exciting buildings in recent memory.”

Will Alsop said he “wouldn’t disagree” with the list – “though you wonder how they define creativity,” he added.

“Ironically enough, I don’t believe in the word creativity,” he said. “I’ve always thought of creativity as the province of god. But what I think they mean by creativity is actually just hard work and trying not to have too many preconceptions. And having lots of fun.”

Anna Winston – June 11, 2009

Source: http://www.bdonline.co.uk/