If you are constructing a new home, why settle for cookie cutter layouts when you could work with or discover the best design inspiration from the 30 best residential architects and firms from around the world? These individuals and teams are talented and create homes according to each of their clients’ specific needs, styles and budgets. Read on to learn more!
1. Norman Foster- Architect
Image Credits: thetimes.co.uk
Norman Foster is a British architect born in Manchester, England, in 1935. Technologically advanced designs, also incorporating many sustainable features, are part of his style. Foster + Partners, a leading firm in international architecture and design for more than 40 years at the top of the field, was founded by Foster.
Image Credits: arquitecturaviva.com
From city skyscrapers to airports and museums, are some of the projects designed by the firm. The Villa Donulay in Turkey shown above is one of Norman Foster’s impressive projects. Foster has received many awards and honors including the 1999 Pritzker Architecture Prize, and further by Queen Elizabeth, who honoured him with a life peerage and the title Lord Foster of Thames Bank.
2. Mimi Hoang- Architect
Image Credits: narchitects.com
Born in Vietnam, Mimi Hoang trained in Amsterdam before moving to the United States to study architecture. One of the top female architects of our time and co–founder of New York–based architectural firm ARCHITECTS, she was recently featured in Tim Hatton’s 2012 The Book of Inventions. For more than two decades she has been practicing sustainable architectural designs with an exceptional ‘green’ innovation – on residential scale.
Image Credits: narchitects.com
Mimi’s design approach puts her client first and the attributes of each particular project site into consideration. Among those includes Double Ex House shown above. The career of Mimi Hoang has been an award winning ever since she since she has received the Architectural League Prize for Young Architects and Designers, as well as an AIA New York Women in architecture Award.
3. Marcio Kogan-Architect
Image Credits: deezen.com
Marcio Kogan is a renowned Brazilian architect, filmmaker, and founder of Studio MK27. Kogan was born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1952, and is renowned for his modernist approach to design and for producing spaces that perfectly fit into their locations. Furthermore, he proposes thermal comfort in the passive sustainability of his designs.
Image Credits: studiomk27.com
For his work he has won a number of awards, becoming an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He has stuff in some of the other projects in Brazil, South America and some around the world. Kogan’s designs, made for sustainability, use natural materials – mashrabiyas. Shown above, is an example of his design, in Brazil, the Vista House.
4. Tadao Ando- Architect
Image Credits: fashionpost.jp
Tadao Ando, Japanese architect, born in Osaka, 1941. He never attained an architecture degree, and yet one of the most important and most important and influential architects of the 20th and 21st centuries for sure. Ando is most famous for his minimalist and modernist design which attaches importance to the effect of constructing architecture and nature together.
His work is inspired by haiku — which, in architecture is about nothing and the expression of beauty and simplicity through empty space — and concrete and natural light. Ando’s projects range from museums, cultural centers, private homes, and so on.
Image Credits: f_berg_cgi.artstation.com
His most notable works are the Church of the Light in Osaka, his Hill of the Buddha in Sapporo, his Meditation Space, UNESCO in Paris and his Koshino House in Ashiya, above. In 1995, Ando won the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
5. Frank Gehry- Architect
Image Credits: ft.com
Acclaimed architect Frank Gehry is a Canadian American, and well renowned veteran of the Army, and widely regarded as one of the most visionary architects in the world. Born in Toronto in 1929, he came to Los Angeles in the late 1940s and attended the University of Southern California School of Architecture.
Gehry is celebrated for his idiosyncratic and really distinctive architectural fashion, generally with sculptural kinds, unusual supplies, and a light and shadow play. As well as the Frank Gehry Residence below, his most prominent buildings include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris..
Image Credits: lobsintl.com
He has also won many awards for his work including the AIA Gold Medal, American Institute of Architects, in 1999, and the 1989 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
6. Jean Nouvel- Architect
image Credits: arquitecturaviva.com
Jean Nouvel is a well known French architect who has avant garde and minimalist architectural designs to his name. Nouvel was born in 1945, and studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris before founding his architecture firm in 1970. He was renowned over the years for his boundary pushing designs, usually employing cutting edge technologies and materials.
Image Credits: tumblr.com
Most notably, Nouvel’s projects include the Arab World Institute in Paris, the Torre Agbar in Barcelona, Philharmonie de Paris, and the Delbigot Residence above. He is the winner of many awards and prizes, including the Pritzker Prize of 2008.
7. Kazuyo Sejima- Architect
Image Credits: archdaily.com
Kazuyo Sejima is a Japanese architect who co founded the architecture firm SANAA with Ryue Nishizawa. Sejima was born in 1956 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan; she is a product of the Tokyo Women’s College of Physical Education, from which she graduated in architecture in 1981.
Image Credits: designboom.com
She’s a minimalist architectural designer who specializes in light and space. She has been awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2010 amongst many other accolades. Amongst some of her notable projects are New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York City; Glass Pavilion, Toledo, Ohio; Rolex Learning Centre, Les Clos, Lausanne, Switzerland and Villa in the Forest, Japan illustrated above.
8. Peter Zumthor- Architect
Image Credits: britishart.yale.edu
Peter Zumthor is a Swiss architect and designer born in 1943. His philosophy of architecture is minimalist and his focus is on feeling space with the senses. He pays close attention to detail, and feels architecture should conjure a sense of place.
Image Credits: flickr.com
In his career he has earned quite a few awards including the Pritzker Prize awarded to him in 2009. Internationally his works have been exhibited, his most noted building the Therme Vals spa in Switzerland, Kolumba Museum in Cologne, Germany, the Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, Germany, and the Gugalun House (Truog House), above.
9. Sou Fujimoto- Architect
Image Credits: wikipedia.com
Sou Fujimoto is a highly regarded Japanese architect, born in Hokkaido, Japan, in 1971. Since establishing his architecture practice Sou Fujimoto Architects in 2000, he has completed a series of projects in and beyond Japan, from single family homes to large scale public spaces.
Known for its unpretentious attractiveness and the porcelain smooth integration between its works and the natural surroundings, Sujimoto’s works are usually ethereal. He has done some of his most interesting work with his performances at the T House of Gunm, the Serpentine Pavilion in London, and the Naoshima Pavilion in Kagawa.
Image Credits: archdaily.com
He has won many prizes and awards, among them the most prestigious, the Japanese Institute of Architecture Grand Prize and New Face Award.
10. Santiago Calatrava Valls- Architect
Image Credits: ad-magazin.de
Santiago Calatrava Valls is a Spanish architect and engineer best known for his innovative and sculptural architecture and urban planning as well as along with civil engineering. Calatrava has his practice in Zurich and was born in 1951, in Valencia, Spain, where he studied architecture and engineering in Switzerland.
Image Credits: caltrava.com
All of Calatrava’s designs are so beautiful and so functional at the same time. Among his major works are the Milwaukee Art Museum, the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, the Stadelhofen Railway Station in Zurich, and Buchen Housing Estate above. He is one of the best in the world in the field and has many awards.
11. Renzo Piano OMRI- Architect
Image Credits: npr.org
Renzo Piano OMRI is an Italian lifetime senator, engineer and internationally acclaimed one of the most successful 21st century architects. He’s best known for Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, The Shard in London, or Diogene Micro-Home below, born in Genoa, Italy in 1937.
Image Credits: arquitecturaviva.com
Piano’s designs are minimalist emphasizing on light and space. the light and space that does embrace. Piano has received a great number of awards throughout his career, such as the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1998, and the AIA Gold Medal, in 2008.
12. Scott Wilson- Architect
Image Credits: flickr.com
Scott Wilson is an architect and founding principal of the Scott Wilson Architects, LLC in Franklin, TN. He has gained a reputation for being an innovative designer who develops to develop functioning and sustainable space to improve living of the consumer.
Image Credits: scottwilsonarchitect.com
Scott has more than 30 years of experience, building such diverse and widespread projects as residential, commercial and hospitality projects across the United States. He has also been awarded the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award 2009 for Monroe Harding Children’s Home and the 2000 American Institute of Architects Community Service Award.
13. Reza Najafian- Architect
Image Credits: villanews.ir
Reza Najafian is an Iranian-born architect and recipient of the 2016 A+ Award for his Afsharian House residential design below.
Image Credits: archdaily.com
Reza is one of the best of young architects with his firm, ReNa design, which has also won a number of awards for site specific architectural design. In addition to being a lover of all things art he also has a extensive art collection which is featured in multiple art collections.
14. Saota- Firm
SAOTA is a South African-based architectural firm founded in 1987 in Cape Town. Stefan Antoni, Phillip Olmesdahl, Greg Truen, Phillippe Fouché, Mark Bullivant, Roxanne Kaye and Logen Gordon form part of a team of highly talented architects and designers which steer the project.
Image Credits: saota.com
Their architectural approach is about designing something that is unique and modern and which combines indoor and outdoor living. Among their upcoming projects are the Clifton Terraces in Cape Town, South Africa, the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Bodrum, Turkey, as well as Neuländer Quarree in Hamburg, Germany, a multiresidential project shown above.
Through an ongoing adaptive approach to sustainable and innovative design, SAOTA has won several awards, including for World Architecture Festival Awards and the SAPOA Award for Innovative excellence.
15. KGA Studio Architects- Firm
KGA Studio Architects is a US-based architecture firm founded in 1977 in Boulder, Colorado. Their design approach is geared towards the concept of goal oriented client specific space which bonds with its surroundings. As such, KGA Studio Architects are known for inventing, reinterpreting, and imagining new designs that push building boundaries.
Image Credits: kgarch.com
The firm specializes in residential architecture, from single family to attached and multi family. The Winter Park home above is an example of their projects. Currently, they’re in 8 American states and want to grow more. KGA Studio Architects have been featured in the press repeatedly and won approximately 86 awards for proof of this prowess.
16. Nikken Sekkei- Firm
Nikken Sekkei is a leading architectural firm based in Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1900, it has over 120 years of background in offering leading edge and quality design solutions. The firm has over 2,000 professionals dedicated to provide architecture, interior design, urban design, and master planning from a team of professionals.
Image Credits: archdaily.com
Among their most notable projects are the Osaka Library, the Trade Tower in Seoul and their On the Water house in Japan (shown above). The firm has won an Architectural Institute of Japan Prize, a Good Design Award and a Japan Building Contractors Society Prize.
17. Gensler- Firm
Gensler is a multinational architecture firm founded in 1965 in San Francisco, California. It offers architecture and interior design services and has more than 50 locations around the world in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Image Credits: gensler.com
Throughout their multi industry portfolio, the firm has worked on 1211 Avenue of the Americas, the Mineta San Jose International Airport Terminal B, 21st Century Fox, and are currently constructing the HarborChase of Prince William Commons units above. They are known for an integrated approach, utilizing the latest technology and design thinking to generate solutions to clients’ changing needs, and those of the wider community.
18. Sweco- Firm
Sweco is a European architecture, engineering and environmental consultancy firm. The firm is founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Sweden, with strong presence in the Nordic region as well as Asia, Europe and Middle East.
Sweco offers architecture, engineering, sustainability, and strategic consulting to public and private sector clients in a wide diversity of industries. The company is proud of its experience and innovation in delivering sustainable and efficient solutions, and has collected a number of awards and recognition along the way.
Image Credits: swekoarchitects.com
Sweko’s notable projects include the Grønttorvet residential units above.
19. ATP Architects Engineers- Firm
ATP Architects Engineers is an international architecture firm founded in 1951 in Austria. They have different offers, including conceptual design, planning, engineering, construction management. Some of the highest awards achieved by them are the Austrian Energy Agency’s Award for Energy Efficient Buildings and the Gold Award of the German Sustainable Building Council focusing on sustainable design.
Image Credits: inventio.de
The firm has several projects, including the Millennium Tower, Vienna, the Hilti P4plus Production and Logistics Building, Thüringen (Austria), and the In-Tower Residential complex above.
20. IDOM- Firm
IDOM is a global engineering and architecture consultancy firm from Bilbao, Spain. It was created in 1957 and has grown to operate in more than seven countries. Building, infrastructure and industrial facilities are designed and consultancy services are provided under an integrated design.
Image Credits: idom.com
The company is dedicated to sustainability with the help of technological innovation, utilizing cutting edge technology to develop efficient, environmentally responsible industrial solutions. Good example of their work is their Bermondsey Housing project in London.
21. Rangr Studio- Firm
Rangr Studio is a young architectural firm founded by Jasmit Singh Rangr in 2014. The firm, based in India, has made incredible progress and is fast becoming the leading player in the residential architecture sector and has worked on projects in India, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic and Mexico.
Image Credits: archdaily.com
As you can see in the Hudson Valley project above, the firm’s design approach is rooted in the deep understanding of local landscape, climate and environment. They think architecture should be in keeping with its surroundings, and to be beautiful and sustainable. The work of firm has received a lot of awards, the Architizer A+ Award being among them.
22. Tomecek Studio Architecture- Firm
Tomecek Studio Architecture is a Denver-based firm founded by Brad Tomecek in 2004. They are focused on the design of residential architecture, and have completed works throughout the United States in single family and multi unit residential projects. A worthy example is the Shoshone Residence below.
Image Credits: tomecekstudio.com
Brad and his team have won many awards such as AIA Colorado Young Firm of the Year, AIA Colorado Distinction Award and Best of Houzz 2020 in Design.
23. Shapiro and Company Architects P.C.- Firm
Shapiro and Company Architects P.C. is an architecture firm located in Memphis, Nashville. The firm was founded in 1999 by Brad Shapiro and is engaged in the provision of architectural and design services for built and unbuilt works in residential and commercial arenas. Known for delivering innovative design solutions within functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces.
Image Credits: shapiroandco.com
The firm has experience in working with many projects including single family and multi unit residential buildings. The above Suburban Estate is just the perfect residential project. Design is focused on a joint process with clients, keeping in mind how they will achieve their needs and intentions.
24. HMH Architecture + Interiors- Firm
HMH Architecture + Interiors is an award-winning architecture firm from Colorado. Their reputation is built on innovation in design solutions and collaboration with clients to realise truly stunning places. This firm offers the best interior design team for single family as well as multi family units.
Image Credits: homeworldesign.com
They construct custom made homes, remodel current homes too and connect clients to different experts they require for their structural configuration. Thanks to designs like the Sunset House above, the firm has received recognition not only in Colorado but around the world. 2022 AIA Colorado Firm of the Year; 2022 RD Architecture Award, Interior Architecture; 2022 Best of Houzz Design Award.
25. Desai Chia Architecture- Firm
Desai Chia Architecture is a New York-based architectural firm founded by Katherine Chia and Arjun Desai. Its designs emphasize sustainability and have garnered a winning streak of accolades for green architecture. Based in San Francisco, Desai Chia has worked on projects in the US and internationally with a focus on the creation of unique functional spaces.
The list of projects is diverse: from residential to cultural, commercial, and hospitality projects. The Montauk House below is an example.
Image Credits: desaichia.com
They have been awarded the American Architecture Awards, MasterPrize Awards, and AIA New York State Design Award among some of their awards.
26. Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects- Firm
Formerly known as Ehrlich Architects, Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects is an architectural firm founded in Los Angeles in 1979.
Image Credits: eyrc.com
They have received many award winning designed for outstanding designs in residential, commercial and educational projects. Their portfolio testifies to focus on spaces which are in resonance with the spirit and identify of the community they are to serve. One of them is the Bayview House in Hermosa Beach as shown on top.
27. Jonathan Miller Architecture and Design- Firm
Jonathan Miller Architecture and Design is a distinguished architecture and design firm from Texas. It was founded in 2002 and is led by Jonathan Miller.
Image Credits: jonathanmillerarchitects.com
The firm designs innovative and visually striking designs that are geared toward preserving environmental resources and are prescriptive of environmentally sound practices. It is a group that they are committed to excellence and has been given numerous awards and accolades.
28. Feldman Architecture- Firm
Feldman Architecture is a design firm based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jonathan Feldman. They tackle design with thoughtful craftsmanship, sustainable materials and new technology. An example of the firm’s work is below; the Surf House.
Image Credits: feldmanarchitecture.com
The firm has bagged many awards through acknowledgement by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) for the firm’s phenomenal work in interior design.
29. Sanjay Puri Architects- Firm
Sanjay Puri Architects is an award-winning architecture and design firm headquartered in Mumbai, India. Founded in 1992, the firm is successfully lead by renowned architect, Sanjay Puri who developed his design philosophy based on simplicity, functionality and sustainability.
The firm has over the years completed residential, commercial, hospitality and institutional buildings across India and beyond, becoming one of the most iconic. Their work has been hugely awarded and recognized, with wins such as the Courtyard House above.
30. Büro Koray Duman- Firm
Büro Koray Duman, B-KD was founded by Koray Duman in 2013. The firm, based in New York City and Turkey. It is based on the idea that architecture is a social infrastructure shouldn’t make us feel as if we don’t belong.
It is a fast growing firm and has won several awards including Architizer Emerging Firm of the year. One of the firm’s notable projects is the above shown Germantown House in New York.
