"A building is not just a place to be. It’s a way to be."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Inspiration
"Form follows function—that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Balance
"Less is more."
- Rone
Simplicity
"Form Follows Function."
- Louis Sullivan
Philosophy
"All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space."
- Philip Johnson
Contribution
"Architecture is about trying to make the world a little bit more like our dreams."
- Bjarke Ingels
Vision
"Architecture is not just about building. It's a means of improving people's quality of life."
- Diébédo Francis Kéré
Contribution
"Less is more"
- Rone
Simplicity
"The future belongs to those who can innovate and recognize sustainability as the opportunity of our generation."
- James Corner
Future
"God is in the details"
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Focus
"Sustainability is not about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good."
- Jochen Zeitz
Environment
"Architecture is about trying to make the world a little more like our dreams."
- Bjarke Ingels
Vision
"An architect’s designs must refer to the unquestionable perfection of the body’s symmetry and proportions. If a building is to create a sense of eurythmy, it is essential that it mirrors these natural laws of harmony and beauty."
- Vitruvius
Philosophy
"Life is architecture, and architecture is the mirror of life."
- I. M. Pei
Philosophy
"There is no separation between architecture and nature; there is a connection."
- Toyo Ito
Environment
"As an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown."
- Norman Foster
Vision
"I call architecture frozen music."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Philosophy
"God is in the details."
- Mies van der Rohe
Focus
"Functionality is not an independent phenomenon, but a part of design, and its importance is determined by its relevance to design."
- Alvar Aalto
Efficiency
"Good design encourages a viewer to want to learn more."
- Norman Foster
Inspiration
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity."
- I. M. Pei
Philosophy
"Architecture is not about form, it’s about life."
- Bjarke Ingels
Philosophy
"Great buildings that move the spirit have always been rare. In every case they are unique, poetic, products of the heart."
- Arthur Erickson
Inspiration
"A house is a machine for living in."
- Le Corbusier
Philosophy
"The mother art is architecture. Without an architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilization."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Philosophy
"Architecture is the thoughtful making of space."
- Louis Kahn
Creativity
"Architecture is basically a container of something. I hope they will enjoy not so much the teacup, but the tea."
- Yoshio Taniguchi
Philosophy
"Any work of architecture which does not express serenity is a mistake."
- Luis Barragan
Philosophy
"As an architect, you design for the present with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown."
- Norman Foster
Awareness
"We shape our buildings: thereafter they shape us."
- Winston Churchill
Influence
"To provide meaningful architecture is not to parody history but to articulate it."
- Daniel Libeskind
Philosophy
"There are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature."
- Antoni Gaudí
Nature
"The design of a building must first and foremost be functional; it must not only look good but also work well."
- Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
Philosophy
"Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness."
- Frank Gehry
Inspiration
"Form follows function."
- Louis Sullivan
Philosophy
"Architecture aims at eternity."
- Christopher Wren
Vision
"Light, God’s eldest daughter, is a principal beauty in a building."
- Thomas Fuller
Inspiration
"God is in the Details."
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Insight
"Architecture arouses sentiments in man. The architect’s task, therefore, is to make those sentiments precise."
- Adolf Loos
Empathy
"Tradition is a challenge to innovation."
- Alvaro Siza Vieira
Change
"Nothing requires the architect’s care more than the due proportions of buildings."
- Vitruvius
Philosophy
"Design is thinking made visual."
- Saul Bass
Creativity
"Creativity is intelligence having fun."
- Albert Einstein
Creativity
"The limits of architecture are its strength. Its inability to give form to a transient idea. Its inevitable tendency to stabilize, is the latent power of architecture."
- David Chipperfield
Philosophy
"Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light."
- Le Corbusier
Philosophy
"Architecture is really about well-being. I think that people want to feel good in a space… On the one hand it’s about shelter, but it’s also about pleasure."
- Zaha Hadid
Well-being
"Architecture is frozen music."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Philosophy
"You can learn from the past, but you can’t continue to be in the past; history is not a substitute for imagination."
- Frank Gehry
Creativity
"If you weren’t an optimist, it would be impossible to be an architect."
- Norman Foster
Belief
"The details are not the details. They make the design."
- Charles Eames
Focus
"The most beautiful house in the world is the one that you build for yourself."
- Witold Rybczynski
Personal Growth
"Without and architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilization."
- Louis Kahn
Belief
"Form follows beauty."
- Oscar Niemeyer
Philosophy
"Modern architecture does not mean the use of immature new materials; the main thing is to refine materials in a more human direction."
- Alvar Aalto
Philosophy
"Good building come from good people, and all problems are solved by good design."
- Stephen Gardiner
Hard Work
"Architecture frames human existence and experience; it orchestrates light and space, movement and mood."
- Juhani Pallasmaa
Philosophy
"Architecture is the will of the age conceived in spatial terms."
- Mies van der Rohe
Philosophy
"I see the world as an amazing building that deserves to be appreciated, taken care of, and protected."
- Vincent Callebaut
Environment
"Our job is to see that the principles of design are translated into meaningful relationships between people and their environment."
- Thomas Heatherwick
Contribution
"Good buildings come from good people, and all problems are solved by good design."
- Stephen Gardiner
Belief in Self
"I believe that the way people live can be directed a little by architecture."
- Tadao Ando
Influence
"Space is the breath of art."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Creativity
"Buildings, too, are children of Earth and Sun."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Nature
"Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design."
- Charles Eames
Awareness
"Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves."
- Julia Morgan
Creativity
"Architecture is not based on concrete and steel and the elements of the soil. It’s based on wonder."
- Daniel Libeskind
Inspiration
"Form ever follows function."
- Louis Sullivan
Philosophy
"Architecture is the reaching out for the truth."
- Louis Kahn
Philosophy
"The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building."
- Louis Kahn
Inspiration
"The job of buildings is to improve human relations: architecture must ease them, not make them worse."
- Ralph Erskine
Contribution
"Buildings should serve people, not the other way around."
- John Portman
Responsibility
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
- Leonardo Da Vinci
Creativity
"Architecture is the learned game, correct & magnificent, of forms assembled in the light."
- Le Corbusier
Philosophy
"The straight line belongs to men, the curved one to God."
- Antoni Gaudi
Philosophy
"An idea is salvation by imagination."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Creativity
"Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space."
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Philosophy
"Architecture begins where engineering ends."
- Walter Gropius
Philosophy
"The essence of architecture is space, light, and order."
- Le Corbusier
Philosophy
"To create one must first question everything."
- Eileen Gray
Creativity
"Architecture is the triumph of human imagination over materials, methods, and men, to put man into possession of his own Earth."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Inspiration
"We must learn to live with nature, rather than against it."
- Richard Rogers
Environment
"The role of the architect, or any creative person, is to make space for those who have no voice."
- Daniel Libeskind
Contribution
"Architecture is inhabited sculpture."
- Constantin Brancusi
Philosophy
"The great opportunity of contemporary architecture is that anything is possible now."
- Rem Koolhaas
Ambition
"The architecture we remember is that which never consoles or sanctifies, but challenges and surprises us."
- Peter Eisenman
Inspiration
"Architecture is the stage on which we live."
- Sean Godsell
Philosophy
"One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again."
- Renzo Piano
New Beginnings
"Any work of architecture that does not express serenity is a mistake."
- Luis Barragán
Philosophy
"As a building is man’s bodily covering, so architecture is the enclosing envelope of all the arts."
- Vitruvius
Philosophy
"A profound design process eventually makes the patron, the architect, and every occasional visitor in the building a slightly better human being."
- Juhani Pallasmaa
Personal Growth
"A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Learning from Mistakes
"To create, one must first question everything."
- Eileen Gray
Creativity
"When we build, let us think that we build forever."
- John Ruskin
Vision
"People ignore design that ignores people."
- Frank Chimero
Empathy
"Even a brick wants to be something."
- Louis Kahn
Ambition
"There are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature. Therefore, buildings must have no straight lines or sharp corners."
- Antonio Gaudi
Nature
"Whatever good things we build end up building us."
- Jim Rohn
Influence
"Each new situation requires a new architecture."
- Jean Nouvel
Adaptation
"A room is not a room without natural light."
- Louis Kahn
Awareness
"Good architecture is like a good therapy session, a good marriage, a good poem – gently and almost invisibly allowing you to be you, as flawed and as beautiful as you are."
- Robert Sullivan
Inspiration
"In pure architecture the smallest detail should have a meaning or serve a purpose."
- Augustus W. N. Pugin
Focus
"I like ruins because what remains is not the total design, but the clarity of thought, the naked structure, the spirit of the thing."
- Tadao Ando
Reflection
"Architecture arouses sentiments in man. The architect's task, therefore, is to make those sentiments more precise."
- Adolf Loos
Empathy
"Architecture is not based on concrete and steel, and the elements of the soil. It's based on wonder."
- Daniel Libeskind
Inspiration
"There is a danger when every building has to look spectacular; to look like it is changing the world. I don't care how a building looks if it means something, not to architects, but to the people who use it."
- David Chipperfield
Empathy
"The first gesture of an architect is to draw a perimeter; in other words, to separate the microclimate from the macro space outside. This in itself is a sacred act. Architecture in itself conveys this idea of limiting space. It’s a limit between the finite and the infinite. From this point of view, all architecture is sacred."
- Mario Botta
Philosophy
"As designers, we have such power to make design change the world. We really need to make better use of our platform and do stuff that is useful."
- Yinka Ilori
Empowerment
"There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?"
- Zaha Hadid
Originality
"Buildings are deeply emotive structures which form our psyche."
- David Adjaye
Empathy
"Architecture is the stage on which we live our lives."
- Mariam Kamara
Philosophy
"A doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Philosophy
"Innovation is an evolutionary process, so it's not necessary to be radical all the time."
- Marc Newson
Creativity
"I don’t believe architecture has to speak too much. It should remain silent and let nature in the guise of sunlight and wind."
- Tadao Ando
Balance
"Architecture is not about space but about time."
- Vito Acconci
Philosophy
"Architecture is not an inspirational business, it’s a rational procedure to do sensible and hopefully beautiful things."
- Harry Seidler
Philosophy
"Architecture is basically the design of interiors, the art of organizing interior space."
- Philip Johnson
Creativity
"I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That is art to me."
- Maya Lin
Creativity
"Minimalism is an appreciation of space."
- Jack Kerouac
Simplicity
"When an architect is asked what his best building is, he usually answers, “the next one.”"
- Emilio Ambasz
Ambition
"I am an eyewitness to the ways in which people relate to themselves and to each other, and my work is a way of scooping and ladling that experience."
- Richard Neutra
Empathy
"I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares."
- Saul Bass
Creativity
"You’ve got to bumble forward into the unknown."
- Frank Gehry
Taking Risks
"Architecture is about public spaces held by buildings."
- Richard Rogers
Connection to Earth
"Order and arrangement, symmetry and definiteness, are the qualities that give value to architecture."
- Vitruvius
Philosophy
"Architecture aims at Eternity."
- Christopher Wren
Philosophy
"Originality consists of returning to the origin."
- Antoni Gaudi
Originality
"When I’m working on a problem, I never think about beauty. But when I’ve finished, if the solution is not beautiful I know it’s wrong."
- Buckminster Fuller
Belief in Self
"My work is not about “form follows function”, but “form follows beauty” or, even better, “form follows feminine”."
- Oscar Niemeyer
Philosophy
"Architecture should be dedicated to keeping the outside out and the inside in."
- Leonard Baskin
Philosophy
"We must begin to understand what drives this obsession with growth."
- Glenn Murcutt
Awareness
"I don't know why people hire architects and then tell them what to do."
- Frank Gehry
Responsibility
"Everything is designed. Few things are designed well."
- Brian Reed
Reflection
"A design isn't finished until someone is using it."
- Brenda Laurel
Productivity
"The Sun does not realize how wonderful it is until after a room is made."
- Louis Kahn
Awareness
"The door handle is the handshake of the building."
- Juhani Pallasmaa
Connection to Earth
"A real building is one on which the eye can light and stay lit."
- Ezra Pound
Perseverance
"We do not create the work. I believe we, in fact, are discoverers."
- Glenn Murcutt
Philosophy
"Any architectural work that does not express serenity is an error."
- Luis Barragán
Harmony
"Architecture is the bony structure of civilization."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Philosophy
"Architecture belongs to culture, not to civilization."
- Alvar Aalto
Philosophy
"Landscape architecture is the art of arranging land and water to meet the practical needs and aspirations of humanity."
- Ian McHarg
Contribution
"Landscape architecture is the art of creating places for people to live, work, play, learn, and heal."
- American Society of Landscape Architects
Contribution
"Landscape design is an optimistic profession. We shape the landscape and in turn, it shapes us."
- Mary Reynolds
Optimism
"The art of landscape architecture design is not simply the arrangement of objects on the ground but the thoughtful and deliberate orchestration of all the elements and spaces that make up a landscape."
- Laurie Olin
Creativity
"Simplicity is the key to brilliance."
- Bruce Lee
Simplicity
"You can’t change the world with pretty buildings."
- Peter Eisenman
Philosophy
"There is a Nigerian parable that says, "You shouldn't throw stones as a bird may fly away." If someone has a passion then let them do it. Let people be what they want to be."
- Yinka Ilori
Compassion
"I think you never stop learning."
- Norman Foster
Learning
"Ignorance is bliss... with this innocence you can create and question a lot of things."
- Kunle Adeyemi
Creativity
"Freedom is from within."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Inner Peace
"The best thing about architecture is that it’s everywhere."
- Philip Johnson
Awareness
"The acceptance of certain realities doesn't preclude idealism. It can lead to certain breakthroughs."
- Rem Koolhaas
Optimism
"For the most part things never get built the way they were drawn."
- Maya Lin
Reflection
"Architecture can't fully represent the chaos and turmoil that are part of the human personality, but you need to put some of that turmoil into the architecture, or it isn't real."
- Frank Stella
Creativity
"Architecture is the art of how to waste space."
- Philip Johnson
Creativity
"Not many architects have the luxury to reject significant things."
- Rem Koolhaas
Philosophy
"The desire to reach for the sky runs very deep in the human psyche."
- César Pelli
Ambition
"Architecture is not an inspirational business, it’s a rational procedure to do sensible and hopefully beautiful things; that’s all."
- I.M Pei
Philosophy
"Light, God's eldest daughter, is a principal beauty in a building."
- Thomas Fuller
Awareness
"I don’t know why people hire architects and then tell them what to do."
- Frank Gehry
Philosophy
"The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding."
- Leonardo da Vinci
Knowledge
"Hell, there are no rules here; We're trying to accomplish something."
- Thomas Edison
Taking Risks
"Design is where science and art break even."
- Mieke Gerritzen
Creativity
"Architecture never derived its force from stability of culture, but rather from the expression of those moments when that sense of stability slipped."
- Mark Wigley
Philosophy
"You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do."
- C.G. Jung
Taking Risks
"The most innovative designers consciously reject the standard option box and cultivate an appetite for thinking wrong."
- Marty Neumeier
Creativity
"Architecture is a dangerous mix of power and importance."
- Rem Koolhaas
Philosophy
"Practice safe design: Use a concept."
- Petrula Vrontikis
Focus
"Almost every successful person begins with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so."
- David Brooks
Motivation
"The fundamental failure of most graphic, product, architectural and even urban design is its insistence on serving the God of Looking-Good rather than the God of Being-Good."
- Richard Saul Wurman
Philosophy
"All architecture is great architecture after sunset; perhaps architecture is really a nocturnal art, like the art of fireworks."
- Gilbert K. Chesterton
Philosophy
"I'm convinced that without bad design, the world would be a far less stimulating place; we would have nothing to marvel over and nothing to be nostalgic about."
- Carrie Phillips
Philosophy
"The function of design is letting design function."
- Commeren
Efficiency
"The best landscapes reveal themselves gradually, like the best love affairs."
- Piet Oudolf
Philosophy
"I don’t build in order to have clients. I have clients in order to build."
- Ayn Rand
Drive
"Dyslexia made me realize that people who say 'but you can't do that' aren't actually very important. I don't take 'no' too seriously."
- Richard Rogers
Motivation
"Enjoy it. Because it’s happening."
- Stephen Chbosky
Presence
"In the end only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."
- Gautama Buddha
Philosophy
"Very often the opinion of the clients must be disregarded in their own interest."
- John M. Johnson
Responsibility
"Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive."
- Hafez
Gratitude
"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library."
- Jorge Luis Borges
Aspirations
"I am still learning."
- Michelangelo
Learning
"Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step in your life."
- Steve Maraboli
Motivation
"Would they call me a diva if I were a guy?"
- Zaha Hadid
Bravery
"I love my job. What would I retire to?"
- Richard Rogers
Motivation
"We don’t create a fantasy world to escape reality, we create it to be able to stay."
- Lynda Barry
Creativity
"Being a famous designer is like being a famous dentist."
- Noreen Morioka
Philosophy
"Simple things become complicated when you expect too much."
- Wilson Kanadi
Awareness
"Architect. One who drafts a plan of your house, and plans a draft of your money."
- Ambrose Bierce
Motivation
"It is legendary how architectural lectures can be incredibly boring."
- Bjarke Ingels
Awareness
"It’s kind of fun to do the impossible."
Ambition
"Great things never come from comfort zones."
Growth