Man's ability to think and create structures thousands of times our own size is one of the greatest measures of our civilisation. From the bridges we drive across, to the buildings we work in, to the stadiums we cheer in, architects occupy a central position in day-to-day life.
Over the years, Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron have designed some of the world's most captivating architectural masterpieces — from Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena to Beijing's Bird's Nest.
The dounding duo, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, led parallel lives, both studying at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich before forming the company in 1978. In 2001, the pair won the Pritzker Prize, the most prestigious prize for architecture in the world.
One Pritzker jurist commented, "One is hard put to think of any architects in history that have addressed the integument of architecture with greater imagination and virtuosity.”
The firm is currently in the middle of a number of large-scale projects, including the second tallest skyscraper in Switzerland and the future stadium for Portsmouth Football Club.
Herzog & de Meuron are among the most highly respected architects in the world. Below are some of their most awe-inspiring creations, ordered by date of completion:
Dominus Winery, California, USA (1999) – Nicknamed "the stealth winery" by locals, the structure is formed of thousands of local, basaltic rocks held in steel baskets, which makes it blend into the surrounding landscape.
Tate Modern, London, England (2000) — Herzog & de Meuron's most famous piece of architecture, the conversion of the Bankside Power Station, cost £134 million and earned the architects a 2008 documentary about their work.
Prada Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan (2003) — According to the architects' website, "Depending on where the viewer is standing, the body of the building will look more like a crystal."
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