Architizer's 13th A+Awards features a suite of sustainability-focused categories recognizing designers that are building a greener industry — and a better future. Start your entry to receive global recognition for your work!
One of the many things demonstrated by the election of the 45th U.S. president is that one need not be a career politician to get elected to high office. The fact that the world’s newest head of state is primarily a real estate developer and not a legislator has been interpreted by many political novices as a call to run for office, in hopes that expertise gained in other professions can be applied to governance.
For architects, this line of reasoning is not without merit. The bulk of an architect’s working hours are spent coordinating various people’s efforts to contribute to a whole that’s greater than the parts they are providing. As a reminder of the influence being an architect can have on public service, here’s a rundown of architect-politicians from modern history that illustrate the capabilities the profession can bring to government.
This list represents those who are arguably the most well known architect-politicians, which is why it’s also important to note the range of these figures. From the humanitarian improvement of social housing to the blatant perpetration of horrendous war crimes, the profession’s involvement in politics has had both positive and negative effects on the world. For today’s fledgling architect-politicians, the challenge of the immediate future will be building on the positive aspects of this history in a way that ensures the negative ones are never repeated.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)
As one of the founders of the United States, Jefferson held a variety of political offices, including president, though historical accounts cast him as a born designer. A self-educated architect, Jefferson was fascinated with classical geometries, and designed everything from interior furnishings such as clocks and coffee urns to buildings like the Virginia state capitol. His designer mindset no doubt assisted him in the design of a new nation, as he was a primary author of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the Land Ordinance of 1785 — an act that still holds influence over his country’s physical layout. (pictured: The Rotunda at University of Virginia)
James Goold Cutler (1848 – 1927)
Cutler’s time in public office was relatively short-lived — he was the mayor of Rochester, New York for only three years — but his involvement demonstrates the potential impact architects can have on local politics. Professionally, he was best known for inventing the mail chute. That an architect-politician’s work incorporates both community organization and an ingenious organizational solution for tall buildings speaks to the application a designer’s skills can have in government. (pictured: a Cutler mail chute)
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky (1897 – 2000)
Already a political pioneer in her day by choosing to pursue a career at all, Margarete Lihotzky was the first woman in Austria to become an architect. Her public service began in the 1920s when she was hired by the city of Frankfurt to design worker housing, an assignment that led to her creation of the Frankfurt Kitchen — the original precedent for pre-fabricated model kitchens. Though she never held office, her political involvement continued during the 1930s and 40s, as she helped the Communist resistance to the Nazi movement by setting up key lines of communication for exiled Europeans living in Turkey. (pictured: a Frankfurt Kitchen)
Via Wikiwand and Space and Politics
Albert Speer (1905 – 1981)
By far the most nefarious (and, for this reason, maybe also the most well known) architect-politician, Speer was ingratiated to Germany’s Nazi regime after designing their Berlin headquarters and Nuremberg rally grounds. His timely completion of a renovation of the German Chancellery earned him a reputation as a skilled organizer, eventually landing him an appointment to lead his country’s production of armaments and war materiel. His most notable work as a designer was a never-realized plan for the city of Berlin that included a slew of massive, monumental government buildings. After the Second World War concluded, he was imprisoned for his involvement with the regime. (pictured: proposal for Volkshalle)
Via Chomun and Photo-Vision
Mir-Hossein Mousavi (1942 – )
A champion for democracy in his native Iran, Mousavi is best known as that country’s last Prime Minister (before the office was dissolved) and for running against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a highly contested presidential election. His political posts tend to grab more attention than his work as an architect, though he has been active in the profession since the 1960s. As a student, he specialized in traditional Iranian architecture, but his work has been known to mingle conventional styles with contemporary interpretations — an approach that displays many similarities with his actions in politics. (pictured: Hafte Tir bombing victims’ mausoleum)
Via Africlassical and Pictec
Harvey Gantt (1943 – )
Exemplifying a successful mix of an educational background in architecture and city planning with city politics, Harvey Gantt served for nine years on the city council of Charlotte, North Carolina before serving two terms as mayor. Even amidst two subsequent campaigns for the U.S. Senate, he still managed to operate a thriving architecture practice. Perhaps reflective of an inclination toward public service, his design work has focused primarily on civic and educational buildings, with an emphasis on developing consensus among the communities impacted by their construction. (pictured: UNC Charlotte Center City)
Via YouTube and Hotel Brihaspati
Hisila Yami (1959 – )
Born into a family with heavy political involvements, Hisila Yami left her native Nepal to study architecture in India and the U.K. in the 1980s and 90s. After returning to Nepal, this experience has been reflected in her political career by holding such posts as the country’s Minister of Physical Planning. She utilized this position to champion efforts such as improving infrastructure in the earthquake-prone Kathmandu Valley, and has also been a lecturer at Tribhuvan University’s Institute of Engineering. (pictured: historic architecture in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley)
Via Upcoming.nl and Onomatopee
Fleur Agema (1976 – )
A divisive figure in Dutch politics, Fleur Agema is a member of the House of Representatives for the right-wing Party for Freedom, which, besides supporting a slew of xenophobic positions, also calls for that country’s secession from the European Union. Having worked at an architecture firm in the early 2000s before becoming a politician, her personal views on societal organization are most tellingly displayed in a student project called “Closed Architecture” in which she put forth a design for a large prison. Organized around the concept of rehabilitation, her design for the prison attempted to gradually re-integrate prisoners into mainstream society by allowing them to progress through a series of decreasingly restrictive physical environments. (pictured: sketches from “Closed Architecture”)
Architizer's 13th A+Awards features a suite of sustainability-focused categories recognizing designers that are building a greener industry — and a better future. Start your entry to receive global recognition for your work!