Why People No Longer Care About Starchitecture
Starchitects have existed for decades and while some blame them for ruining the skyline, city planners have consistent sought after them for help with rebranding a city. While being a famous architect is an achievement sought after by all, the title of starchitect is said to be undesirable and may slowly disappear.
A Starchitect is an architect that has received critical acclaim, celebrity status and idolization by fellow architects. Some of the most well known 'starchitects' are Frank Gehry, Bjarke Ingels, Norman Foster, and Zaha Hadid to name a few.
Whenever a 'starchitect' releases news about their new project, the majority of the public is excited to see the project unfold. Others however, question the credibility of the projects completed by starchitects and are sceptical about the functionality of the building. They fear that the buildings is focused too much and design and they pose the important question of whether or not the building would have been approved if the project was in the hands of someone less famous.
Despite the public hesitations toward starchitects, city planners will continue to compete to have skylines graced with buildings by starchitects. This is because of the status associated with their work and the belief that by featuring buildings designed by famous architects, it will make their city 'world class' and just as famous as the cities that have works by similar architects.
In addition to the belief that the city would gain 'world class' status, it is also wished that the city would achieve a form of individualism. This however, doesn't happen often because instead of providing individualism, too much starchitecture leads to a series of indistinguishable skylines.