“In the rush to draw a line under the age of the starchitect, we’re at risk of losing more than we think”

Owen Hopkins | Dezeen | 23rd February 2026

Celebrity architects go way back – at least to Michelangelo. However, with the recent spate of deaths of leading architects– most recently Frank Gehry- the starchitect era is said to be over. Glamour projects brought benefits, such as reduced conformity, but often at huge cost. Gehry’s Bilbao boosted the local economy, but few other such projects were as successful. Still, starchitects kept architecture involved in the civic conversation. That is still needed to achieve a “more equitable and sustainable built environment”.