10 Innovative Buildings by Herzog & de Meuron
After years of creating an architectural language of geometric forms and innovative façades, Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron became the first duo in history to win the Pritzker Prize in 2001. At the start of their careers, they attended the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, both graduating in 1975, and established their firm, Herzog & de Meuron, three years later in Basel. Today some of their most recognizable works include the 2008 Beijing Olympic Stadium, the structure famously known as the Bird’s Nest, designed in collaboration with artist Ai Weiwei; VitraHaus, their addition to the illustrious Vitra Design museum, which sits alongside buildings by Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid; and Prada’s Tokyo flagship store, a luxury goods destination designed with diamond-shaped panes of curved glass. Their unconventional and often surprising approach to architectural design demonstrates their virtuosic ability not only to envision a new landscape for living, but also to create structures that continually provoke, challenge, and inspire.