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GAD / PEOPLE

The people. The ideas. The work.

Explore 102 architect profiles, design approaches, documented roles and primary sources in the independent GAD reference library.

An editorial reference selection, including historical figures. Directory order is alphabetical by English name and is not a ranking. Individual roles and joint authorship are stated in each profile.

102 profiles

New Zealand

Andrew Patterson

Not specified

Andrew Patterson's architecture is described by NZIA as highly particular to each commission rather than united by a repeated appearance.

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France

Anne Lacaton

Lacaton & Vassal

Anne Lacaton met Jean-Philippe Vassal while studying architecture in Bordeaux and later completed a master's degree in urban planning.

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Japan

Arata Isozaki

Arata Isozaki & Associates

Arata Isozaki studied architecture at the University of Tokyo and worked under Kenzo Tange before establishing his own practice in 1963.

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India

Balkrishna Doshi

Vastushilpa Consultants

Balkrishna Doshi studied architecture in Mumbai, worked with Le Corbusier in Paris, and returned to India to oversee projects in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad.

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Canada

Brigitte Shim

Shim-Sutcliffe Architects

Brigitte Shim is a founding partner of Shim-Sutcliffe Architects with A. Howard Sutcliffe.

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Spain

Carme Pigem

RCR Arquitectes

Carme Pigem founded RCR Arquitectes with Rafael Aranda and Ramon Vilalta in their home city of Olot in 1988, after completing studies at ETSAV.

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Canada

Claude Provencher

Provencher_Roy

Claude Provencher graduated from the Université de Montréal in 1974 and met Michel Roy while working at Papineau, Gérin-Lajoie, Leblanc Architectes.

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New Zealand

Dave Strachan

Not specified

Dave Strachan entered architecture after working as a self-taught builder and studying at the University of Auckland.

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United States

David M. Powell

Not specified

David M. Powell moved to Nashville in 1991 after studying architecture at Oklahoma State University, intending to combine architectural practice with music.

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United States

Deborah Berke

TenBerke

Deborah Berke founded Deborah Berke Partners, now TenBerke, in 1982 and became the first female dean of the Yale School of Architecture.

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New Zealand

Deidre Brown

University of Auckland

Deidre Brown is an architectural scholar whose work spans Māori architecture, art, history, housing and education.

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Burkina Faso

Diébédo Francis Kéré

Not specified

Diébédo Francis Kéré grew up in Gando, where shared community life and the experience of enclosed gathering spaces shaped his first understanding of architecture.

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New Zealand

Ewan Brown

Tennent Brown Architects

Ewan Brown joined Hugh Tennent in establishing Tennent Brown Architects in 2003.

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How GAD will assess individual designers

Questions to take into the work

How can a biography be connected to specific buildings?

Begin with a named project, its date and the role explicitly credited to the person. Read a design idea alongside a concrete decision in that work, using the linked primary sources. Keep joint authors and collaborators visible instead of using a famous name as a substitute for the full credit.

How is an architect profile different from a practice portfolio?

A biography follows a person’s life and contribution; a practice profile describes an organisation and its work. Founders, partners, project architects and collaborators can have different responsibilities. Connect the two records through documented project credits rather than assuming that every practice project belongs personally to its best-known architect.

Architecture practices · Architecture project studies · Architecture awards

GAD Editorial · Answers reviewed 2026-10-18