Starchitecture! Yes, there's an entry in Wikipedia for starchitect. It is used to describe architects whose celebrity and critical acclaim have transformed them into "idols of the architecture world".
It is a very long list of architects in this category. At the top is Frank Gehry. There are lots of articles with starchitect in the headline - we can check out the top starchitects of Miami, Paris, New York and London. Who won the Pritzker Prize amongst the top starchitects?
Starchitect is associated with the phrase "the Bilbao effect." This phrase came about after Gehry's Guggenheim Museum was built in Spain in 1997. This building has become the most influential building of modern times. Visitors' spending in Bilbao in the first three years after the museum opened raised over €100m ($110m) in taxes for the regional government, enough to recoup the construction costs and leave something over. Rarely have the many subsequent "Bilbaos" matched the original in economic and social uplift.
For example, one can learn about the "Bilbao Effect" at 20 Canadian Galleries and Museums HERE. The article covers some familiar Toronto landmarks - the ROM, Gardiner Museum, the AGO, and the For York Visitor Centre. One of my favourites in the article is the Aga Khan Museum. Our pictures today show exterior views of the gardens and building. What I find interesting is the angle of the entrance, making the last photo look like it needs horizon fixing.
