Architecture / Ranking of top 100 firms

[Tom Servo]

Every quarter the German architecture portal baunetz.de ranks the hottest 100 architecture firms. The ranking is based on the number of publications in the past 24 months from the top architectural magazines (Bauwelt, Detail, Architectural Review, a+u, architektur.aktuell, L’architecture d’aujourd’hui, Werk Bauen und Wohnen, domus, and so on). The ranking has no direct relationship with quality and is not a ranking of the firms actual work. It is merely a ranking of the world's most popular offices and is a great guide for those searching for the most star of the star-architects. Does it matter? Not really. But who doesn't love rankings?

The third quarter ranking of the top 100 architecture offices:
RANK / SCORE / FIRM / LOCATION
01 / 306 / Herzog und de Meuron / Basel
02 / 289 / Office for Metropolitan Architecture / Rotterdam
03 / 227 / Steven Holl Architects / New York
04 / 214 / SANAA / Tokyo
05 / 213 / Zaha Hadid / London
06 / 197 / UN Studio / Amsterdam
07 / 179 / Jean Nouvel / Paris
08 / 171 / Foster and Partners / London
09 / 128 / MVRDV / Rotterdam
10 / 125 / David Chipperfield Architects / London
11 / 123 / Toyo Ito / Tokyo
12 / 112 / Zumthor, Peter / Haldenstein
13 / 105 / Gigon / Guyer Architekten / Zurich
14 / 090 / Alvaro Siza / Oporto
14 / 090 / Peter Märkli / Zurich
16 / 084 / Diller Scofidio + Renfro / New York
17 / 083 / Kengo Kuma / Tokyo
18 / 077 / Atelier Kempe Thill / Rotterdam
18 / 077 / Daniel Libeskind / New York
20 / 074 / Paulo David Arquitecto / Funchal
21 / 072 / Anne Lacaton + Jean Philippe Vassal / Paris
21 / 072 / Wandel Hoefer Lorch + Hirsch / Saarbrücken
23 / 071 / Renzo Piano / Genoa
24 / 068 / Future Systems / London
25 / 067 / Krischanitz, Adolf / Vienna

http://www.baunetz.de/ranking/?area=ranking&type=int&lang=en

[Jibba]

Somewhat surprised to see Zumthor so high up on the list. And, not surprisingly, a dearth of U.S. firms on the list. The list seems accurate enough as a reflection of design emphasis per continent, too.

[Tom Servo]

notice chicago's place on the list...

[slide_rule]

^i'd take these rankings with a grain of salt. it's a measure of the firms' street cred. unfortunately perceptions of architecture in general, and starchitecture in particular, are subjective and subject to the vagaries of fashion, public relations, and media exposure. the 24/7 exposure of the bird's nest stadium helped herzog and meuron rocket to the top. unfortunately many architects themselves criticize the bird's nest for being a profligate waste of steel. but then popularity is a measure of fame, and not really reflective of the actual work.

[Tom Servo]

h+dm have been in the top 3 for the last few years.

[slide_rule]

^eh... it's a popularity contest. these rankings aren't exactly reflective of the best architects out there, only the most popular. and anyway, the mundane, everyday functions of the anonymous, interchangeable architects, urban planners, and civil engineers contribute more to our built environment than any celeb.

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

^i'd take these rankings with a grain of salt. it's a measure of the firms' street cred. unfortunately perceptions of architecture in general, and starchitecture in particular, are subjective and subject to the vagaries of fashion, public relations, and media exposure. the 24/7 exposure of the bird's nest stadium helped herzog and meuron rocket to the top. unfortunately many architects themselves criticize the bird's nest for being a profligate waste of steel. but then popularity is a measure of fame, and not really reflective of the actual work.

:tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup:

Well said, especially when you consider that OMA is a totalitarian apparatchik and Zaha Hadid has become a caricature of herself.

I do think HdeM, UNStudio, Jean Nouvel, Steven Holl and Renzo Piano deserve the acclaim, though.

Anyway, Adrian, you know Chicago's next wave of better firms is still in its infancy: VDT, Krueck + Sexton, Studio Gang, Garofalo Architects, John Ronan Architect, UrbanLab. (Here's hoping the economic downturn doesn't inflict permanent damage on their otherwise bright futures.) Also, most of those cities (New York, London, Paris, Tokyo) never underwent a decline in relevance and prestige following de-industrialization the way Chicago did during the latter half of the 20th Century; their reputations as civic powerhouses when their respective firms established themselves were never really in question. Considering its recent history, I'd say Chicago's in a pretty good place right now, but I know you have little care for things like historical context...