As a young architect David Chipperfield worked for Richard Rogers and Norman Foster. But despite having studied under such dramatic auteurs, Chipperfield himself is considered a virtuoso of meticulously crafted minimalism.

David Chipperfield Architects has consistently avoided the “signature style” approach taken by many current architects. Chipperfield does not seek to create spectacle, but instead studies a building’s locale and its intended use to create architectural solutions that are subtle but powerful, that resonate with their setting rather than dominate it. As a result, David Chipperfield Architects is considered one of the most important architectural practices working internationally today.

Chipperfield’s buildings are designed for their inhabitants, for the people that will use them daily, and they’re also highly personal and individual. “I think architecture should represent one’s idea on life,” he has stated. “It stands for the way that you are, the way that you live and behave. Architecture is a mediation between us and the world.”

“As architects we make spaces, control views and construct enclosures. In essence the elements of architecture are simple and primary. Contemporary architecture tends to let that get lost.”