The Ōsanbashi Pier in Yokohama, Japan, stands as a primary marker of Alejandro Zaera-Polo’s career, representing the sophisticated design language developed through his early work. Born in Madrid in 1963, the Spanish architect has built an extensive global portfolio while maintaining a parallel, often contentious, presence within the academic sphere of international architecture schools.
Early Career and Foreign Office Architects
After graduating from the Superior Technical School of Architecture of Madrid and completing a Master in Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1991, Zaera-Polo worked at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam. In 1993, he co-founded Foreign Office Architects (FOA) in London with Farshid Moussavi. The firm gained international recognition for a wide range of projects, including the Birmingham New Street station and the Ravensbourne college in London. FOA operated until 2009, when the studio began winding down its activities.
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Following the dissolution of FOA, Zaera-Polo established Alejandro Zaera-Polo Architecture in 2011, which was later rebranded as Alejandro Zaera-Polo & Maider Llaguno Architecture (AZPML). This iteration of his practice continued to secure international commissions, such as the Locarno Palazzo del Cinema in Switzerland and the Fundacion Cerezales in Leon, Spain. His work has been recognized with numerous honors, including multiple RIBA International Awards and the Charles Jencks Award for Architecture in 2005.
Academic Appointments and Controversy
Zaera-Polo held high-profile academic roles, including Dean of the Berlage Institute and Dean of the School of Architecture at Princeton University from 2012 to 2014. His tenure at Princeton ended abruptly following accusations of plagiarism regarding text produced for the Venice Biennale. In 2016, he filed a lawsuit against the university. By the summer of 2021, he was dismissed from his faculty position at Princeton, a decision he challenged through a series of videos titled A Gonzo Ethnography of Academic Authority.
Fast facts
- Born: 1963, Madrid, Spain
- Education: Superior Technical School of Architecture of Madrid, Harvard Graduate School of Design
- Notable Work: Ōsanbashi Pier
- Previous Firm: Foreign Office Architects (1993–2011)
- Current Firm: Alejandro Zaera-Polo & Maider Llaguno Architecture
- Former Dean: Princeton University School of Architecture
- Citizenship: Spain
Questions readers ask
What is Alejandro Zaera-Polo's most famous project?
His most recognized architectural work is the Ōsanbashi Pier, also known as the Yokohama Terminal, in Yokohama, Japan.
Why was Zaera-Polo dismissed from Princeton University?
In 2021, the university cited reasons including research misconduct and mistreatment of graduate students, though Zaera-Polo disputed these claims, alleging a lack of academic freedom.
Achievements
- Notable work: Ōsanbashi Pier
- Trained at Technical University of Madrid and Harvard Graduate School of Design
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