Remembering the Architects and Artists We Lost in 2025

The passing of influential figures in architecture and the arts is never a purely biographical event. It is a cultural pause—a moment when the discipline looks back at the ideas, provocations, and disruptions that shaped its present condition. In 2025, the deaths of Ricardo Scofidio, Simone Swan, David Lynch, and Frank Gehry marked the end of several distinct yet deeply interconnected creative trajectories. These figures did not simply produce objects, buildings, or films; they redefined how space could be perceived, narrated, and emotionally inhabited. Their work unfolded across architecture, installation, film, and speculative art, challenging the rigid boundaries between disciplines. Remembering the architects and artists we lost in 2025 is not an act of nostalgia, but an opportunity to reflect on the intellectual ecosystems they helped build—ecosystems where architecture absorbed ideas from performance, cinema, politics, and the subconscious. In an era increasingly shaped by speed, metrics, and digital abstraction, their absence invites a deeper question: what kinds of thinking do we risk losing when such figures disappear, and how might their legacies continue to inform the future of spatial culture?

Ricardo Scofidio: The Architect Who Redefined Urban Space

Ricardo Scofidio and the Architecture of Inquiry

Ricardo Scofidio’s influence on contemporary architecture lies less in a single iconic form than in a methodological shift. As co-founder of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the Ricardo Scofidio architect practice consistently treated architecture as a form of inquiry rather than resolution. Born on April 16, 1935, in New York City, Scofidio studied at Cooper Union and Columbia University before establishing what would become one of the most influential interdisciplinary design studios of our time. His projects blurred the line between building, exhibition, and urban critique, positioning architecture as a medium capable of exposing social behaviors, institutional power, and the politics of visibility. From the High Line to experimental installations, Scofidio’s work questioned who architecture is for, how it is consumed, and how it performs beyond its physical envelope. What mattered was not simply what architecture looked like, but what it revealed—about surveillance, leisure, movement, and the body in space. His legacy endures in a generation of architects who see research, narrative, and interdisciplinary collaboration not as peripheral activities, but as central architectural acts. Scofidio expanded the profession’s intellectual bandwidth, demonstrating that architecture could operate simultaneously as critique, infrastructure, and cultural commentary. He passed away peacefully on March 6, 2025, at the age of 89, surrounded by his family including his partner in life and work, Elizabeth Diller.

Among Scofidio’s most celebrated works are the High Line in New York—a former rail line reimagined as an elevated park that has become an internationally recognized model for adaptive reuse—and The Shed, a dynamic cultural center with a movable shell that epitomizes his commitment to flexible, forward-thinking design. The firm also completed transformative projects including the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, The Broad museum in Los Angeles, and the MoMA 2019 extension. In 1999, Scofidio and Diller became the first architects to receive the MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant, recognizing their innovation and passion for work that operated at the intersection of architecture, the performing arts, and the visual arts.

Simone Swan: Pioneer of Sustainable Adobe Architecture

Simone Swan and the Intimacy of Material Thought

Simone Swan’s work occupied a quieter but no less radical territory, rooted in material sensitivity, craft, and emotional resonance. Born on November 30, 1928, in Antwerp, Belgium, Swan became a legendary figure in sustainable architecture through her dedication to adobe construction and Nubian vaulted building techniques. Rather than pursuing monumentality, Swan explored how small-scale interventions and earthen construction could reshape the way space is felt rather than seen. Her practice engaged with textures, light, and the subtle relationships between object, body, and environment, emphasizing architecture and art as lived experiences rather than visual statements.

Swan’s journey into adobe architecture began in the 1970s when she apprenticed with the renowned Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy, author of “Architecture for the Poor.” Inspired by his use of earthen materials and interest in reviving indigenous building techniques for owner-built cooperative housing, Swan established the Adobe Alliance in the Big Bend area of West Texas in the late 1990s. In 1998, she began construction of Casa Swan, a 1,600-square-foot, off-grid desert house with adobe vaults and domes that became a model for sustainable living. Her annual November workshops attracted an international array of students, including architect Ronald Rael, who later became a pioneer in 3D-printed earthen construction.

In a design culture often driven by spectacle, Swan’s approach insisted on slowness, attentiveness, and care. Her work mattered because it reminded architects and designers that meaning does not always emerge from scale or complexity, but from precision and empathy. As Swan famously declared, “Adobe is political”—a stance against capitalism, restrictive building regulations, and disposable construction practices. By foregrounding tactility and atmosphere, Swan contributed to a broader revaluation of sensory intelligence in spatial practice—an intelligence increasingly relevant as architecture confronts questions of mental well-being, domesticity, and environmental sustainability. She passed away on January 16, 2025, in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 96.

David Lynch: Cinema, Architecture, and the Subconscious

David Lynch and the Cinematic Space of the Subconscious

Although David Lynch is primarily remembered as a filmmaker, his influence on architecture and spatial culture is profound and enduring. Born on January 20, 1946, in Missoula, Montana, Lynch understood space as a psychological construct, one capable of holding fear, desire, memory, and disorientation simultaneously. His films transformed rooms, corridors, highways, and domestic interiors into narrative devices, revealing how architecture can act as a protagonist rather than a backdrop. For architects, Lynch’s work offered a lesson in ambiguity: spaces do not need to explain themselves to be powerful. His environments resisted clarity, embracing darkness, repetition, and the uncanny. This sensibility has deeply influenced contemporary spatial practices—from exhibition design to immersive installations—where atmosphere, sound, and temporal experience matter as much as form. Lynch expanded architectural imagination by legitimizing emotion, dream logic, and discomfort as valid spatial tools, challenging designers to move beyond functional narratives toward more complex experiential ones.

David Lynch’s Favorite Films and Architectural Influences

Understanding David Lynch favorite films reveals much about his spatial sensibility. Lynch repeatedly cited Fellini’s “8½” and “La Strada,” Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard,” Jacques Tati’s “Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday,” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” as formative influences. Of Fellini, Lynch observed that the director managed to communicate emotion “without ever saying or showing anything in a direct manner, without ever explaining anything, just by a sort of sheer magic.” This approach—communicating through atmosphere rather than explanation—became central to Lynch’s own work and offers architects a model for designing spaces that operate on emotional rather than purely functional terms. Stanley Kubrick was another crucial influence; Lynch once remarked that hearing Kubrick admired his debut film “Eraserhead” meant he “could’ve passed away peaceful and happy.”

David Lynch Home: Architecture as Creative Laboratory

The David Lynch home in the Hollywood Hills became as significant to understanding his work as his films themselves. In 1987, Lynch purchased the Beverly Johnson House, a 1963 mid-century modern residence designed by Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright). Over several decades, he expanded this into a 2.3-acre compound comprising seven structures with 10 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. The property exemplifies what architectural historians call “hillside modernism”—bold geometric forms and extensive glass walls that maximize views while creating seamless indoor-outdoor transitions. In 1991, Lynch commissioned Eric Lloyd Wright, Lloyd Wright’s son and Frank Lloyd Wright’s grandson, to design the pool and pool house, creating a rare example of three-generation family design continuity on a single property.

One of the Brutalist structures on the compound—with its raw presence, sharply cut openings, and angular rhythm—appeared as the Madison residence in Lynch’s 1997 film “Lost Highway,” demonstrating how Lynch used architecture not merely as backdrop but as a cinematic character generating tension. The compound also served as headquarters for his production company, Asymmetrical Productions, and included his private editing suite and screening room where “Mulholland Drive” was finalized. Following Lynch’s death on January 16, 2025, at the age of 78, this architectural legacy—now listed for $15 million—stands as testament to how closely architecture, film, and art were intertwined in his life and work.

Frank Gehry: The Architect Who Reshaped Global Architecture

Frank Gehry and the Politics of Architectural Form

Frank Gehry’s death on December 5, 2025, marked the closing of one of architecture’s most visible and debated chapters. Born Frank Owen Goldberg on February 28, 1929, in Toronto, Canada, the architect Frank Gehry buildings reshaped the global architectural landscape through a language of fragmentation, movement, and sculptural intensity that challenged conventional notions of structure and envelope. His buildings became cultural landmarks not only because of their form, but because they redefined architecture’s relationship with media, branding, and public attention. Yet beyond the iconic curves and titanium surfaces, Gehry’s deeper contribution lies in his insistence on experimentation and risk. He pushed the profession to confront new technologies, unconventional materials, and alternative design processes at a time when such approaches were far from mainstream. Gehry’s work forced architects to grapple with questions of authorship, spectacle, and responsibility in a globalized cultural economy. His legacy remains complex, but its importance is undeniable: he expanded the permissible vocabulary of architecture and made formal ambition a legitimate form of inquiry. As tributes poured in from across the architectural world, it became clear that Gehry’s influence transcended individual buildings to reshape how we think about what architecture can achieve.

Frank Gehry House: The Santa Monica Residence That Launched a Revolution

The Frank Gehry house in Santa Monica stands as perhaps the most influential Frank Gehry residential project and the work that launched his international career. In 1977, Gehry and his wife Berta purchased a modest 1920 Dutch colonial bungalow. Rather than demolish it, Gehry wrapped the existing structure with a bold new exterior using unconventional materials: corrugated metal, plywood, chain-link fencing, and exposed wood framing. The result was a residence that simultaneously preserved and transformed, creating what has been called one of the earliest deconstructivist buildings—though Gehry himself resisted such labels.

The Frank Gehry house initially provoked outrage among neighbors, one of whom—a lawyer—threatened to file a lawsuit to have the building removed. Yet over time, the residence gained recognition as a seminal work that demonstrated how architecture could question its own assumptions about finish, permanence, and beauty. The American Institute of Architects awarded it the 25-Year Award in 2012, recognizing its continuing importance as an architectural landmark. Gehry later built a second, larger residence in Santa Monica—a 10,000-square-foot home designed in collaboration with his son Sam, featuring Douglas fir construction, geothermal heating, and magnificent views of the Santa Monica Canyon—but maintained the original house, planning to keep it in the family.

Frank Gehry Building: Iconic Works That Defined Contemporary Architecture

The Frank Gehry building that transformed global perception of what architecture could achieve was undoubtedly the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, completed in 1997. Hailed by The New Yorker as “a masterpiece of the 20th century” and by legendary architect Philip Johnson as “the greatest building of our time,” the museum’s swirling titanium-clad exterior and daring form created what became known as the “Bilbao Effect”—demonstrating that bold architectural landmarks can transform a city’s cultural and economic life. The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (2003), with its sweeping stainless steel curves, became the centerpiece of downtown revitalization and showcased Gehry’s mastery of both sculptural expression and acoustic excellence.

Other significant Frank Gehry buildings include the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2014), with its twelve immense glass “sails” supported by complex steel and timber structures; the Dancing House in Prague (1996), nicknamed “Fred and Ginger” for its playful forms; and 8 Spruce Street in New York (2011), his first skyscraper, featuring a dramatic rippling stainless-steel facade. Gehry’s pioneering use of CATIA software—originally developed for aerospace engineering—enabled the realization of complex geometries previously unattainable, fundamentally changing how architects approach design and construction. His transformative ideas in urban design continue to influence how cities commission and think about architecture as cultural catalyst.

Cross-Disciplinary Legacy: Where Architecture Meets Art, Film, and Politics

Intersections Across Disciplines and Scales

What unites Scofidio, Swan, Lynch, and Gehry is not a shared aesthetic, but a shared refusal to accept disciplinary limits. Each approached space as something more than a functional container—treating it instead as narrative, critique, sensation, or provocation. Their work collectively underscores the idea that architecture does not exist in isolation, but in dialogue with art, cinema, politics, and everyday life. This cross-disciplinary mindset is increasingly relevant today, as architects are asked to address complex social and environmental challenges that cannot be solved through technical expertise alone. By operating across scales and mediums, these figures demonstrated that architectural thinking can—and must—extend beyond buildings, engaging with culture at large.

Ricardo Scofidio brought performance and visual art into architectural practice, treating buildings as stages for social critique. Simone Swan merged architecture with environmental activism and social justice, proving that sustainable building could be both political act and aesthetic achievement. David Lynch showed architects how cinema could inform spatial experience, revealing the psychological dimensions of domestic and urban environments. And Frank Gehry demonstrated that architecture could achieve the status of sculpture and art while still serving functional purposes. Together, their legacies offer a model for practice that refuses compartmentalization.

Carrying Forward an Expanded Architectural Imagination

Conclusion: The Enduring Influence of 2025’s Lost Visionaries

The loss of these figures in 2025 is not simply the end of individual careers; it marks a transition in architectural culture itself. As new generations of architects and designers emerge, the challenge is not to imitate the forms or styles associated with Scofidio, Swan, Lynch, or Gehry, but to adopt their intellectual courage. Their work teaches that architecture thrives when it asks difficult questions, embraces uncertainty, and remains open to influences beyond its own boundaries. In education, practice, and criticism, their legacies encourage a more reflective, interdisciplinary, and humane approach to design. Remembering the architects and artists we lost in 2025 is therefore not an act of closure, but a call to continue expanding what architecture can be—conceptually, emotionally, and culturally—in a world that increasingly needs spaces capable of thinking as deeply as they function.

For those seeking to understand these legacies more deeply, the work continues through the institutions and practices they established: Diller Scofidio + Renfro will extend Scofidio’s architectural legacy; the Adobe Alliance carries forward Swan’s mission of sustainable, affordable earthen construction; the David Lynch Foundation continues his work promoting transcendental meditation; and Gehry Partners will complete projects including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Colburn School expansion. A major Frank Gehry retrospective will open at the Serralves Foundation in Porto in May 2026, offering architects, students, and the wider public an opportunity to engage deeply with the work and legacy of this transformative figure.