American architect Jeanne Gang has been named as the world's most influential architect by the TIME Magazine, the magazine releases its "best 100" list each year recognizing people who have made stunning achievements in their own field.

This year Jeanne Gang has been listed in TIME Magazine's list of 100 most influential people among other world renowned icons, like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, golf player Tiger Woods, American singer, songwriter and actress Lady Gaga, the former first Lady of the United States Michelle Obama. 

Jeanne Gang is the only architect who female architect listed among the most influential people under the "titans" category, which also includes Tiger Woods, Bob Iger, Vera Jourova, Marillyn Hewson, Jerome Powell. 

The expansion of the O’Hare International Airport by Studio Gang and StudioORD. Image courtesy of Studio ORD.

TIME Magazine's list also most influential pioneers, artists, activists, leaders, icons, entrepreneurs, and athletes who have made significant achievements in their careers. 

In the list, Jeanne Gang was tributed by actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith and she said: "Jeanne Gang has the WOW factor. Her stunning Aqua, in Chicago, is the tallest building ever built by a woman. Now she’s building an even taller one."

"Yet, for Jeanne, architecture is not just a wondrous object. It’s a catalyst for change. Her sleek, woody boathouses are helping to revive the polluted Chicago River by filtering runoff organically. Her Polis Station concept aims to improve the way civilians interact with law enforcement by fusing police stations with civic recreational centers."

MIRA tower tops out in San Francisco. Image © Jason O'Rear, courtesy Studio Gang

"She recently tested the idea in one of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods, adding a basketball court to the 10th District police station in North Lawndale. The results were so popular, she’s now expanding the facility," added Smith.

"Referring to the growing socioeconomic divides in our cities, Jeanne has warned her profession against “sorting ourselves into architects of the rich and architects of the poor,” and focuses instead on discovering “new possibilities for the discipline and beyond.” And it all started with playing in the dirt and making ice castles. Wow."

Jeanne Gang runs her own office Studio Gang in Chicago, New York and San Francisco. She is currently behind the expansion of the O’Hare International Airport. In addition, the Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is one of her hotly-anticipated projects currently under construction in New York. 

Aqua Tower completed in 2010 in Chicago. The rippled tower includes a hotel, offices, rental apartments, condominiums, and parking, along with one of Chicago’s largest green roofs. Image by Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing

Emphasizing the importance of providing a mix of housing to help create democratic cities that serve all in an exclusive interview with World Architecture Community, Gang's MIRA tower, one of the examples of her projects, tops out in San Francisco. 

Gang is the second female architect listed in TIME's 100 most influential people, after Elizabeth Diller listed in 2018. 

Looking back to the TIME's previous lists, in 2016, Danish architect Bjarke Ingels was named under the "artists" category in TIME's 100 Influential People list - who was praised by a commentary of Rem Koolhaas. 

In 2017, Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye, conceived as a rising-start of architecture, was named as the world's most influential architect in TIME's list and Adjaye was the only architect named in the list under ''Artists'' category and ''Icons'' subcategory.

Top image courtesy of Azure Magazine

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