Monograph recently published a starchitect ranking based on real data to show how famous famous architects are. Created by digital product designer Moe Amaya and the Monograph data team, the project uses the STAR system classification algorithm to determine an architect's relative popularity and brand value.
As the Monograph team states, “Whether you're a client wanting to attract a talented architect or a student building your education, a starchitect's brand value in business and academia has been pretty opaque.
The Starchitect classification system is the beginning of a data-centric, architectural brand value approach. "
According to this ranking, Zaha Hadid tops the list, followed by Norman Foster, Le Corbusier and Bjarke Ingels.
Many important variables are missing, including books and their impact on the project. The team is also classifying the architects with their own name and not those who form a team such as SANAA, MVRDV, Herzog de Meuron and Snøhetta. Future versions of the algorithm will take these variables and these important architectural studies into account