Re: Is it wise to hire a “star-chitect”?

This discussion shouldn't be staged in this terms because those are the media premises, who has little interest in developing coherent arguments (rather they choose to apply eye catching slogans, that sometimes have nothing to do with the point in question). The problem with contemporary architecture, mainly in expensive buildings, is that the client is not qualified enough to write a coherent brief, giving too much autonomy to architects. The starchitect is as old as architecture, as the cases of Imhotep, Phidias, Vitruvius, Michelangelo, Palladio, Bernini, and many others show. To every project, be it a huge museum or a small house, there should be an architect from the start, along with all the other technical disciplines, and above all with a client that should be interested, interventive and have a strong belief in the final purpose of the building (not in its form!)