There were two huge stories in architecture this year: the death of Zaha Hadid (number one) and the rise of Bjarke Ingels (number two). The untimely passing of Hadid dominated architectural discourse but Ingels, who has only just turned 42, looks set to inherit her mantle as most talked-about architect on earth. More about The late, great Zaha Hadid heads our Architects Hot List
Our first ever Dezeen Hot List is headed by an architect we lost this year. But the sad passing of Zaha Hadid was the most talked-about topic in architecture and design over the past 12 months and places the late architect at the top of our list. More about Zaha Hadid
This was the year that young Danish architect Bjarke Ingels became a critically acclaimed international superstar. Time magazine named him one of the world's 100 most influential people and published a citation by his former boss Rem Koolhaas, who described Ingels as "the embodiment of a fully fledged new typology, which responds perfectly to the current zeitgeist." More about Bjarke Ingels
Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron are perennial favourites among Dezeen readers, completing the trio of most admired practices alongside Zaha Hadid Architects and Bjarke Ingels Group. More about Herzog & de Meuron
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma hit the news at the end of last year after winning a competition to design a new National Stadium in Tokyo, which will serve as the centrepiece of the 2020 Olympics. More about Kengo Kuma
Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is an enigma: he runs a small firm, rarely gives interviews, doesn't build much and doesn't even have a website. He's one of the people we've written about the least – only 28 stories, the lowest of any entrant in our top 10. More about Peter Zumthor
Like Peter Zumthor, Japanese duo Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA enjoy a cult-like status in the architecture world. And like Zumthor, they are publicity shy and haven't built as prolifically as some of their famous peers. More about SANAA
Dutch studio MVRDV would have been placed highly in our Hot List under any circumstances – but its high ranking this year is due to the extraordinary popularity of its recent Chanel store facade in Amsterdam, which is made of glass bricks. More about MVRDV
London architect David Chipperfield can do no wrong in the eyes of our readers. His quietly austere brand of modernism doesn't scream for attention, yet avoids being formulaic. More about David Chipperfield
Rem Koolhaas and his architecture firm OMA might easily have been two separate entries in our Hot List (his consultancy AMO could have been a third, but didn't get enough search traffic to make the cut). More about Rem Koolhaas/OMA
Foster + Partners, headed by Norman Foster, is one of the most prolific architecture offices that we write about, with readers visiting 178 stories about the firm over the past year. Among architects, only Zaha Hadid topped this, with 249. More about Norman Foster/Foster + Partners
Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena was relatively unknown until this year, when he achieved the double whammy of winning the Pritzker Prize and curating the Venice Architecture Biennale. More about Alejandro Aravena/Elemental
Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto is best known for the ethereal and ephemeral Serpentine Gallery Pavilion he built in 2013. This year he created an even more intangible installation for fashion brand COS that was literally smoke and mirrors – and light. More about Sou Fujimoto
Tadao Ando is the fourth Japanese architect in our overall top 20, and with design studio Nendo at number 20, this makes Japan the leading country for design talent in our Hot List. More about Tadao Ando
New residential skyscraper proposals for London, New York and Miami helped Italian architect Renzo Piano climb to number 22 in our Hot List. More about Renzo Piano
Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia is fast establishing himself as one of the leading global players. More about Vo Trong Nghia
The past year has been a roller coaster of highs and lows for Santiago Calatrava, the architect Dezeen readers tend to either love or hate. More about Santiago Calatrava
Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza is a cult favourite among architects, so comfortably made our Hot List without being in the news a whole lot over the past year. More about Álvaro Siza
The so-called master of minimalism, John Pawson doesn't tend to shout too loudly about his latest architecture projects. But the clients he works for often do, and Dezeen readers generally can't get enough. More about John Pawson
The architecture of Frank Gehry has always popular with Dezeen readers. Recently though he became almost better known for a spontaneous finger gesture. More about Frank Gehry
Japanese architect Toyo Ito is one of the world's most revered architects but he rarely allows his buildings to be published online, hence his relatively modest showing on our Hot List. More about Toyo Ito