Le Corbusier

Born in Switzerland, Le Corbusier was a titan of 20th-century architecture, best known for his stark, concrete, functionalist buildings and his "five points" of modern architecture. His influence is undeniable, shaping cities and skylines across the globe, from Chandigarh, India, to Marseilles, France. He even designed furniture, proving that a true visionary can't be constrained by mere walls.

His urban planning concepts, however, often involved razing historical districts to make way for towering, uniform housing blocks and sprawling highways. While efficient on paper, these grand schemes sometimes overlooked the pesky human element, leading to sterile environments where even the most ardent modernist might long for a bit of charm or a crooked cobblestone.

Despite his groundbreaking contributions and a portfolio of buildings that are now UNESCO World Heritage sites, Le Corbusier's political leanings were, shall we say, complicated. He flirted with fascism and admired authoritarian regimes, which, when combined with his uncompromising architectural dogmatism, makes one wonder if he saw people as much as he saw modular units to be neatly arranged.

So, while Le Corbusier certainly left an indelible mark on the built world, ensuring that millions live, work, and perhaps feel slightly alienated in structures derived from his principles, his legacy is a complex concrete slab of genius mixed with some rather questionable humanistic considerations.