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Frank Gehry’s words speak to many architects’ desire to conceive truly iconic buildings, the kind that will remain as a legacy to their ingenuity long after their authors have gone. But what makes a building timeless or iconic? For some, the answer lies in innovation.

We believe that great architecture must involve the “compelling application of new ideas,” and buildings that are considered iconic often possess a groundbreaking aspect, something that had not been seen before. For Gehry’s Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, it was the application of parametric design on a huge scale. For the Burj Khalifa, it was unparalleled height. For the Eiffel Tower, it was the grand use of steel in a city defined by stone.

1. A Unique Silhouette

Certain architectural history tutors assert that the key to iconic architecture throughout the centuries lies in its silhouette — and that the most recognizable buildings can be drawn with a single line upon a page.

2. Pure Simplicity

Following on and working in conjunction with the unique silhouette, simplicity is a common trait found in many of the most famous architectural landmarks around the world. A singular, striking gesture can culminate in a structure that is highly memorable.

3. Perfect Symmetry

Gehry’s Bilbao museum breaks this rule, as well, but it is one that crops up time and again when looking at the most well-known buildings across the globe. The Empire State Building, the Burj Al Arab, Hagia Sophia, the Taj Mahal and the Bahai Lotus Temple all utilize strong symmetry to leave an impression on the minds of anyone who visits. It takes a brave architect to challenge the order in this respect, and Daniel Libeskind is one such designer, cutting away the symmetry of the Military History Museum in Dresden to controversial effect.

4. A Poetic Metaphor

Architecture has long been utilized as a symbol to represent a person, a region or an entire city — take the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, conceived by Eero Saarinen as a monument to the western expansion of the United States and widely considered a masterpiece of patriotic design.

5. The Honest Use of Materials

Many architects throughout history have advocated using materials to their strengths and leaving them exposed so as to communicate their nature. From the stone pillars of the Parthenon to the concrete shells of Felix Candela, this has remained a common ingredient in the design of iconic buildings regardless of context, program or scale.

6. A Moment of Courage

Artist Henri Matisse once said that “creativity takes courage,” and architects know this only too well. Breaking away from convention to produce a truly iconic structure takes bravery, something that Frank Lloyd Wright had in spades.

7. Amazing Engineering

As Architizer has previously covered in this special feature, many of the world’s most loved icons have been shaped in large part by teams of innovative engineers, working in collaboration with architects to find ways to realize their visions. Two of the most well-known examples are the Eiffel Tower, named after the engineer who refined its now-immortalized curving structural elements, and Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House, which was brought to fruition thanks to the architect’s close collaboration with the engineers of Ove Arup.

8. A Challenge to Context

While many architects prize designs that blend seamlessly with their surroundings, there are occasional instances where the beauty of a building lies in its stark contextual contrast.

9. A Brilliant Backstory

Many iconic buildings take on added significance when their reason for being is revealed. Take the Taj Mahal, for instance — the ornate mausoleum was designed and built for Mumtaz Mahal, the favorite wife of the Mughal emperor, and has stood as a shimmering symbol of love for three and a half centuries. An English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold best describes it as “not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passion of an emperor’s love wrought in living stones.” Few works of architecture have such emotive power.

10. The Ideal Client

“Behind a good project comes a great client,” asserts Fran Silvestre of Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, and this statement couldn’t be more pertinent when it comes to iconic design. That’s because the pursuit of the iconic requires great willingness on the part of those who commission it, a willingness to put up with inevitable setbacks and potential budget-busting complications as their architect strives to create something completely unique.