One of Germany's most prominent architects and urban planners of the post-war period, Albert Speer junior, has died aged 83, local media reported Sunday. His death late Friday came after an operation on a broken hip sustained in a fall at his home in the western city of Frankfurt, Bild daily reported.
Speer was widely credited with honestly reckoning with the heavy historical burden left by his father and namesake - one of Adolf Hitler's closest confidants and the head of the vast Nazi armaments ministry. Born in Berlin as the eldest of six children, Albert junior managed to emerge from his father's shadow to become known for ecologically sustainable public works projects across Europe, Asia and Africa.
A fourth-generation architect, Speer junior overcame a debilitating stutter he had as a child by forcing himself to take public speaking engagements as an adult. After starting his own architecture firm in 1964 in Frankfurt, Speer won several competitions for his designs including Germany's prestigious Deubau prize.
The company has 200 employees and a satellite office in Shanghai. It won bids for the European Central Bank headquarters, major football stadiums, industrial developments in China, and a ministry in Saudi Arabia praised for blending traditional Arab design with ultra-modern infrastructure technology.