By any account, architect Rafael Viñoly was something of a prodigy. He’s racked up a series of high-profile projects around the world, and has developed a reputation for sensitivity to the needs of the project. “You don’t simply accept the client’s program at face value, as if your job is to be some kind of short-order cook. What you really want to do is figure out the underlying needs, which the client may never have fully understood. Then you work to define the program. You are not going to get a pre-cooked meal but something especially prepared.”