{"id":185,"date":"2021-03-15T04:20:10","date_gmt":"2021-03-15T04:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecubicfeetdesign.com\/blog\/?p=185"},"modified":"2022-09-05T11:04:41","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T06:04:41","slug":"frank-gehry-the-architect-with-a-midas-touch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecubicfeetdesign.com\/blog\/frank-gehry-the-architect-with-a-midas-touch\/","title":{"rendered":"Frank Gehry – the Architect with a Midas Touch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Frank Gehry, the maestro who shook the pillars of designing buildings by introducing new techniques to the world of architecture<\/a>. From iconic Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, Gehry proved that he has a unique whimsical touch to his craft which is delivered in his finished buildings.<\/p>\n

Early life<\/h2>\n

Frank Gehry<\/a> was born on February 28, 1929 in Toronto, Ontario to Jewish Parents. His interest in architecture was developed by his grandparents at a very young age. His grandfather owned a hardware store. He used to spend a lot of time making imaginary and futuristic buildings from the leftovers of the hardware shop.Gehry went to the University of Southern California to attain a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Architecture in 1954. Later on went to the Harvard Graduate School of design to study City Planning.<\/p>\n

Career<\/h2>\n

Gehry began his career by working for Victor Gruen Associated and Pereira and Luckman in Los Angeles. He was given a chance to design his first private residence at a mere age of 28. He built \u201cThe David Cabin\u201d. This was symbolic for his career later on. The over 2000sq. ft. mountain retreat had unique design features with strong Asian influences like Shosoin Treasure House. Frank went to Paris to work for Andre Remondet but returned back to California after a brief stint. He started his own firm in 1962. There was no stopping by from there. Most of his earlier work was in Southern California which also includes Santa Monica Place and many residential buildings like the eccentric Norton House.<\/p>\n

Gehry\u2019s work reflects spirit of experimentation along with a respect for the demands of professional practices which has largely remained un-aligned with stylistic tendencies. He had deep roots in modernism. His work has been sought after to have modernistic strings attached to it.<\/p>\n

He has been known as someone who \u201cmade us produce buildings that are fun, sculpturally exciting, good experiences\u201d<\/em><\/strong>. Gehry work is sometimes labelled as Crude but his consistency has brought him accolade from all over the world. Usually his work is embarked with nontraditional ideas sometimes referred as DEconstructivism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Frank Gehry\u2019s Work<\/h2>\n

Frank Gehry\u2019s work speaks for itself. There are so many illustrious building spanning over his long career. Some of them are listed below:<\/p>\n

Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California:<\/h3>\n

The iconic building of the Walt Disney concert hall was way ahead of its time. It reflects Gehry\u2019 passions for sailing. The structure\u2019s exterior has stainless steel that billow above grand avenues while inside similar shaped panels of Douglas fir makes up the auditorium.<\/p>\n

\"Frank
Credit: architecturaldigest.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chiat\/Day Complex, Venice, California:<\/h3>\n

Gehry built day complex in Venice California for advertising company Chiat\/Day, commonly known as Binoculars Building. Office structure resembles a ship\u2019s prow and tree trunks flanking the sculpture, spacious enough to hold 500 employees per day.<\/p>\n

\"Walt
Credit: architecturaldigest.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gehry House, Santa Monica, California<\/h3>\n

Gehry\u2019s shot to fame was his own residence designed by himself in 1978. It was modern yet sculptural. It won the American Institute of Architects\u2019 prestigious Twenty-Five Year Award in 2012.<\/p>\n

\"Chiat\/Day
Credit: architecturaldigest.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dancing House, Prague, Czech Republic:<\/h3>\n

Prague offices of the Dutch insurance company Nationale-Nederlanden, also called Fred and Ginger as it resembles a dancing couple. It is made of metal mesh and glass and concrete cylinder.<\/p>\n

\"Dancing
Credit: architecturaldigest.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain:<\/h3>\n

The Guggenheim\u2019s satellite in Bilbao, Spain; multiplied the museum\u2019s exhibition space in a mountain of stone, glass and titanium that follows the contours of the Nervion river.<\/p>\n

\"Guggenheim
Credit: architecturaldigest.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stata Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts<\/h3>\n

The Ray and Maria Stata Center for Computer, Information and Intelligence Sciences built in 2004. Gehry designed the Stata center specially encouraged its occupants to enjoy mythological attributes of science.<\/p>\n

\"Stata
Credit: architecturaldigest.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France:<\/h3>\n

Commission by LVMH chief Bernard Arnault, it was completed in 2014. The hip like exterior has 12 glass sails which covers the concrete-clad gallery spaces.<\/p>\n

\"Fondation
Credit: architecturaldigest.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other famous master pieces created by Frank Gehry are:<\/strong><\/p>\n