Frank Gehry

Frank Gehry is an author who hacked the usual idea of architecture. Pritzker Prize winner, an architect who creates buildings almost without using computer programs, and also shows critics the middle finger. Canadian by origin, the child of Polish immigrants, Frank Gehry was born on February 28, 1929. In 1946, Frank comes to Los Angeles. After graduating from college, he enters the School of Architecture and begins working for Victor Gruen, a designer of the first supermarkets and shopping centers. In 1957, Gehry graduates from Harvard with a master's degree. After working in Paris on the restoration of church architecture, he becomes a fan of Le Corbisier and Neumann. When Gehry returned to Los Angeles, he opened the studio Frank O. Gehry and Associates. For several years he was engaged in design, and then immersed himself in the design of furniture ... from corrugated cardboard. Furniture brings fame and success - it is sold at a price a hundred times higher than the cost price of $ 7. Gehry spends his earnings on the reconstruction of his house. The architect turned a typical American building into an "avant-garde madness", a symbol of deconstructivism. The standard house was overgrown with irregularly shaped extensions made of anything. This even forced most of the neighbors to sell their houses! Frank was quite satisfied with this outcome. Gehry meets pop art artists: Robert Rauschenbach, Claes Oldenburg, Jasper Johnson. They influenced his worldview and aesthetic perception. Gehry rejects rationalism and finds his own style. At the age of 49, architect Frank Gehry gained worldwide fame. Despite numerous awards, his projects continue to be criticized to this day. Let's get acquainted with some of them. Gehry's buildings are recognizable. Disintegrating volumes, rough surfaces, broken traditional architectural elements and distorted, broken lines are the hallmark of his style. Gehry believes that architecture is, above all, self-expression. 10 projects by Frank Gehry. Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany (1989). Gehry's first architectural project in Europe. The building attracts attention with its "paper" appearance, as if it were a large origami. Gehry was even called the "king of counterpoint" for his talent for masterfully handling planes and forms. The sculpture "Swimming Fish" (Peix) above the Olympic Pavilion in Barcelona, Spain (1992). The sculpture is installed on the Olympic Pavilion in Barcelona. The effect of "scaly" iridescence is created by gilded steel. The sculpture has become one of the symbols of the year. Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, USA (1993). The museum of modern art has a creative character. The building has two facades - a calm brick one on the south-east side, an abstract, irrational one on the north-west. Its cladding is made of curved and angular steel sheets. "Dancing House" in Prague, Czech Republic (1996). The world-famous business center building was built on the site of a house destroyed in 1945. Gehry designed it together with the Czech architect Vlado Milunich. The deformed and static cylinders of the main volumes of the building symbolize the famous dancing couple - Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The project was contested by the residents of Prague, who refused to believe that the historical harmony of the city center would henceforth be violated by deconstructivism. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (Museo Guggenheim) in Bilbao, Spain (1997). The museum is recognized as one of the most spectacular buildings in the world. It has been compared to many things: a bird, an airplane, an artichoke, and a blossoming rose. But in general, it embodies the abstract idea of a futuristic ship. The soft contours embody Gehry's concept that "the disorder of curves is intended to capture light." When designing this building, a very interesting and turning point in the history of architectural design arose. When creating the original model, the architect did not use a computer on principle. Digitizing the cardboard model showed that the program was incompatible with Gehry's forms. And then Gehry appeared - an innovator in the field of BIM modeling. Conventional computer programs for architects are built on a rectangular grid. To solve this problem, Gehry needed a new level of software. The architect and his team rewrote the program designed for designing jet aircraft, which was not tied to a rectangular grid. Gehry went further - he created the company Gehry Technologies. This is a unique example of a technology company founded by an architect to develop computer technologies to help designers and builders. Its brainchild is the Digital Project program, created on the basis of CATIA. Neuer Zollhof mixed-use complex in Dusseldorf, Germany (1998). The symbol of Dusseldorf consists of three buildings. Eight 3-13-story white blocks, eight 3-11-story dark red blocks and four mirrored 6-story blocks. The corrugated mirror body whimsically reflects the other two blocks. For the finishing, the architect used stainless steel with a mirror coating. Experience Music Project in Seattle, USA (2000). When designing the museum, Gehry was inspired by the manner of Jimi Hendrix, a musician who smashed his guitars after each concert. Gehry proposed a deconstructive undulating building made of stainless steel and aluminum with shades of purple, silver and gold. Inside is a 30-meter-high music venue, the “Church of Heaven,” with excellent acoustics. Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, USA (2003). Gehry took on the project as a result of an international competition. One of the most unique concert venues in the world took 15 years to build. The budget increased from the initially planned $50 million to $170 million. The futuristic façade is covered with polished steel panels, Gehry’s favorite technique. The concert hall has super-acoustic properties. The administrative building of the Novartis plant in Basel, Switzerland (2009). The architect’s most “glassy” project. The building consists of four completely glazed figures. Inside, the spaces smoothly flow into each other. The only boundaries separating the office blocks are glass partitions. Lou Ruvo Brain Health Center in Las Vegas, USA (2010). The clients set the task of creating something extra-ordinary. Frank Gehry was ideal for implementing the idea. The building consists of two blocks. The first resembles a stack of books and consists of regular shapes and straight lines. The second, resembling a deformed "pile", creates an impression of instability. Beekman Tower at 8 Spruce Street in New York, USA (2011). The architect's "folded" design was inspired by the drapery of a marble sculpture by Italian Giavonni Bernini. "This guy knew how to load a form with folds of fabric so beautifully... He was the one who inspired me when I was making the skin of the building." The project won the Emporis Skyscraper Award. To prevent the sun reflecting off the steel sheets from heating the air around them, they were sandblasted. Biomuseo, Panama (2014). According to Gehry: "This was a very personal project for me. I feel a strong connection with the people of Panama and I firmly believe that we should all try to preserve biodiversity, which is under threat all over the world." The words characterize the concept of the project. The multi-colored roof symbolizes the diversity of biological species. Louis Vuitton Museum in Paris, France (2015). The building of the Fondation Louis Vuitton is intended for exhibitions of contemporary art. The building is decorated with 12 glass sails with an area of 13,500 square meters. On the one hand, this is Parisian garden architecture of the late 19th – early 20th centuries with its typical glass and steel structures, such as the Grand Palais. On the other hand, this is a whole arsenal of aesthetic and technological innovations. If you are an architect or designer, look for work and orders on the PLANDI platform. We have over 10,000 subscribers and their number is growing. Place your profile and portfolio on the site, you will definitely be seen. The better you present yourself, the greater the chances of finding a customer. If you have a ready-made design solution, you can sell it using the PLANDI website. Key words: architecture, program, design, project, design, style, innovation, technology, deconstructivism, rationalism, constructive, construction, functionality, destructiveness, style, aesthetics, construction