“BILBAO EFFECT”
Almost a decade later, he would unveil arguably his most iconic design, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, which earned him international acclaim and notice.
The limestone and glass building with curvy walls clad in titanium scales is instantly recognisable as a Gehry design, and was once described by his American colleague Philip Johnson as “the greatest building of our time”.
The building helped revitalise the ancient industrial heart of the Spanish city, attracting visitors from around the world and leading to the coining of the term “Bilbao effect” to explain how beautiful architecture can transform an area.
“We will be forever grateful, and his spirit and legacy will always remain connected to Bilbao,” the museum said on social media.
Emboldened, Gehry would take even greater risks in his next projects, which included the Walt Disney Concert Hall (2003), the Beekman Tower in New York (2011), and the Fondation Louis Vuitton (2014).
LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault said he was “profoundly saddened” by Gehry’s death, calling him a “genius of lightness, transparency and grace”.
Facebook tapped Gehry for a major expansion of its Menlo Park campus in California, which opened in 2018.
“I LOVE WORKING”
Many of Gehry’s designs require complex computations – which he pushed to the limits.
For a period, architects avoided the use of rounded or curved shapes as they caused headaches for engineers and led to spiralling construction costs.
Gehry pushed back, using 3D modelling software similar to that used by aerospace firms to create unique building shapes while keeping costs in line with what developers would pay for a more conventional building of similar dimensions.
The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas – its walls and windows appearing to have melted under the hot desert sun — is a classic example of Gehry’s groundbreaking vision.
“I love working. I love working things out,” he told The Guardian in 2019.
