Frank Gehry Commenting on the Importance of his New Web-based Design Software

Apr 18

Design, Extreme Architecture, Interview, Movies, Technology, Virtual Architecture Add comments

This video shows an interview with the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry. He is internationally well known and his buildings even his private residence, have become tourist attractions. His works are treated as being among the most important works of contemporary architecture. Vanity Fair Magazine labels him as “the most important architect of our age”. Much of Gehry’s work falls within the style of Deconstructivism, which is often referred to as post-structuralist in nature for its ability to go beyond current modalities of structural definition. Gehry is a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council and also a recipient of many architectural awards including Pritzker Prize, National Medal of Arts and AIA Gold Medal. Gehry’s best-known works include the titanium-covered Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; MIT Stata Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles; Experience Music Project in Seattle; Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis and Dancing House in Prague. During this interview, Gehry comments on the importance of his new web-based design software. Gerhy hopes the software will streamline the design and permitting process for owners, developers, architects, engineers, general contractors, and fabricators.

Gehry thinks that architecture is marginalized, probably because of special devices and profession organizations. He thinks that architecture suffers because of overprotection and lack of willingness to take more responsibility. He convinces that tools and programs that architects are using give them more information and whoever has more information can control “the game”.

Photo from kirkgittingsphotography.blogspot.com

He convinces that precision and quality have changed in recent times. As an example of a new possibilities he gives his project of Bilbao Guggenheim Museum in which there were no two identical pieces of steel. He adds that there was a limited budget which was 100 million dollars what gave 300 dollars per square foot. Nevertheless, thanks to new possibilities his architectural studio did this unique but also demanding project 18% under the budget.

He recalls that about 10 years ago he had a conversation with people responsible for insurance. They told him that he would be able to build even more extraordinary buildings if he took more responsibility. He thinks that this time is near because architects use more and more developed software. Gehry convinces that a new world is coming and the only thing is to develop a way of creating a machine with enough stuff inside to have feelings. Feelings that will allow to create comparable designs to Rembrandt. The machine should be able to create Rembrandt on the screen.