Architechture and Interior Design

Student Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Frank O. Gehry
Architecture entails the study and practice of constructing buildings. The main objective of architecture is to offer a safe shelter that is likely to last for a long time. While architecture meets this basic need, it can easily go beyond being a mere utility. Some architects have in the past attempted to ensure that buildings go beyond the basic function of offering a safe shelter. A majority of the impactful architects have worked towards designing structures that act as cultural statements, works of art and have positive implications on the community around them. One of the architects who has made a positive impact on design is Frank O. Gehry. The architect has managed to make designs that have become world-renown fascinations. His designs remain critical in contemporary architecture. Gehry has demonstrated that design can be used to elicit uplifting and positive experience.
Early Life
Frank Gehry in 1929, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Gehry was a creative kid and utilized scraps of wood to construct imaginary cities. His grandmother encouraged him and would supply the scraps from a hardware store. Due to the motivation, Gehry got from his grandmother, he would spend hours constructing futuristic cities. This had a profound impact on his future career as an architect (Encyclopaedia Britannica). At the same time, Gehry’s father iontroduced him to drawing. The mother, on the other hand, introduced Gehry to the world of art by taking him to concerts and museums. In 1947, his family immigrated to Los Angeles. In 1949, he joined the University of Southern California where he studied architecture. After graduating, Gehry spent time doing jobs not related to architecture. In 1956, he studied city planning at Harvard University. Gehry worked for several architectural companies before establishing his firm, Frank U. Gehry & Associates in 1962. In 2002, Gehry established its successor, Gehry Partners.
Reason for interest in Gehry
Unlike a majority of designers during his time, Gehry was an experimental avant-garde architect. The avant-garde has been used as a metaphor from the 19th century to mean progressive politics and artistic movements that consider themselves to be ahead of time. It is all about fighting with the old and moving on towards the new. The movement fights against consensus and looks for opportunities to disrupt. In architecture, avant-garde implies innovative architecture and interacts with the sculpture, theater, and painting among others (Yücesan 37). Gehry is one of the architects who believe in continual change and development. He rejects the traditional approach to architecture while emphasizing embracing more recent concepts in design.
It is admirable how Gehry thinks of architecture as something that should not be separated from everyday life. Gehry sees architecture as something that should not be institutionalized. He holds that architecture should not exist separate from everyday life. Gehry emphasizes the need to put to an end the notion that architecture should be an autonomous domain that does not have any impact on the social system (MasterClass). One of the designs that demonstrates this approach is the Vitra Design Museum (1989). The design is expressive and ambitious. The use of white plastic and zinc as well as having curved and angular elements is outstanding. An examination of the design demonstrates a departure from traditional approaches that were common in the 1980s. Gehry demonstrated that it was possible to deviate from traditional designs and create something remarkable.
The success of Gehry is deeply rooted in his strong belief that architects should design something they want to be part of. Gehry advocates that designers should do something they would wish to visit and enjoy in an attempt to improve the quality of life. To him, architecture should create an emotional response that is comforting, while at the same time enlightening. This belief is demonstrated by the construction of his residence in 1978. In the 1970s, Gehry spent time designing residential and small public buildings in California. Among them is Gehry Residence in Santa Monica. The house is a combination of unique concepts and daring styles (Shearer 24). Gehry used fencing, corrugated metal and plywood to ensure the building had an unfinished look. Additionally, Gehry included large panels of angled glass to ensure light and reflection inside the house. Indeed, his approach challenged traditional architecture design, and especially the notion that form follows function. While the construction attracted both praise and criticism and threatened legal action, Gehry is still the owner of the house today. This demonstrates that Gehry believes in whatever he does even when it is not popular with people.
It is amazing how Gehry approaches each work as something new. One would expect that such an outstanding architect would overly on his past achievements. However, this is not the case with Gehry since he views each work as unique and needing a fresh approach. It is true that since the early 1970s Gehry has been commissioned to design different buildings like houses, institutes, restaurants, etc. However, despite his experience, Gehry approaches each work with a sense of ...