Learning from Frank Gehry

The buildings by the architect Frank Gehry (1929-2025), such as Bilbao’s signature landmark, the Guggenheim Museum (1997), has gained wide public admiration as well as inspiring many designers. But equally his design philosophy: 'To design something that one would want to be a part of, something one would want to visit and enjoy in an attempt to improve one’s quality of life.' More specifically, Gehry considered architecture 'to be art' aiming at transfering the feelings of humanity through inert materials. Not surprisingly, he greatly appreciated sculpture which influenced his architectural approach. He has been known for his deconstructive approach and structural choices using non-rectilinear shapes and forms. In this pursuit, right from the beginning, his work experimented with rough, even industrial materials. But his process began with freehand sketches and models visualising what he had in mind, then realising his ideas using advanced architectural 3D modelling software. Gehry also took a keen interest in education encouraging students to always be curious, and let architecture open up to other subjects, such as philosophy, literature, and music. He also advised students to study and learn from the greats, for example, Le Corbusier, Zaha Hadid, Brunelleschi, Oscar Niemeyer, Louis Kahn, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Eliel Saarinen, Louis Sullivan, and Frank Lloyd Wright.