Frank Gehry, the iconic Canadian-American architect, turned 85 years old today.
Most of us begin to slow down at that age but Gehry has kept himself quite busy.
He's in the process of remodeling Facebook's New York City office and is going to be involved in the design of a performing arts center at ground zero.
People are saying Facebook's office seems uncharacteristic of him and that the performance center is too characteristic and won't be functional. Although, some have already come to his defense regarding the ground zero project.
It's always been this way. Gehry's work is polarizing and has been since he established his practice in Los Angeles in 1962. But in general, his work is highly acclaimed.
When he won the Pritzker Prize in 1989, the judges said he is "always open to experimentation... being bound neither by critical acceptance or his successes. His buildings are juxtaposed collages of spaces and materials that make users appreciative of both the theater and the backs-stage, simultaneously revealed."
He established Gehry Partners, LLP in 2001 and the international firm employs a number of senior architects today.
Gehry is best known for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain but his list of notables is long, including the tallest residential building in Manhattan at 8 Spruce Street.
