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Gunnar Birkerts

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Gunnar Birkerts
Born(1925-01-17)January 17, 1925
Riga,Latvia
DiedAugust 15, 2017(2017-08-15)(aged 92)
Needham,Massachusetts,United States
NationalityLatvian/American
Alma materTechnische Hochschule, Stuttgart
OccupationArchitect
ChildrenSven and Andra Birkerts
AwardsFellow of the AIA
PracticeBirkerts and Straub, Birkerts and Associates
BuildingsCorning Fire Station, Corning Museum of Glass, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, National Library of Latvia
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art,Kansas City, Missouri,designed by Gunnar Birkerts, 1992–1994.
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis,1973, (now:Marquette Plaza), in its original configuration.

Gunnar Birkerts(Latvian:Gunārs Birkerts,January 17, 1925 – August 15, 2017) was aLatvian Americanarchitect who, for the most of his career, was based in themetropolitan areaofDetroit,Michigan.

Some of his notable designs include theCorning Museum of Glassand the Corning Fire Station inCorning, New York;Marquette PlazainMinneapolis, Minnesota;theKemper Museum of Contemporary ArtinKansas City, Missouri;and theU.S. EmbassyinCaracas,Venezuela.

In 2014, theNational Library of LatviainRigawas completed to his design.[1]

The Corning Fire Station facade and floor plan. The building has a strict form where small vehicles are placed in the narrow portion at the tip. All function spaces have been baked into the base of the triangle, such as changing rooms, storage room, dining room, dormitory and office, where all rooms are accessed via a wide corridor.[2]

Biography

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Birkerts was born and raised inLatvia,but escaped ahead of the advancing Soviet army toward the end of theSecond World War.He graduated from theTechnische Hochschule, Stuttgart, Germany,in 1949. He acknowledged being influenced by Scandinavian tradition and the Finnish architectAlvar Aalto.[3]

Birkerts immigrated to the United States that year and initially worked forPerkins and Will,a global design practice based inChicago.He moved to theDetroitarea in the early 1950s, where he worked forEero Saarinen,and was a chief designer forMinoru Yamasakibefore opening his own office in the city's suburbs.[3] Birkerts also maintained an architectural office inWellesley, Massachusetts

He initially practiced in the partnership Birkerts and Straub. In 1963, he set up Gunnar Birkerts and Associates inBirmingham, Michigan.[3]

The firm received Honor Awards for its projects from the (national)American Institute of Architectsin 1962, 1970, 1973, as well as numerous awards from the Michigan Society of Architects and the local chapter.

Birkerts joined the faculty at theUniversity of Michiganin 1959 and taught until 1990. The ACSA (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture) honored Birkerts with the ACSA Distinguished Professor Award in 1989–90.

Birkerts designed a number of notable buildings in the United States, including the Federal Reserve Bank inMinneapolis,Corning Glass Museum,theContemporary Arts Museum Houston,theUniversity of Iowa College of Law,theDuluth Public LibraryinDuluth, Minnesota,[4]and the U.S. Embassy inCaracas,Venezuela.

In 1989, Birkerts was commissioned to design the new building for theNational Library of LatviainRiga,Latvia, which had great personal meaning for him.[3]Also known as the Castle of Light, he drew from Latvian folklore about the Glass Mountain for itsarchitectural form.[3]The building was constructed over the period 2008 to 2014.[1]

Legacy and honors

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In 1970, Gunnar Birkerts was selected as aFellowof theAmerican Institute of Architects,and a Fellow of the Latvian Architect Association in 1971. He received numerous individual awards, including a 1971 fellowship from theGraham Foundation,the Gold Medal of theMichigan Society of Architectsin 1980, theArnold W. BrunnerMemorial Prize in Architecture of theAmerican Academy and Institute of Arts and Lettersin 1981, and the 1993 Michigan Artist of the Year award. He received an honorary doctorate from Riga Technical University in 1990, theOrder of the Three Starsfrom theRepublic of Latviain 1995 and the Great Medal of theLatvian Academy of Sciencesin 2000.

Birkerts was an honorary professor atThe University of Illinoisand was the Architect-In-Residence at theAmerican Academy in Rome.He also was a member of theLatvian Union of Architects,honorary member of theLatvian Academy of Sciencesand a foreign member of theRiga Technical University.

Personal life

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Birkerts married Sylvia, who survived him. They have three grown children,Sven Birkerts,a literary critic and professor; Andra Birkerts, an interior designer specializing in residential work; and Erik Birkerts.[3]

Birkerts died at the age of 92 on August 15, 2017, inNeedham, Massachusetts,ofcongestive heart failure.[3][5]

Architectural work

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Perkins+Will

Eero Saarinen

Minoru Yamasaki

Personal Work

  • Cultural Center, Leopoldville, Belgian Congo, 1958
  • Technical University,Ankara, Turkey1959

Work Done while Faculty at The University of Michigan (Birkerts & Straub, Birkerts & Associates)

Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan

Publications

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  • Birkerts, Gunnar,Gunnar Birkerts – Metaphoric Modernist,Axel Menges, Stuttgart, Germany 2009;ISBN978-3-936681-26-0
  • Birkerts, Gunnar,Process and Expression in Architectural Form,University of Oklahoma Press,Norman OK 1994;ISBN0-8061-2642-6
  • Birkerts, Gunnar,Subterranean Urban Systems,Industrial Development Division-Institute of Science and Technology, University of Michigan 1974
  • Kaiser, Kay,The Architecture of Gunnar Birkerts,American Institute of ArchitectsPress, Washington DC 1989;ISBN1-55835-051-9
  • Martin, William,Gunnar Birkerts and Associates(Yukio Futagawa, editor and photographer), A.D.A. Edita (GA Architect), Tokyo 1982
  • Gunnar Birkerts & Associates,IBM Information Systems Center, Sterling Forest, N.Y., 1972; Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1973(Yukio Futagawa, editor and photographer), A.D.A. EDITA (GA Architecture), Tokyo 1974

References

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  1. ^ab"Thousands attend National Library's open house celebrations".Public Broadcasting of Latvia.16 June 2014.Retrieved1 March2015.
  2. ^"CHALMERS BIBLIOTEK /All Locations".chans.lib.chalmers.se. Archived fromthe originalon 2019-04-12.Retrieved2014-01-24.
  3. ^abcdefgKamin, Blair (15 August 2017)."Gunnar Birkerts, acclaimed Midwestern architect, dies at 92".Chicago Tribune.Retrieved7 May2018.
  4. ^Fallows, Deborah (19 November 2014)."A Field Trip to America's Public Libraries".The Atlantic.Retrieved15 August2017.
  5. ^"National Library architect Gunārs Birkerts dies at 92".Public Broadcasting of Latvia.15 August 2017.Retrieved15 August2017.
  6. ^"History".1300 Lafayette East Cooperative.2016-10-05.Retrieved2023-07-10.
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