Stairway to Gehry

The Art Gallery of Ontario hired Frank Gehry to design a staircase to sew the circulation path of the expanding collection together.  In a clever twist, it bows to New York's Guggenheim's shell but unravels the model to further the occupier through the space.

A Lay-Up

The backdrop to this Seattle basketball court looks like it was engineered by the Pointer Sisters. Skirted by the prominent Frank Gehry EMP Museum, I would gladly preform a Neutron Dance in the key.....

The Bends

Two provocative high rises are expanding the neutrally buoyant facade of the urban landscape.   Studio Gang Architects recently finished the Aqua Tower (above) within the heart of Chicago and Frank Gehry's residential roost reigns over New York City (below).  While each has unique nuances, both remind me of the ebb and flow of the glacial moraines that carved the topography of the Northeast.  Add their fluid nod to the nearby waterways... and I fold over their fantasticness.

Dusseldorf

Frank Gehry designed this multi clad structure in Dusseldorf.  The true success of the site is the intimate outdoor life which unfolds along the hem of the surrounding large scale architecture.  Gehry's oversized windows and the sidewalk that zips right up to the facade of the structure work in tandem to make the occupier of the space feel better scaled in the environment.  Love it.

Hot House

Winnipeg is an inhospitable icebox throughout it's winter cycle. Block heaters, fanny friers and miles of underground pedestrian tunnels do their best to bolster sun-starved spirits but, how long can folks keep warm inside by line dancing and munching on flaming prairie oysters? At some point humans need to engage the elements beyond "Rock and Rolling" their neighbors out of slick tire ruts.

So, I was tickled when I learned of an initiative geared to enrich the hinterland experience. Yearly, the Assiniboine River becomes an iced bonspiel of activity that attracts kamikaze skaters during a 6 week blitz. To keep the wannabe Gretzky's from hypothermia, an architecture competition has been launched calling on "warming hut" entries to be considered for rinkside hospitality. This year, starchitect Frank Gehry submitted his abstract igloo concept to the Ice Capades of yurtdom. During the day, it blends into it's surroundings and at sunset, it becomes a beacon of warmth to those freezing their butts off. Genius.