Gunnar Birkerts
Gunnar Birkerts | |
---|---|
Born | Latvian/American | January 17, 1925
Alma mater | Technische Hochschule, Stuttgart |
Occupation | Architect |
Children | Sven and Andra Birkerts |
Awards | Fellow of the AIA |
Practice | Birkerts and Straub, Birkerts and Associates |
Buildings | Corning Fire Station, Corning Museum of Glass, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, National Library of Latvia |
Gunnar Birkerts (
Some of his notable designs include the
.In 2014, the National Library of Latvia in Riga was completed to his design.[1]
Biography
Birkerts was born and raised in
Birkerts immigrated to the United States that year and initially worked for
He initially practiced in the partnership Birkerts and Straub. In 1963, he set up Gunnar Birkerts and Associates in Birmingham, Michigan.[3]
The firm received Honor Awards for its projects from the (national) American Institute of Architects in 1962, 1970, 1973, as well as numerous awards from the Michigan Society of Architects and the local chapter.
Birkerts joined the faculty at the University of Michigan in 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 in
In 1989, Birkerts was commissioned to design the new building for the
Legacy and honors
In 1970, Gunnar Birkerts was selected as a
Birkerts was an honorary professor at
Personal life
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, in
Architectural work
- Rockford Memorial Hospital, Rockford, Illinois 1950
- GM Tech Center, Warren, Michigan 1950–1955
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin1950–1955
- Kresge Auditorium at MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1953
- Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Indiana 1953
- Irwin Union Bank and Trust, Columbus, Indiana1954
- Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Main Terminal, St. Louis, Missouri1956
- Reynolds Metals Regional Sales Office, Southfield, Michigan 1959
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)
- Schwartz Summer Residence, Northville, Michigan 1960
- Detroit, Michigan 1961–1963[6]
- Lillibridge Elementary School, Detroit, Michigan1962–1963
- People's Federal Savings and Loan Branch, Royal Oak, Michigan 1962–1963
- Marathon Oil Office Building, Detroit, Michigan1962–1964
- University Reformed Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1963–1964
- Detroit Institute of the Arts Master Plan and South Wing, Detroit, Michigan1964
- Bald Mountain Recreation Facility, Lake Orion, Michigan 1964–1968
- Fisher Administrative Center at the University of Detroit-Mercy, Detroit, Michigan1964–1966
- Travis Residence, Franklin, Michigan 1964–1965
- Tougaloo College Master Plan, Tougaloo, Mississippi 1965
- Tougaloo College Library and Dormitories, Tougaloo, Mississippi 1965–1972
- Lincoln Elementary School, Columbus, Indiana 1965–1967
- Freeman Residence, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1965–1966
- Massey Ferguson North American Operations Offices Project, Des Moines, Iowa Unbuilt, 1966
- Vocational Technical Institute Master Plan, Carbondale, Illinois Unbuilt, 1967
- Alfred Noble Branch Library, Livonia, Michigan, 1967
- Ford Pavilion at Hemisfair 1968, San Antonio, Texas1967–1968
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1967–1973
- Amsterdam City Hall Project, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1968
- Corning Public Library Project, Corning, New York Unbuilt, 1969
- Corning Public Library II Project, Corning, New York Unbuilt, 1969
- Duluth Public Library, Duluth, Minnesota 1969–1979
- IBM Corporate Computer Center, Sterling Forest, New York 1970–1972
- Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas1970–1972
- Ford Visitors Reception Center, Dearborn, Michigan Unbuilt, 1971
- Dance Instructional Facility for SUNY Purchase, Purchase, New York 1971–1976
- General Motors Dual-Mode Transportation Study 1973–1974
- Corning Municipal Fire Station, Corning, New York 1973–1974
- Subterranean Urban-Systems Study, Graham Foundation Grant, 1974
- Calvary Baptist Church, Detroit, Michigan1974–1977
- IBM Office Building, Southfield, Michigan 1974–1979
- University of Michigan Law Library Addition, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1974–1981
- United States Embassy, Helsinki, FinlandUnbuilt, 1975
- Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York 1976–1980
- University of Iowa College of Law Building, Iowa City, Iowa 1979–1986
- Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament Renovations, Detroit, MichiganUnbuilt Scheme, 1980
- Ferguson Residence (Villa Ginny), Kalamazoo, Michigan 1980–1983
- Uris Library Addition at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 1980–1983
- St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Columbus, Indiana 1980–1988
- Anchorage Library, Anchorage, Alaska Unbuilt, 1981
- Baldwin Public Library Addition, Birmingham, Michigan 1981
- Minnesota State Capitol Expansion Project, St. Paul, MinnesotaUnbuilt, 1983
- Holtzman and Silverman Office Building, Southfield, Michigan 1983–1989
- Minnesota History Center, Minneapolis, MinnesotaUnbuilt, 1984
- Bardha Residence, Birmingham, Michigan 1984–1989
- Domino's Pizza Corporate Headquarters (Domino's Farms), Ann Arbor, Michigan 1984–1998
- Oberlin College Conservatory of Music Library Addition, Oberlin, Ohio 1986–1988
- Schembechler Hall for the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1986–1990
- Papal Altar and Furniture, Pontiac, Michigan 1987 (Now housed at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit)
- Novoli I, Florence, ItalyUnbuilt, 1987
- Domino's Tower, Ann Arbor, Michigan Unbuilt, 1987–1988
- UC-San Diego Library Addition, San Diego, California1987–1993
- Ohio State University Law School Addition, Columbus, Ohio 1988–1993
- Church of the Servant, Kentwood, Michigan 1988–1994
- Torino I, Turin, ItalyUnbuilt, 1989
- Torino II, Turin, ItalyUnbuilt, 1989–1990
- Marge Monaghan House, Drummond Island, Michigan1989–1990
- Sports and Civic Stadium, Venice, ItalyUnbuilt, 1989–1992
- United States Embassy, Caracas, Venezuela1989–1996
- National Library of Latvia, Riga, Latvia 1989–2014
Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan
- Grasis Residence, Vail, Colorado 1990–1994
- Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri 1991–1994
- Marriott Library Addition at the Salt Lake City, Utah1992–1996
- Novoli II, Florence, ItalyUnbuilt, 1993
- Juma Al-Majid Center for Culture and Heritage, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesUnbuilt, 1993
- Riga Central Market Restoration and Expansion, Riga, LatviaUnbuilt, 1995
- Cellular Communications Tower at Domino's Farms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1995
- Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit, Michigan1998–2003
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library, San Jose, California 1998–2004
- Kellogg Library at California State-San Marcos, San Marcos, California 2000–2004
- Riga, Latvia2002–
Publications
- Birkerts, Gunnar, Gunnar Birkerts – Metaphoric Modernist, Axel Menges, Stuttgart, Germany 2009; ISBN 978-3-936681-26-0
- Birkerts, Gunnar, Process and Expression in Architectural Form, ISBN 0-8061-2642-6
- Birkerts, Gunnar, Subterranean Urban Systems, Industrial Development Division-Institute of Science and Technology, University of Michigan 1974
- Kaiser, Kay, The Architecture of Gunnar Birkerts, ISBN 1-55835-051-9
- 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
- ^ a b "Thousands attend National Library's open house celebrations". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ "CHALMERS BIBLIOTEK /All Locations". chans.lib.chalmers.se. Archived from the original on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kamin, Blair (15 August 2017). "Gunnar Birkerts, acclaimed Midwestern architect, dies at 92". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Fallows, Deborah (19 November 2014). "A Field Trip to America's Public Libraries". The Atlantic. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- ^ "National Library architect Gunārs Birkerts dies at 92". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- ^ "History". 1300 Lafayette East Cooperative. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
External links
- Gunnar Birkerts Architects, Inc.
- "Gunnar Birkerts papers 1930–2002", at the Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
- Biography Archived 2012-04-04 at the Wayback Machine (in Latvian)