Museum of Occupation Riga:
image: M Karklins received from RIAS May 2003 re Gunnar Birkerts lecture
Gunnar Birkerts Buildings (alphabetical):
Adrian Domenican Sisters - Chapel, Adrian, Michigan, USA
Air Touch Cellular Tower, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Cross of Christ Church, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA
Gunnar Birkerts with Di Clemente Siegel Design Inc.
Giesel Library - Underground Extension, University of California, San Diego, USA
Gunnar Birkerts with Carrier Johnson
Lincoln Elementary School - Extension, Columbus, Indiana, USA
Marriott Library - Underground Extension, University of Utah, Michigan, USA
Gunnar Birkerts with Carrier Johnson
Museum of Occupation, Riga, Latvia
Ohio State University - College of Law Extension / Refurbishment, Ohio, USA
Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Michigan Technical University, Houghton, Michigan, USA
Gunnar Birkerts with Di Clemente Siegel Design Inc.
Latvian/Canadian architect
Next up was Gunnar Birkerts, who many of us had heard of but couldn’t recall any one building. Gunnar made sure this didn’t last. He started with a long-winded explanation of ‘organic systems’, his modernist dogmatic approach, but lost me in a conflated comparison between library statistics.
It soon became clear, but after an amusing reminder that ‘we are here’ in Scotland (with ref. to his map) and the following ‘You Scots have it made because you have images that are so known that you don’t have to look for them’. He proceeded to gesticulate a kilt, an unusual bagpipe style and golf! More bizarrely came an unusual termite mound of a section for his Riga Library.
Powww!! it becomes an astonishing sculptural dry ski slope plopped into a leafy city plot. The influence of working for Eero Saarinen is apparent. In a postnote, the Latvian ambassador said ‘we’re still twenty years ahead of the British Library in London!’ I somehow doubt it’s exterior is ahead of even the awful - and dated - elevations of this building, to be awaited with concern by Latvians!
RIAS Convention 05.05.03
Gunnar Birkerts - Michigan Buildings
World Architecture : e-architect - a guide to key buildings across the globe
Buildings / photos for the Gunnar Birkerts page welcome: info@e-architect.co.uk
Gunnar Birkerts architecture - page : adrian welch / isabelle lomholt
Website: www.gunnarbirkerts.com