Remembering Frank Gehry

Frank Gehry, an internationally renowned Canadian-American architect, leaves behind a legacy of incomparable metal designs after passing away at the age of 96 on December 5, 2025.

Gehry began his Los Angeles practice in 1967, and established Gehry Partners, LLP in 2001. He personally designed each project the firm has taken on. His work is an inspiration to emerging and existing architects: a portfolio of creativity that encourages limitless and expressive additions to communities, blending architecture with culture. His designs stand across the globe, spanning a wide range of sectors, including performance, academic, commercial, and residential projects.

His innovative approach has distinguished landmarks worldwide with unique and meaningful designs that elevate environments and communities through a distinct artistic architectural culture. Using metal with impact in his designs, Gehry’s work exemplifies the vast possibilities of the material.

An engaging learning environment greets students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Stata Center, one of Gehry’s many educational designs. This eye-catching structure in Boston, Mass., houses classrooms, an auditorium, an athletic facility, and dining spaces all within a structure that emulates the technologically innovative community the school is known for. Geometric angled steel-coated sections integrate stand out amongst the surrounding reddish-beige walls of the structure.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles showcases the architect’s creative intellect. Integral to this design is a sense of whimsy. The structure is home to constant performances that captivate audiences, and it is only fitting that the building is captivating itself. For this reason, a testament to Gehry’s architectural prowess and an incredible architectural feat, the exterior of the concert hall uses curves and peaks in different sections for a dramatic visual impact. Silver-colored steel panels clad the structure, offering a reflection of light that gives the structure dimension and complements its unique shape.

Gehry’s work in the Las Vegas Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is a visually stimulating structure that offers a refreshing atmosphere for patients in treatment or therapy. Diverging from the potential for detachment possible in hospital and clinic designs, this immersive architecture supports patients and building users in feeling welcomed. Comforting and bright, the facade includes a prominent wave-like appearance made of metal.

Bronze-colored steel defines another of Gehry’s designs, “El Peix.” This large sculpture in Barcelona, Spain, masterfully blends into its environment, depicting a fish that directly faces the Mediterranean Sea. Where architecture meets nature, this sculpture embraces its surroundings with sunlight moving through perforations in the steel and reflecting off its warm hue.

Frank Gehry’s outstanding projects are permanently embedded in the global culture of architecture, with his iconic style embedded in designs that meaningfully represent the communities they serve.