Look, architecture has a lot of places to hide behind, a lot of excuses. "The client made me do this." "The city made me do this." "Oh, the budget." I don't believe that anymore.
Frank GehryRead
Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Architecture reflects the era and location it is in, while also aspiring to achieve a sense of timelessness.
Frank Gehry's quote emphasizes the dual responsibility of architecture to both represent the contemporary context of its creation and to transcend that context by embodying qualities that make it enduring and universal. It suggests that great architectural works should resonate with the present but also possess a lasting appeal that allows them to remain relevant across generations.
Themes
ArchitectureTimelessnessDesignContemporaryArt
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during an architectural conference to inspire professionals.
More from Frank Gehry
All quotes βYour best work is your expression of yourself.
Frank GehryRead
My only extravagance in life is my sailboat. I'm bonkers about that, but other than that, I don't spend money on myself.
Frank GehryRead
For me, every day is a new thing. I approach each project with a new insecurity, almost like the first project I ever did. And I get the sweats. I go in and start working, I'm not sure where I'm going. If I knew where I was going I wouldn't do it.
Frank GehryRead
Liquid architecture. It's like jazz - you improvise, you work together, you play off each other, you make something, they make something. And I think it's a way of - for me, it's a way of trying to understand the city, and what might happen in the city.
Frank GehryRead
An architect is given a program, budget, place, and schedule. Sometimes the end product rises to art - or at least people call it that.
Frank GehryRead
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