Gunnar Birkerts

Gunnar Birkerts is the most famous architect of Latvian origin in the world. In 2007, two buildings designed by Birkerts were included in a list compiled by the American Institute of Architects of 150 of the all-time favorite buildings built in America. Alongside Rem Koolhaas’ Seattle Public Library and the Empire State Building in New York are Birkerts’ Law Library Building at the University of Michigan and the Corning Museum of Glass. Early in his career, Birkerts worked for the Scandinavian-born architectural master, Eero Saarinen, and later for Minoru Yamasaki, architect of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Birkerts also contributed to the reconstruction of the former FIAT factory in Florence working in one team with Richard Rogers and Aldo Rossi and other international architectural stars. Birkerts has directed his own architecture studio since 1962.

Although Gunnar Birkerts lives in the USA and a majority of his designed buildings are located there (architect works also elsewhere in the world, for example, in Europe – Italy, Germany, Finland, as well as Venezuela), biographers and critics of Birkerts emphasize that he is not a typical American architect. Birkerts’ perception of space and lighting, as well as language of form is related to Scandinavia, which he regards includes also Latvia. Presence of European culture in the projects of architect is not conscious, but is determined by genetic and cultural heritage, as well as experience. Similarly to a large number of Scandinavian architects, also Birkerts can be classified as expressive modernist who connects successfully rational logic and emotional effect in his works.

The architect himself believes that interaction of strict geometry and creative freedom gives the necessary expressiveness for a project. One of the signs that indicates Birkerts’ Scandinavian feel for the structure of space is the substantial presence of nature in his projects. Yet architect never uses literal natural shapes, rather their symmetrical and geometric balance with irregularity and free line. Feel of the so-called “northern light” is characteristic to buildings designed by Birkerts. A significant place is devoted to the natural daylight. Presence of light in Birkerts’ projects is mostly indirect, diffused and self-evidently organic. It mostly appears in the interior as a skylight or light reflected an diffused off a surface. In order to accomplish the conceptual message of a building and to solve functional challenges, the architect uses latest technologies available at the time of designing, bestowing them with poeticism, rather than just assigning them role of witnesses to rational progress.

There are 18 projects of libraries among Gunnar Birkerts’ many works. Each of them embodies particular stage in the professional career of Birkerts, and is a reflection of perception of architecture at that time. Libraries designed by the architect are all different, he does not attempt to rigidly maintain one creative style, but surrenders to each project’s specifications – the function, context, budget and also previously unknown solutions, which are defined by the times. They do not only provide storage for books, but are also centers of education which are comfortable for readers and ergonomic in operation, and are gladly visited by thousands of people.

Gunnar Birkerts holds the view that architecture will always be a form of art for him. Yes, a useful work of art, but nevertheless art that fulfills ambitions and dreams, art that is a bridge from the past into yet unknown future.


Kristīne Budže, curator of exhibition „Birkerts’ libraries”