Gunnar Birkerts

Gunnar Birkerts
Born(1925-01-17)January 17, 1925
Riga, Latvia
DiedAugust 15, 2017(2017-08-15) (aged 92)
Needham, Massachusetts, United States
NationalityLatvian/American
Alma materTechnische Hochschule, Stuttgart
OccupationArchitect
ChildrenSven and Andra Birkerts
AwardsFellow of the AIA
PracticeBirkerts and Straub, Birkerts and Associates
BuildingsCorning Fire Station, Corning Museum of Glass, Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, National Library of Latvia
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri, designed by Gunnar Birkerts, 1992–1994.
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, 1973, (now: Marquette Plaza), in its original configuration.

Gunnar Birkerts (Latvian: Gunārs Birkerts, January 17, 1925 – August 15, 2017) was a Latvian American architect who, for the most of his career, was based in the metropolitan area of Detroit, Michigan.

Some of his notable designs include the Corning Museum of Glass and the Corning Fire Station in Corning, New York; Marquette Plaza in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri; and the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela.

In 2014, the National Library of Latvia in Riga was completed to his design.[1]

The Corning Fire Station facade and floor plan. The building has a strict form where small vehicles are placed in the narrow portion at the tip. All function spaces have been baked into the base of the triangle, such as changing rooms, storage room, dining room, dormitory and office, where all rooms are accessed via a wide corridor.[2]
  1. ^ "Thousands attend National Library's open house celebrations". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  2. ^ "CHALMERS BIBLIOTEK /All Locations". chans.lib.chalmers.se. Archived from the original on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2014-01-24.