atrium (FIG. 36-70) soars to 165 feet in height, serving
as the focal point for the three levels of galleries radiat-
ing from it. The seemingly weightless screens, vaults,
and volumes of the interior float and flow into one
another, guided only by light and dark cues. Overall,
the Guggenheim in Bilbao is a profoundly compelling
structure. Its disorder, its seeming randomness of de-
sign, and the disequilibrium it prompts in viewers epit-
omize Deconstructivist principles.
DANIEL LIBESKIND Deconstructivist architec-
ture remains very much in vogue today. One of the
leading practitioners is Polish-born Daniel Libeskind
(b. 1946), whose studio is in Berlin, Germany, but who
has, like other successful contemporary architects,
erected buildings in several countries, including the
United States. Libeskind achieved instant international
fame with his design for the reconstructed World Trade
Center complex in New York City. More recently, his
146,000-square-foot expansion of the Denver Art
Museum (FIG. 36-71) created a sensation when it
opened to the public in October 2006. Libeskind has
stated that he drew his inspiration for the design from
the jagged peaks of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, and
the stone-and-titanium structure, despite its kinship
with Gehry’s Bilbao museum (FIG. 36-69), presents a
striking contrast with that building’s swelling curves.
Tilted walls, asymmetrical shapes, and surprising se-
quences of spaces engender a sense of disorientation in
visitors to the galleries, which, appropriately, house the
museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art.36-70Frank Gehry,atrium of Guggenheim Bilbao
Museo, Bilbao, Spain, 1997.
The glass-walled atrium of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum
soars to 165 feet in height. The asymmetrical and imbal-
anced screens and vaults flow into one another, creating
a sense of disequilibrium.36-71Daniel Libeskind,Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado, 2006.
Inspired by the jagged peaks of the Rocky Mountains, Libeskind’s expansion of the Denver Art Museum features tilted walls, asymmetrical shapes,
and a disorienting sequence of spaces.
Architecture and Site-Specific Art 101336-71AHADID,
Vitra Fire
Station,
Weil-am-Rhein,
1989–1993.