Comments on: “Dubai’s Skyscrapers are Cheap” and “Anonymous” says Architect Franky Gehry

By: Latest Frank Gehry Skyscraper News - Hankgintof Homes

Latest Frank Gehry Skyscraper News - Hankgintof Homes — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 13:31:43 +0000

[…] “Dubai's Skyscrapers are Cheap” and “Anonymous” says Architect Franky Gehry Frank Gehry, considered one of the world's most important architects, said in a recent Foreign Policy interview that its “cheap” skyscrapers makes Dubai look like any other “cruddy city in the world.” We've been dissing these skyscrapers for a while … Read more on Green Prophet […]

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 10:44:20 +0000

“One would hope there would be more support from within these places for architecture that responds to the place and culture” — had Frank Gehry ever lived in Dubai he would have realized the cookie-cutter skyscrapers respond perfectly to an abject lack of original culture: rather, everything feels appropriated in Dubai’s chiefly ex-pat community; and often poorly so, and the skyscrapers mirror the fact.

By: LGG

LGG — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 06:21:50 +0000

Gehry s+ucks, he’s a thief and a fraud. The ‘original’ ideas he has come from students, his is just a well organized business with a copy machine duping Pritzker, Barcelona and the rest of the ‘elite’. Has anyone really listened to what he says, I mean really listening? It’s just drivel and double talking nonsense.

By: Tamar

Tamar — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 04:41:09 +0000

Nice to know the client has chosen a Jewish architect. Important to remember when we toss around generalities and slogans.

By: Thom Bohlen

Thom Bohlen — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 03:32:22 +0000

Gehry’s crass criticism of Dubai as being like any other “cruddy city in the world” is a simplistic one – indeed all the major cities of the current world, from New York to Hong Kong and across the globe, have both cheaply built skyscrapers and expensive ones, in a typical mix of the good, bad and ugly. In his off-handed comments, Gehry failed to mention some of the most photographed (and admired) buildings in the world, including the Burj Al Arab and Burj Kalifa, both of which have “responded to place and culture”. There are many other examples across the skyline of Dubai.

Yes, Dubai and the rest of the U.A.E. could be developed more sustainably, which was not one of Gehry’s concerns. But both Dubai and Abu Dhabi are both well on their way to having government required green building development within their emirates, under Dubai Municipality Green Regulations and the Estidama Pearl Regulations respectively.

Based on his brash comments, Gehry still has a lot to learn about the Arab Culture.