Frank Gehry is probably the most well-known living architect in the world, and because he is in such a spotlight, we would hope he would make the most of his role-model status and call attention to what we feel is one of the most pressing issues facing contemporary society: the state of the environment. Unfortunately, it seems that environmental concerns are a hard sell for this provocative & controversial architect. In a public appearance on April 6th, Frank Gehry criticized LEED certification, saying it is it is awarded for ‘bogus stuff’ and that climate change and sustainable design are “political” issues. So was Gehry stating that he opposes sustainable design flat out? Or does he have a problem with the fetishization of LEED ratings and the self-righteousness of a certain element of the environmental movement?
It sounds to me that Mr. Gehry is right-on the money and is making very good application of his star power.
i agree, he’s absolutely right. this new environmentalist sensationalism does very little other than funnel money from gullible people to more powerful people/entities. you know the science isn’t clear when you have to say “the science is settled”, before refusing to debate anything in public. you can’t get “carbon credits” by preserving wetlands, rainforrest.. it’s complete bullshit, and distracts from potentially meaningful progress.