It is not often that an architecture master reinvents himself, but that is precisely what Pritzker Prize winning architect Frank Gehry has done. Gehry, who first won international recognition with his own residence, a masterpiece of post-modern architecture, has revealed what can only be described as the first post post-modern architectural work, the New Gehry Residence, completely confounding both his critics and promoters alike.
The New Gehry Residence is located in a nearby suburb of Los Angeles is the newest reinvention of Gehry’s signature architecture. The house, which seems to resemble your typical two story McMansion, has all the details that one would expect from his work. The odd shapes resting one on top of the other seem to look like a gable roof, but are in fact so complex, that it took NASA engineers, and builder and his crew, 6 months to make them work. “We couldn’t get them to work together” said one of NASA’s chief engineers. “When Frank asked us to have the larger shape be nested on top of the other two, we new that this was going to be challenge.”
And as expected, the materials used in the construction of the building are extremely advanced, as only an architect of Gehry’s stature could muster. Large PVC-framed double glazed windows, gypsum plasterboard walls and an advanced timber framing system are all part of the new house. Of course, in one of his callbacks to his earlier work Gehry has used, once again, titanium for the roof and siding materials.
If it seems like this is simply a McMansion, be assured, it is not. This is the work of a modern genius, an artist in his prime. The New Gehry Residence is a masterful adaptation of the architectural typological expression of the modern American homeowner. It expresses, both without any irony and by having a profound sense of modern causticness, the expression of contemporary urbanism. A critical look at the consumer expressionism of the spatial factors involved in the formal relationships of how the shapes simply seem as though they formed themselves. It is a simple, yet brilliant reinvention of the modern American house. It is a work of genius.
+ Gehry Reinvents Himself @ April Fools
[...] Via Tags: Architecture,contemporary urbanism,Frank Gehry,glazed windows,NASA,New Gehry Residence,Post Post-Modern Architecture,timber framing systemIf you enjoyed reading this post, you might want to subscribe or read other posts. [...]
LOL…almost fell for this one!
[...] No we aren’t talking about Jean Nouvel. The Best Fossil Fools Day prank was Inhabitat’s Frank Gehry McMansion [...]
A genius, an artist in his prime does not Diddle while we Sizzle. Enough already with the ego centric bumblings of the Leibskinds and Gearys of the profession (did I spell their names correctly, if not too bad).
These GENUISES will finally be recognized as ARTISTS when they don the cape of the magnificent talents they were born with to become the SUPERHEROES we need to save this planet.
And have you noticed the other angry sentiments here? I think I\’ve provided a hint as to the raeson for that.
[...] As re: the mansion, Inhabitat says: [...]
it’s funny to read these within the context of april fools. some are fooled and other catch on. I felt sick when I first saw this thinking I just don’t get some things… then it hit me and I cry/laughed..
when you earned a name and been awarded for a remarkable work…you have the all the freedom and license to make crazy architecture…and people will still accept it as a work of genius!!!….NOT! i liked his bilbao work…but when you see same stuff all over,,,,morphing to other stuff…it’s getting kinda creepy…next time you see a Water Closet Gehry series…hmmm…i wonder how it will look like….????
its the car that gives the joke away….
i know what Post post modernism is… its the next new jam of architecture
Please tell me that this is an April Fool’s Day joke.
wtf is post post modern? Gehry sucks.
[...] it April already? Published April 1, 2008 Architecture , Development , Urban New Gehry mansion unveiled in [...]
wtf is Post post modern? Frank Gehry sucks.
Great post Jorge!
I hear the building comes complete with a permanent built-in lens flare.
I think I saw that house with some other McMansions
THAT’s REALLLLLY BAD PHOTOSHOP!
uhhng! for a moment, maybe a little longer
i thought you\’re serious. uff! happy april! 
For those who didn’t get it “ie: francojean23″ Check out the e-mail address and remember what today is. Lol This is to good.
April Fools!
LOL!
Sad thing is… in spite of this most likely being an April first joke… I can easily see Gehry doing exactly this.
how did gehry design this by his usual means of crumpling up paper cups and having his sycophantic assistants draft the plans?
happy april first.
Ha ha – good one.
Looks horrible
i fail to see the “reinvention” of this project…seems more than easily classified as gehry…i feel it less an adaptation of the “modern american house” (whatever that is supposed to mean) but more of a scale-down of his giant faulty non-functional projects…furthermore…how did this project end up on this website…as if anything about it is green and not environmentally wasteful…