Come on guys, the man built the Montgomery Burns prison!

But seriously, whether or not you like his work, there is no denying he is one of the most influential architects of this period. It would be nice to have him back for his later years, we could use more abstract and unconventional design. I'm not asking for Dubai, but variety can't be a bad thing, can it? (Thinking of something like Barcode in Oslo.)
 
What's lost in all of this is that people are making it seem like Gehry could get the afternoon Megabus up here, set up a drafting board in his garage and get to work. If he's to move his office, it's a minimum 200 employees, plus another 20ish administrative personnel, plus between 150-200 family members (could be between 4 and 500 people all-in). Of course, not everyone is going to leave LA, and maybe he would retain an office down there but then what happens to his time? Is it split between Toronto and LA? Do we still get to 'claim' that he came back if he's still down south for half the year? Moving a large architectural practice across two countries is no small feat so before we get excited about future buildings that he would most-likely never see built, it might be wise to think about the logistics of such a move first.
 
ProjectEnd said:
What's lost in all of this is that people are making it seem like Gehry could get the afternoon Megabus up here, set up a drafting board in his garage and get to work. If he's to move his office, it's a minimum 200 employees, plus another 20ish administrative personnel, plus between 150-200 family members (could be between 4 and 500 people all-in). Of course, not everyone is going to leave LA, and maybe he would retain an office down there but then what happens to his time? Is it split between Toronto and LA? Do we still get to 'claim' that he came back if he's still down south for half the year? Moving a large architectural practice across two countries is no small feat so before we get excited about future buildings that he would most-likely never see built, it might be wise to think about the logistics of such a move first.
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And keep in mind he isn't exactly young either. Personally his physical presence here would be more symbolic if anything - perhaps a small office here
for mostly local projects with the main office in LA would be the best.

AoD
 
Big Daddy said:
the weak Loonie should help launch this project given their efforts so far to sell it internationally. Buyers from around the world could buy a Gehry at quite a discount. I would think the additional construction costs could be mitigated by using more Canadian materials.
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A lot of construction materials costs are based on North American market rates. Both the Canadian dollar and the strength of the US housing market impact some of these material costs... so there are both pros and cons to having a low Canadian dollar from the developer perspective.
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
And keep in mind he isn't exactly young either. Personally his physical presence here would be more symbolic if anything - perhaps a small office here
for mostly local projects with the main office in LA would be the best.
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I'm reading it as maybe he'd like to wind things down and retire here rather than move the practice.
 
Retirement in Toronto doesn't exactly have the same easy living as LA though. You really can't beat the weather there and our winters really take a toll on elderly bodies, physically and mentally. The best we could hope for is 6-8 months of a Gehry presence a year. I'm not him, but I can only imagine that the prospect of facing our winters for the final decade of living would be a rough time.
 
I wouldn't take Gehry's remarks too seriously - the article makes it clear it's about politics. Many American's threaten to move to Canada when a politician they disagree with is voted into power.

The office itself would never move, the firm is more than just one man, Gehry himself is one of 11 partners in the firm.
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
I'd love to see a grand public space/park being (re)designed by Gehry - say the Centre Island, the new Portlands, or the Ex.

AoD
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I was thinking the same thing...specifically about the Portlands. One can dream, who doesn't want a whimsical deconstructivist Ferris wheel.

Mike in TO said:
I'm reading it as maybe he'd like to wind things down and retire here rather than move the practice.
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This sounds more likely sadly.
 
Do people here honestly think a comment he most likely made in jest, to a Toronto Star reporter no less, to be true? Frank Gehry loves LA. That city is the reason he is the world renowned architect he is today. He will never leave LA to set up shop here.

This city's need for recognition and adoration, knows no bounds. (Look no further than during the NBA All Star weekend reporting by Toronto media.)
 
p5connex said:
Do people here honestly think a comment he most likely made in jest, to a Toronto Star reporter no less, to be true? Frank Gehry loves LA. That city is the reason he is the world renowned architect he is today. He will never leave LA to set up shop here.

This city's need for recognition and adoration, knows no bounds. (Look no further than during the NBA All Star weekend reporting by Toronto media.)
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Yeah the Toronto media are so pathetic. It's like people here are so concerned about what Americans think of this place. I remember during the All Star weekend and I was listening to the radio station and John Tory was on and they were saying they have been trying to convince the Americans that Toronto is not as cold as how it was during that weekend and making it seem like it's some tropical paradise in February. Who cares if they think it's cold? We live in Canada, it's cold here. We should embrace this and stop trying to appease Americans.
 
Adjei said:
John Tory was on and they were saying they have been trying to convince the Americans that Toronto is not as cold as how it was during that weekend and making it seem like it's some tropical paradise in February. Who cares if they think it's cold? We live in Canada, it's cold here. We should embrace this and stop trying to appease Americans.
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A low Canadian dollar means it's a great time for American tourists. Tourism contributes immensely to Toronto's economy. Many Americans think it's freezing here, that weekend didn't help change that. Give the guy some credit. He's being smart and trying to get some more cash flowing in the local economy.
 
stjames2queenwest said:
A low Canadian dollar means it's a great time for American tourists. Tourism contributes immensely to Toronto's economy. Many Americans think it's freezing here, that weekend didn't help change that. Give the guy some credit. He's being smart and trying to get some more cash flowing in the local economy.
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Pity tourism...That's what we have being reduced to. Hoping our dollar tanks so Americans can find a reason to come here. How about developing some new attractions so people can have a reason for coming here and not just a low dollar? You think the tourism strategies of places like London and Paris is that their currency tanks so people can have a reason to come there?
 
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