Design and Architecture
Does Frank Gehry Have the Answers for the LA River?
Frank Gehry is masterplanning the LA River. Why? DnA explores the reaction at the selection as well the political, design and water reclamation stakes with Frank Gehry and others.
By Frances Anderton • • 29m ListenArchitect Frank Gehry, known for his design of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and many a showpiece building, is now taking on water reclamation on all 51 miles of the LA River. The news has stunned those who associate the architect with singular buildings and not expansive infrastructure projects.
While some are excited and intrigued by the possibilities of a Frank Gehry river project, others are not -- among them Lewis MacAdams, poet, activist and president and co-founder of Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR). For years he has advocated for returning the river to a more natural state, and his open resistance to supporting a Gehry-led river project has undermined the unity it needs.
DnA explores this developing drama at the LA River with a variety of voices, including Frank Gehry, Lewis MacAdams, Omar Brownson, the executive director of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation, Alex Ward, board member of FoLAR, landscape designer Mia Lehrer and architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times, Christopher Hawthorne.
Read Frances's interview with Henk Ovink, a water infrastructure expert whom Frank Gehry has consulted with on the LA River project.
Image byIan Rutherford via Flickr.
