MIT Stata Center sues architect Frank Gehry
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is suing renowned architect Frank Gehry, alleging serious design flaws in the $300 million Stata Center.
Stata Center Photo by jonas_k
The school asserts that the center, completed in spring 2004, has persistent leaks, drainage problems and mold growing on its brick exterior. It says accumulations of snow and ice have fallen dangerously from window boxes and other areas of its roofs, blocking emergency exits and causing damage.
The suit says MIT paid Los Angeles-based Gehry Partners $15 million to design the Stata Center, which cost $300 million to build. It houses labs, offices, classrooms and meeting rooms.
“Gehry breached its duties by providing deficient design services and drawings,” according to the suit, which also names New Jersey-based Beacon Skanska Construction Co., now known as Skanska USA Building Inc. The suit, filed Oct. 31, seeks unspecified damages.
An executive at Skanska’s Boston office said Gehry ignored warnings from Skanska and a consulting company before construction that there were flaws in the design. “This is not a construction issue, never has been,” said Paul Hewins, executive vice president and area general manager of Skanska USA.
Who is Frank Gehry?
Frank Owen Gehry (1929) is a Pritzker Prize winning architect based in Los Angeles, California.
His best known works include the titanium-covered Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic, and his private residence in Santa Monica, California, which jump-started his career, lifting it from the status of “paper architecture” before receiving major commissions in later years.
Frank Gehry House, Santa Monica by Greg Headley
The Dancing House by Purple Cloud
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, by bohemiangrassi
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