Frank Gehry’s design of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, has launched a new age of stunning architecture. Other examples include the Burj al-Arab hotel tower in Dubai (sailboat appearance), the new Milwaukee Art Museum (resembling a bird in flight) and the addition to the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto (on stilts, high above the existing structure).

Frank Gehry, Daniel Liebeskind, Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava and several others are the chief practitioners. These structures serve many purposes, but one of the primary ones is to “Take Your Breath Away” – hence the term TYBA projects.

Such buildings can provide considerable economic stimulus for their cities and/or regions. First, they act as a tourism magnet. Second, they can be a key strategic element employed by city fathers to stimulate other development. The overall effect is to raise civic pride.

While some of these projects spring out of the private sector, others are in the public domain, often being of a cultural or academic nature. In addition to government funding, or as separate undertakings on their own, there can be considerable endowments from private individuals to proceed with such projects.

These philanthropic efforts will encourage generous and competitive offerings by other wealthy individuals.

The bottom line is that great architecture can be an uplifting experience on several fronts.

Alex Carrick

Find Canadian construction-related economic articles in Canadian Construction Market News and in the Economic Outlook section of Daily Commercial News.

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