Architect Gunnar Birkerts, creator of Domino's Farms, dies at age 92

ANN ARBOR, MI - Accomplished University of Michigan professor and architect Gunnar Birkerts, who designed some of the most notable buildings in southeast Michigan, including Domino's Farms and an addition to the UM Law Library in Ann Arbor, died Tuesday, Aug. 15. He was 92.

His son, Sven Birkerts, said his father died of congestive heart failure at his home in Needham, Massachusetts, according to The Associated Press.

Birkerts was born in Riga, Latvia, on Jan. 17, 1925, but fled during World War II when he was in his teens. In 1949, Birkerts emigrated to the United States.

He was based in the Detroit area for much of his career and worked for several different architecture firms before he and a colleague, Frank Straub, founded Birkerts and Straub in 1962. He eventually went on to lead his own firm, Gunnar Birkerts and Associates, for decades.

Gunnar Birkerts. (Sven Birkerts via AP)

Birkerts taught at UM for 31 years, beginning in 1959, and received awards from the American Institute of Architects in 1962, 1970 and 1973. According to his biography from the Bentley Historical Library, he was appointed professor of architecture in 1969. He was awarded the position of professor emeritus in 1990.

According to the Bentley Library, the 1960s were prolific years for the practice, as Birkerts designed buildings which contained the "bold forms, space before structure, minimal detailing, stratified walls and daylight in interior spaces," which were the hallmarks of his work during this decade.

Among his many buildings of this period were the University Reformed Church (1960-1964) in Ann Arbor, the Detroit Institute of Arts' south wing addition (1964) and the University of Detroit Fisher Brothers Administration Center (1964-1966).

In 1970, he was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and he received a Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects in 1975. He was also honored by an appointment as Architect in Residence at the American Academy in Rome in 1976.

Some of his many notable buildings from the decade were the Contemporary Arts Museum (1970-1972) in Houston, the Dance Instructional Facility (1970-1976) at the State University of New York, Purchase and the UM Law School Addition (1974-1981) in Ann Arbor. Birkerts also is credited with designing the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis and the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York.

In his work on the UM campus and Ann Arbor, he was well-known for his innovative and sensitive use of light at the University Reformed Church, with its indirect lighting, and the University of Michigan Law School Library Addition, which is filled with light despite being below ground.

The Allan and Alene Smith Law Library Addition began in 1978, according to UM, when the university decided the best building for its iconic law library would be underground, presenting challenges both architecturally and structurally.

Its high ceilings, large "light wells" that bring in light from several directions and direct it to even the lowest of the three levels, and on open structure make it surprisingly bright and airy, according to the university.

In the mid-1980s, Birkerts designed Domino's Farms Office Park, on 300 acres of farmland. The 1-million-square-foot office building redefined the northeast Ann Arbor office corridor between Plymouth Road and M-14, serving as corporate headquarters of Domino's Pizza. The building lives today as a multi-tenant facility, including the UM Health System outpatient primary care, specialty care and medical services. Part of the campus also includes a chapel and petting farm.

Birkerts is survived by his wife, Sylvia, a fellow Latvian who he met in Germany and married in 1950, their three children and seven grandchildren.

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