It is considered by many to be the most important architectural work of the late 20th century. Upon completion in 1997, Frank O. Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao formed the fulcrum of a pivotal moment in architectural history, demonstrating the power of a single building to alter the urban landscape — not just spatially, but also in terms of a city’s cultural reputation and its economic outlook.
For the Basque city, a former exporting hub struggling to remain afloat in a post-industrial age, the Guggenheim catalyzed recovery circa a dramatic influx of tourists and their wallets. The impact of the project was so remarkable, it soon became synonymous with socioeconomic resurgence: Gehry had performed the ultimate architectural magic trick, and the correlation between great design and urban revitalization was thrown into sharp focus.
The “Bilbao Effect” was born.
Guggenheim Bilbao by Gehry Partners, via Wikimedia.
18 years on, a host of cities have sought to replicate Gehry’s seminal moment to boost the prospects of their own metropolises. The term “starchitecture” has become commonplace, typically associated with urban showstoppers designed to become instant icons. These landmark buildings are the equivalent of models on the architectural catwalk, striding forth with curvaceous bodies, glittering skins, and flamboyant headpieces.
Around the world, each distinctive silhouette attempts to emanate the visceral power of classics such as Utzøn’s Sydney Opera House and Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim, desperate to become an intrinsic part of a city’s identity. In the words of Gehry himself, they “yearn for timelessness,” though their authors often aim to achieve this feat with ironic impatience. The question is: can this new wave of cultural icons really hope to have the same startling impact on their wider context as Bilbao’s titanium-clad turning point?
Hepworth Wakefield by David Chipperfield Architects
In the United Kingdom, David Chipperfield Architects was tapped to design the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield, a northern city that experienced similar problems to Bilbao’s in the last quarter of the 20th century. Having seen its economy decline as a result of coal mine closures and a decrease in traditional manufacturing, Wakefield has been undergoing a concerted regeneration effort, with Chipperfield’s waterfront landmark designed as the focal point.
Hepworth Wakefield by David Chipperfield Architects
The gallery, dedicated to celebrated local sculptor Barbara Hepworth, could be considered to have achieved the “Bilbao Effect” for the city — albeit to a much lesser extent than Gehry’s Spanish salvation. The gallery is reported to have added around £10 million ($15.3 million) to Wakefield’s economy in its opening year, as a result of half a million visitors flowing through its doors in that time. According to the institution’s public relations department, the Hepworth Gallery has “exceeded expectations” in its first four years, but visitor numbers have naturally calmed down as the building has become a more familiar fixture within the city.
While Wakefield’s Bilbao Effect can be considered a relative success, the same cannot be said of a new museum constructed thousands of miles away on the remote plains of Inner Mongolia. Looking to give the region a cultural shot in the arm, the Chinese Government commissioned MAD Architects to design a new museum for Ordos, commonly referred to as a ghost city due to a minuscule population relative to its level of infrastructure.
Ordos Art and City Museum by MAD
MAD’s gleaming sculptural form is a sophisticated work of parametric architecture that sits upon a pristine but eerily deserted landscape of undulating stone. It stands as a stylish centerpiece within what the New York Times describes as “China’s most excellent tourist city,” and yet it has gone almost entirely unnoticed by visitors and artists alike: in December 2013, The Economist reported that “the museum has no collections and precious few plans for exhibitions.”
The museum’s construction, together with the vast city that surrounds it, follows the Chinese government’s long-running preemptive development strategy. It is working on the premise that huge numbers of people living in rural areas will migrate to urban centers like Ordos City in the coming years, and that service industries — including tourism — will then be ignited. Until then, this splendid building will remain neglected by the wider world, waiting patiently for the global recognition it surely deserves.
Ordos Art and City Museum by MAD
MAD’s museum illustrates that, in some contexts, great architecture is not enough to stimulate social and economic prosperity on its own. However, once this city’s empty streets begin to fill with life, the developers may eventually see a return on their substantial investment. Meanwhile, other more established metropolises are hoping that the construction of cultural icons will retain, rather than revive, their long-term economic fortunes.
Abu Dhabi is not a city that needs saving — yet. Its rapid rise to global prominence has been fueled by the United Arab Emirates’ oil exports, but government officials know that “black gold” cannot sustain it forever. Accordingly, an ambitious strategy to prop up the economy with cultural tourism has seen the proverbial red carpet rolled out for the stars of the profession, each tasked with designing an attention-grabbing landmark of Bilbao proportions.
Zayed National Museum by Foster + Partners
Saadiyat Island — Arab for “Happiness Island” — will soon be home to the Zayed National Museum by Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid’s fluid Performing Arts Centre, and the domed Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel. Most notably of all, though, the city has conjured up its very own Guggenheim museum — designed by none other than Frank Gehry himself.
Looking to the future, officials in Abu Dhabi appear to have bought into the extraordinary transformative powers of the “Bilbao Effect,” launching a four-pronged strategy to catapult their city into the cultural stratosphere: it is the architectural equivalent of spread betting. It is unclear how successful this carefully orchestrated plan will prove to be; judgment should be reserved until the museums of Saadiyat Island are up and running in 2020.
Can one building — or a group of four — save a city? Under the right circumstances, with the right architects, it is possible. But, in the modern era, it takes a substantial investment and a huge leap of faith to find out for sure.
Top image: Guggenheim Bilbao by Gehry Partners, via Archdaily.
