Frank Gehry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Frank Gehry - Essay Example In 1956, Gehry moved to Massachusetts with his wife in a bid to enroll into Harvard’s School of Design. Sadly, the education life at Harvard was never completed, which saw him drop out and afterwards, divorce his first wife. The reason for his non-completion in Harvard’s Design School was because his ideas for a socially responsible type of architecture were not realized (Isenberg and Gehry 43). He remarried in 1975, and had two more children with Berta Isabel Aguilera. He later went back to California after his attempt at design school failed, and that is where the legend of Frank Gehry was born. Works around the world Shortly after moving back to California, Gehry began making his name a household name through the Easy Edges furniture line. Most of the cardboard furniture products were sold in California between 1969 and 1973 before his marriage to Isabel, and before taking on the task of remodeling his family’s house in Santa Monica. It was this erratic remodeling that saw Gehry capture the architectural world’s attention as his design was deemed unique and out of this world. The famous Walt Disney Concert Hall is among Gehry’s famous works, and this was after he achieved celebrity status after modeling homes in Southern California for a while. The Guggenheim Museum building in Spain and a skyscraper in New York city are also Gehry’s works, and have become tourist attraction sites visited by countless individuals. The Opus Hong Kong tower in China can also be placed among his top achievements (Isenberg and Gehry 48). In some instances, Gehry is said to have been invol ved in the designing of jewelry, liquor bottles, and even trophies. He is said to have designed an ice hockey trophy, which was for the World Cup Hockey tournament. These ‘quick fixes’, according to Gehry, were as a result of the little or lack of realization of exceptional architecture (Lange 53). He, therefore, may have wanted to remain relevant in the field of design even if it meant that he would not be designing buildings and memorials. Style and design and the material used Gehry’s style was a deconstructivist form of architecture, which pushed and challenged the accepted designs of architecture. It is a post-structuralist aesthetic that is most familiar with architects who go against the normally accepted paradigms of architecture, and is most visible and popular in California. This might be because he did most of his works in the area during the 1980’s. It is believed that Gehry calculatedly violates the modernism approach to architecture with his focus on the right angles and cubes (Lange 59). The instability that is the deconstructivist approach is what makes the designs by Frank memorable. Even though the projects may be comprehensive and complete, they tend to bring about the feeling of explosion. In some sense, the nature of the deconstructivist style is to bring about the acceptance of flaws as an inevitable phenomenon in architecture. Cardboard and scotch tape are the materials used to bring the designs in Gehry’s head to life, which later turn into buildings. In many of his works, Gehry has incorporated the use of titanium and stainless steel. Theme in Frank Gehry’s works One thing that makes Gehry a truly gifted architect of his day is his perceptive and immaculate manner of bringing out his designs. He is said to be fond of fish as most of his structural designs are said to have used fish motifs engrained in some

DIAGEO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DIAGEO - Essay Example 8,090. The operating profit of the company was ?2,443 million during FY2009, an increase of 3.1% over FY2008. The net profit was ?1,621 million in FY2009, an increase of 2.1% over FY2008 (Diageo - Annual Report, 2009). Diageo was created in 1997 as a result of the merger of Guinness and GrandMet (Diageo - Our History, 2011). Diageo rapidly expanded in next few years through both organic and acquisition channels. In 2001, Diageo also acquired the spirits and wine business of Seagram. In 2004, the company acquired Ursus Vodka. In 2005, Chalone Wine Group was acquired. Later, the company also acquired Bushmills Irish whiskey which included Bushmills' Distillery, which is amongst the oldest licensed distillery in the world. In 2006, the company made its first acquisition in China. The company bought a 43% stake in Sichuan Chengdu Quanxing, parent of Swellfun (Diageo - Our History, 2011). In January 2007, Diageo Asia Pacific was created to target a new geographic location. January 2007 ma rked the trial of new Guinness Red brand in 142 pubs in Great Britain. In February 2007, Diageo invested ?100million in expansion of its Scotch whisky operations in Scotland, in order to meet its future demand. In April 2007, as a part of brand extension, the company launched Johnnie Walker Blue Label and King George V Edition in duty free channels of Europe, the Americas & the Middle East. As a part of its global innovation strategy, the company made minor investment in Nuvo (brand), a new ultra-premium effervescent blend of fine French vodka, French sparkling wine, and exotic fruit nectar created by LLC (Diageo - Our History, 2011). In May 2007, the North American division of the company launched Smirnoff Source, a new premium malt beverage that combines pure spring water with alcohol. In Oct 2007, Diageo announced strategic alliance between Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Ciroc vodka. Under the terms of the deal, Combs and Sean Combs Enterprises took the lead on all brand management decis ions for Ciroc, while sharing in the future profits of the growth of the brand. In November 2007, Diageo invested ?5 million in J&B brand's package redesign to give it a more contemporary look. The new pack highlighted the brand's role as the ultimate party whisky with a design to party goers (Diageo - Our History, 2011). Diageo acquired Rosenblum Cellars in early 2008. In February 2008, Diageo and the Nolet Family formed a 50/50 company which owns the perpetual exclusive rights to sell market and distribute Ketel One Vodka (Diageo - Our History, 2011). In March 2008, Diageo, Heineken and Namibia Breweries reached agreement to form a new joint venture for their combined beer, cider and ready-to-drink (RTD) businesses in South Africa. In May 2008, Diageo reached an agreement to buy all the Constellation Brands' distillery and bottling facility at Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada. In the same month, Diageo made a capital investment of E650 million in a new brewing centre in Ireland to supp ort the growth and development of its global beer business (Diageo - Our History, 2011). Diageo also underwent a brief period of divestment, like that in 2003, which resulted into the selling of its Czech division, Diageo Ceska Republika, to Global Spirits. It also shut down its marketing subsidiary Nightfly (Diageo - Our History, 2011). SWOT ANALYSIS OF DIAGEO Strengths Weakness Wide range of Products Continuously Declining margins Market Leader    Opportunities Threats Ever growing presence in Asia-Pacific region Litigations