Architecture, at its best, is a cultural record—of ambition, experimentation, restraint, and belief in the built environment as something that shapes how we live. At VISUALHOUSE, we’ve been fortunate to collaborate with some of the most influential architects of our time. Today, we pause to remember and celebrate two such figures: Frank Owen Gehry and Robert A.M. Stern—distinct in voice, yet equally profound in impact.

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Remembering Frank Owen Gehry

Menlo Park & 8150 Sunset Boulevard

Frank Owen Gehry was a singular force in architecture—a Canadian-American architect whose work redefined what buildings could be. Sculptural, expressive, and unapologetically bold, his designs challenged convention and reshaped skylines around the world. Gehry didn’t simply design buildings; he created experiences, moments of surprise, and structures that felt alive with movement.

VISUALHOUSE had the honor of partnering with Gehry on the 523,000-square-foot addition to Facebook’s Menlo Park headquarters in the Bay Area. The project included a significant landscape extension alongside the redesign of the outdoor pavilion—spaces conceived not just as architecture, but as environments for connection, pause, and creativity. Working within Gehry’s vision meant embracing experimentation while honoring the human scale, a balance that defined much of his work.

We also collaborated with Gehry on 8150 Sunset Boulevard, another project emblematic of his fearless approach to form and material. These collaborations remain formative moments for our studio—opportunities to contribute to architecture that resists the ordinary and embraces possibility.

We will remember Frank Gehry for his restless curiosity, his willingness to disrupt, and his enduring influence on how architecture can provoke emotion and imagination.

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Remembering Robert A.M. Stern

975 Boylston Street and Beyond

Where Gehry pushed boundaries through abstraction and form, Robert A.M. Stern shaped architecture with clarity, continuity, and an unwavering respect for the human experience. A true visionary, Stern believed deeply in the city as a lived environment—one where tradition and modernity could coexist with grace.

VISUALHOUSE was proud to support several of Stern’s projects over the years, including One Bennett Park, Abingdon House, and 975 Boylston Street. Each reflected his mastery of proportion, materiality, and urban context. Stern’s work reminded us that architecture doesn’t need to shout to be powerful—it can communicate through balance, detail, and enduring elegance.

Beyond the buildings themselves, Stern’s legacy lives on through the generations of architects and designers he mentored and inspired. His influence extends far beyond any single project, shaping how cities grow and how people feel within them.

We’re grateful to have played a small part in bringing his vision to life and to have learned from his commitment to architecture that serves both place and people.

A Lasting Influence

Frank Gehry and Robert A.M. Stern approached architecture from different perspectives, yet both left indelible marks on the built world. Their work continues to inspire our studio—reminding us that great design can be expressive or restrained, radical or rooted, but always intentional.

At VISUALHOUSE, we carry these lessons forward in everything we create.

We remember them fondly.

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