Gyo Obata

Gyo Obata (born February 28, 1923) is an American architect, the son of painter Chiura Obata and his wife, Haruko Obata, a floral designer. In 1955, he co-founded the global architectural firm HOK (formerly Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum). He lives in St. Louis, Missouri and still works in HOK's St. Louis office. He has designed several notable buildings, including the McDonnell Planetarium and GROW Pavilion at the Saint Louis Science Center, the Independence Temple of the Community of Christ church, the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

Gyo Obata
Obata in 2005
Born (1923-02-28) February 28, 1923
San Francisco, California, U.S
OccupationArchitect

Biography
Obata in 1980

Obata was born and raised in San Francisco. Due to his family's Japanese heritage, he was nearly interned with other Japanese-Americans during World War II. Though his family was sent to an internment camp, he avoided it by leaving the School of Architecture at the University of California-Berkeley to study architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, the only university in the United States willing to accept Japanese nationals at that time. He earned his bachelor of architecture degree there in 1945.

He then studied under master Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, receiving his master's degree in architecture and urban design in 1946.

After serving in the U.S. Army from 1946–1947 and working as an architect in the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill from 1947–1951, Obata returned to St. Louis in 1951 to join the firm of Minoru Yamasaki, designer of the World Trade Center towers. Four years later, in 1955, he joined architects George Hellmuth and George Kassabaum in establishing the St. Louis-based architecture firm Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum.

Due in part to Obata's prowess and growing reputation, the firm achieved global renown, and Obata himself has won numerous awards for his designs. Today, HOK has more than 1,800 employees in 23 offices worldwide.

In 2010, Obata was featured in a book written by Marlene Ann Birkman and published by The Images Publishing Group titled, Gyo Obata: Architect | Clients | Reflections.[1] The book features 30 of Obata's projects (and clients) spanning five decades.

Obata's design philosophy is "to provide spaces which are not only functional, but also enhance the quality of life for those who work and live in them."[2] In Gyo Obata: Architect | Clients | Reflections, he says that, "The language that architects use to define space is daylight. Each project offers new potential for discovery, for understanding the site and program, and an opportunity to do a thoughtfully designed building that will bring meaning and enjoyment to the people who will occupy it."[1]

Projects
The James S. McDonnell Planetarium, thin-shell and hyperboloid structure by Gyo Obata, one component of the St. Louis Science Center campus
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Kellogg Company Headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan
Independence Temple in Independence, Missouri
Great American Tower at Queen City Square in Cincinnati, Ohio

Obata's national and international projects include:

St. Louis projects include:

Other projects include:

Awards and recognition

Notes
  1. Birkman, Marlene Ann (2010). Gyo Obata: Architect – Clients – Reflections. ISBN 9781864703795. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  2. "Interview with Gyo Obata, Professional Architect', "ArchitectureSchools.com," February 2, 2006
  3. Meridian, Edward. SIUE, the First 50 Years:Transforming a Region. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 2007, p. 73.
  4. St. Louis Walk of Fame. "St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees". stlouiswalkoffame.org. Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
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