Louis Kahn

Louis Kahn (1901–1974) was an American architect renowned for his monumental and modernist designs. Born on February 20, 1901, in Pärnu, Estonia, Kahn immigrated to the United States with his family at a young age and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and later taught at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania. Kahn's work is characterized by its geometric forms, attention to materiality, and incorporation of natural light. Some of his most notable projects include the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California; the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas; the National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut. Kahn's innovative use of space and light, as well as his philosophical approach to architecture, earned him widespread acclaim. He received numerous awards throughout his career, including the AIA Gold Medal in 1971 and the RIBA Gold Medal in 1972. Louis Kahn's legacy continues to influence contemporary architecture, and his work is celebrated for its timeless quality and profound sense of structure and place. He passed away on March 17, 1974, in New York City.