Libeskind, the author of museums and the Freedom Tower, will celebrate his sixtieth birthday

Prague - Lacking inspiration? Just break a teapot and the idea is here. This is allegedly how the architect Daniel Libeskind was inspired by the unusual shapes of the Imperial War Museum building in Manchester, England, which resembles porcelain shards. However, it was the commission for the redevelopment of Ground Zero, the area in New York City's Manhattan where the "twin towers" of the World Trade Center were destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 2001, that brought Libeskind, one of the most popular modern architects, into the spotlight, especially as he celebrates his sixtieth birthday on Friday, May 12.
Libeskind's Freedom Tower project was selected primarily for its originality and the symbolism it contained. The tower, standing 1,776 feet tall (symbolizing the year of the United States' independence), features a spire meant to evoke the nearby Statue of Liberty, with open gardens on the upper floors and a "light shaft" that the sun was meant to shine through every September 11th morning onto two public plazas at the memorial site. However, the winning design has undergone so many changes in recent years, mostly for cost reasons, that it bears little resemblance to the original airy, twisted glass structure. Libeskind has since withdrawn from the project and reportedly now only communicates with the current architect or investor through his lawyers.
Libeskind was already a world-renowned architect before the emergence of the Freedom Tower. His projects include, for example, the Jewish Museum in San Francisco, the City Museum in Osnabrück, the new wing of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and extensions to museums in Denver and Toronto. A true triumph was the project of the Jewish Museum in Berlin, which instantly made him a star.
Opened in 2001, the building features a layout that resembles a shattered Star of David or a lightning bolt. The metallic-clad object appears to be ripped apart by sharp spikes of irregular axes, windows, corridors, sloping floors, and cold spaces that evoke feelings of loneliness, disorientation, and most importantly, loss. Libeskind did not hesitate to use railway tracks here as a reminder of death transports. However, he insists that the museum should not solely evoke depressive feelings, it should also represent hope for the future.
Recently, Libeskind succeeded with a project to revitalize the city exhibition grounds in Milan, Italy, which is considered one of the most significant in contemporary Europe. Libeskind was successful with a 170-meter tall building shaped like a sail. The same shape is planned for the 192-meter tall skyscraper he designed for the center of Warsaw. Libeskind is also among the architects who received a challenge to design a casino building in Singapore, which is set to become a new landmark and symbol of the country. Among his yet unrealized projects is a building for the Salvador Dalí Museum (or fine arts), which he presented in Prague two years ago.
Libeskind was born on May 12, 1946, in Łódź, Poland, to a family that survived the Holocaust. In 1957, he left for Israel with his parents, and after three years, they all relocated to New York. Libeskind originally studied music and earned a living playing in bars. In 1970, he graduated from the renowned Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York. After studying in Essex and London, where deconstructivist tendencies were just beginning to develop, Libeskind fulfilled his dream and established a studio in Milan.
Libeskind, who lives in Berlin, has lectured at several universities in North America, Europe, and Japan and holds many awards and honorary doctorates. He is also the father of three children. He has a very important partner in his wife Nina, who manages external relations for the architectural studio.