From Archinect:

Jan Kaplický, leading architect behind Future Systems, has passed away at the age of 71, hours after his wife gave birth to their daughter. [ČeskéNoviny.cz]

This is sad news indeed.

Even though I don’t particularly like their blobby designs, Future Systems had designed and executed some of the most interesting building ‘skins’ and forms of our time. Shown above is the Selfridges Building in Birmingham.

To my ignorance, he is older than I imagined. His work is much more youthful than his age. Though we had entered the age of more environmentally conservative buildings, I hope his work will survive the test of time despite the sea change. And given the current economic climate, we will see less and less radical buildings like these for quite a while.

And the best of luck to his daughter. It’s quite a fairy tale indeed when she grew up to understand her father through his buildings, like Khan’s son… Oh well. Maybe I’m romantizing this too much.