Vlado Milunić

Vladimir Milunić (3 March 1941 – 17 September 2022) was a Czech-Croatian architect. He was noted for designing the "Dancing House" in Prague with Frank Gehry. He also taught at the Czech Technical University in Prague.

Early life Milunić was born in Zagreb, Republic of Yugoslavia (now Croatia), on 3 March 1941, to a family of Croatian descent. His family moved to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic when he was 15 or 16. Regarding his nationality, he later stated that he was Czechoslovak and felt Yugoslavian, "as a protest against primitive nationalism". Milunić studied architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), graduating in 1966. He subsequently resided in Paris for three years until 1969 while doing internships.

Career

After returning from Paris, Milunić worked at Gama and Delta – two Prague-based architecture studios – for over two decades. He designed homes for seniors around the city, as well as housing for nurses, during the 1970s and 1980s. The Havels nonetheless continued to reside there, After Havel's parents died, Milunić was tasked with dividing their apartment between Havel and his brother Ivan in 1986. Milunić formulated the initial design of the building, Although the bank sought an architect with an international standing for the project, it chose to keep Milunić in a collaborative capacity given his local knowledge and in recognition of his earlier work on the site. However, the structure was controversial at first, with critics believing that it was disjunctive with its adjacent historical architecture. Milunić acknowledged these criticisms, recounting how the project was once compared to a "gold tooth that spoils a smile". He nevertheless maintained that it was the responsibility of municipal authorities to place limitations on developers in advance of their purchase of a site, adding that "the city's hands are pretty much tied" after that point. One of the overseas projects he contributed to was the "Czech Quarter" in Shanghai, Milunić, one of five Czech architects recruited to work on the project, stated that they intended to use Prague "as an inspiration ... not an exact copy".