Frank Gehry on his Fondation Louis Vuitton, in Paris, and UTS building, Sydney

AS his first Australian building reaches its final phase, Frank Gehry reflects on another impressive recent job: a Paris art museum.

THIS is a big year for Californian architect Frank Gehry.

His Fondation Louis Vuitton building in Paris opened last month, and his first job in Australia — the new business school at the University of Technology, Sydney, commissioned in 2010 — is in the final stages, to be opened in February.

At 85, Gehry could be slowing down and resting on the glory of his world-famous landmarks, awards and honorary doctorates. Instead, he is taking on the sorts of jobs that are usually only offered to great architects once they have spent five or more decades at the innovative edge of the profession.

His enthusiasm for the Fondation Louis Vuitton building, in a large public park called Bois de Boulogne, Paris, shows his passion for architecture remains undiminished.

The proposal was made by Louis Vuitton boss Bernard Arnault, who wanted to create something altruistic to counter his image as a ruthless businessman.

“I liked him pretty much from the beginning,” Gehry says. “He’s smart, super well educated. Interested in the arts. Very powerful figure. I knew he was going to get what he wanted. I like that because the determination meant that we were going to realise the project, I wasn’t going to be wasting time, which sometimes happens.

“The idea of having a building in the middle of the Bois de Boulogne is pretty unusual. And then having a determined client who has the taste and wherewithal to create something special, it brought tears to my eyes.”

Read more of Frank Gehry’s extended interview with editor David Meagher in WISH magazine, free with metro editions of The Australian this Friday.