George Nikolajevich

The architecture of George Nikolajevich exhibits a remarkable balance between restraint and expression. Working in St. Louis-far from the country's coasts of architectural fashion-and often limited to a conservative palette of materials, he has created a body of work that delivers modernist élan and formal invention. The nature of Nikolajevich's work also flows from his position as a design principal in a large national firm. Nikolajevich has been encouraged to carve out a special niche turning his strength into a firm strength. In the process, he has designed an impressive number of buildings that combine a sense of Midwestern thrift and practicality with a flair for sophisticated design. As Nikolajevich's career has progressed, his architecture has developed a growing affinity to that of the great Finnish architects Erik Gunnar Asplund and Alvar Aalto. Like Asplund's work, Nikolajevich's buildings have a quiet sculptural quality that impresses us with their economy of means. Sometimes less is, indeed, more. And like Aalto, Nikolajevich has demonstrated a humanist's touch with simple materials, especially brick. He has also thought a great deal about the way buildings can work together to create a sense of community and how the spaces in between can be as important as any inside.