Richard Meier

:"For the American urban planner, see Richard L. Meier" Richard Meier (born October 12 1934 in Newark, New Jersey) is a American architect known for his rationalist designs and the use of the color white.

Biography

Meier was born in Newark, New Jersey. [Tempest, Rone. [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/61613716.html?dids=61613716:61613716&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT "America's Designs on Europe Top quality U.S. architectural firms, feeling the pinch at home, are finding work in Europe-and are snapping up some of the most sought-after projects."] , "Los Angeles Times", August 25, 1992. Accessed September 19, 2008. "When the Canal Plus building was under construction, Meier said he had 17 American staffers on the ground supervising the work. But the lopsided European proportion of his recent workload has concerned the silver-haired, Newark, N.J.-born architect."] He earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University in 1957, worked for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill briefly in 1959, and then for Marcel Breuer for three years, prior to starting his own practice in New York in 1963. Identified as one of The New York Five in 1972, his commission of the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California catapulted his popularity among the mainstream.

Much of Meier's work builds on the work of architects of the early to mid-20th century, especially that of Le Corbusier and, in particular, Le Corbusier's early phase. Meier has built more using Corbusier's ideas than anyone, including Le Corbusier himselfFact|date=April 2007. Meier expanded many ideas evident in Le Corbusier's work, particularly the Villa Savoye and the Swiss Pavilion.

His work also reflects the influences of other designers such as Mies Van der Rohe and, in some instances, Frank Lloyd Wright and Luis Barragán (without the colour)Fact|date=April 2007. White has been used in many architectural landmark buildings throughout history, including cathedrals and the white-washed villages of the Mediterranean region, in Spain, southern Italy and Greece.

In 1984, Meier was awarded the Pritzker Prize, [ [http://www.pritzkerprize.com/meier.htm Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate] ] and in 2008, he won the gold medal in architecture from the Academy of Arts and Letters. [ [http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/27377/academy-of-arts-and-letters-announces-award-winners/ "Academy of Arts and Letters Announces Award Winners"] , "Artinfo", April 17, 2008. accessdate=2008-05-19]

The Mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno included in his campaign platform a promise to tear down the big travertine wall of Meier's Ara Pacis.Fact|date=June 2008

Works

* Smith House, Darien, Connecticut, 1965-1967
* Douglas House, Harbor Springs, Michigan, 1973
* Bronx Developmental Center, The Bronx, New York, 1976
* The Atheneum, New Harmony, Indiana, 1979
* High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, 1983
* Modern Art Wing Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa, 1984
* Daimler-Benz Forschungszentrum, today: Daimler Forschungszentrum, Ulm, Germany, 1992
* Stadthaus, Ulm, Germany, 1994
* City Hall and Central Library, The Hague, The Netherlands, 1995
* Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, Barcelona, Spain, 1995
* Edinburgh Park masterplan, 1995
* Museum of Television & Radio, Beverly Hills, California, 1996
* Rachofsky House, Dallas, Texas, 1996
* Getty Center, Los Angeles, California, 1997
* Camden Medical Centre, Singapore, 1998
* Sandra Day O'Connor United States Courthouse, Phoenix, Arizona, 2000
* Jubilee Church, Rome, Italy 2003
* University of Scranton, Connolly Hall, 2007
* Frieder Burda Museum, Baden Baden, Germany, 2004
* Life Sciences Technology Building, Ithaca, New York, scheduled completion 2007
* San Jose City Hall, San Jose, California, 2004-2007
* ECM City Tower, Prague, Czech republic, 2004-2007
* Ara Pacis Museum, Rome, Italy, 2006, which has been scheduled to be dismantledhttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3854713.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093
* One Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY, 2003-2008
* Meier Tower, Tel Aviv, Israel (2008-present)

References

External links

* [http://www.richardmeier.com/ Richard Meier official website]
* [http://www.bad-bad.de/burda-museum/ Baden-Baden website]
* [http://www.sammlung-frieder-burda.de/index_e.html Burda Museum website]
* [http://www.rachofskyhouse.org/info.html Rachofsky House website]
* [http://www.waltlockley.com/oconnor/oconnor.htm An appreciation of the O'Connor Courthouse with photographs]
* [http://www.citymayors.com/cityhalls/the_hague_cityhall.html An appreciation of the Hague City Hall]
* [http://www.architectuallysignificanthomes.com/Architecture/Architects/Practicing_Architects/practicing_richard_meier.asp Architect Richard Meier Designed Modern Home in Dallas, Texas]