AR.

RICHARD
AR. MEIRER
RICHARD MEIRER
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE
BY:
KHATEEB MOHAMMED MUSTAFA RAZA
16271AA013

BY:
KHATEEB MOHAMMED MUSTAFA RAZA
16271AA013
 BIOGRAPHY
• RICHARD ALAN MEIER IS AN AMERICAN ARCHITECT WHOSE WORK OF ARCHITECTURE IS
NOTED FOR ITS GEOMETRIC PATTERNS, RICH SPATIAL EXPOSURES WITH EMPHASIS ON
LIGHT AND A DOMINANCE OF THE USE OF WHITE COLOUR THAT GIVES THE STRUCTURES A
PRISTINE LOOK.
• HE WAS BORN ON OCTOBER 12, 1934 IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.
• HE WAS RAISED IN NEARBY SUBURBAN TOWNSHIP OF MAPLEWOOD WHERE HE STUDIED
AT THE ‘COLUMBIA HIGH SCHOOL’.
• IN 1957 HE COMPLETED HIS ‘BACHELOR IN ARCHITECTURE’ FROM ‘CORNELL UNIVERSITY’
IN ITHACA, NEW YORK AND THEREAFTER TOURED MANY COUNTRIES INCLUDING
GERMANY, ITALY, FRANCE, GREECE, DENMARK AND ISRAEL IN PURSUIT OF DEVELOPING
NETWORK WITH FELLOW ARCHITECTS.
 CAREER
• IN 1959, WHILE TOURING EUROPE, HE TRIED TO GET A JOB IN THE OFFICE OF HIS EARLY
INSPIRATION LE CORBUSIER, THE RENOWNED SWISS-FRENCH ARCHITECT, AND ALSO MET CORBUSIER
IN PARIS, BUT SINCE CORBUSIER WOULD NOT HIRE ANY AMERICAN, HE WAS REJECTED.
• HE RETURNED TO NEW YORK AND JOINED SKIDMORE, OWINGS AND MERRILL IN 1959, WHERE HE
WORKED FOR A WHILE. THEREAFTER HE WORKED FOR THREE YEARS WITH MARCEL BREUER, A
‘BAUHAUS’ EDUCATED MODERNIST ARCHITECT WHO WAS A PROTÉGÉ AND EX-PARTNER OF WALTER
GROPIUS.
• WHILE HE WORKED AS AN ARCHITECT DURING THE DAY TIME, AT NIGHT HE USED TO DELVE INTO
ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST PAINTINGS. HE ALSO SHARED A STUDIO WITH PAINTER FRANK STELLA,
ONE OF HIS CLOSE FRIENDS. HOWEVER LATER HE HAD TO DEDICATE MORE TIME TO ARCHITECTURE
AND COULD OCCASIONALLY WORK ON COLLAGES.
• IN 1963, HE SET UP HIS OWN OFFICE IN NEW YORK. ‘RICHARD MEIER & PARTNERS’ IS A RENOWNED
BRAND TODAY IN THE FIELD OF ARCHITECTURE AND HAS SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTED SEVERAL
COMMISSIONS FROM BOTH PRIVATE AS WELL AS PUBLIC SECTORS FOR OVER FIVE DECADES
 WORKS

• THE GETTY CENTER, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (1984 – 1997)

• BARCELONA MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, BARCELONA, SPAIN (1987 – 1995)

• SAN JOSE CITY HALL, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, (1998 – 2005)

• CITTADELLA BRIDGE, ALESSANDRIA, ITALY, (1996 – 2017)

• VITRVM, BOGOTA, COLOMBIA, (2013 – 2018)

THE GETTY CENTER
• COINED, “THE COMMISSION OF THE CENTURY”
, THIS $1 BILLION ARTS FACILITY BEGAN IN
1984 WITH THE MANDATE TO ADVANCE
KNOWLEDGE AND NURTURE CRITICAL SEEING
THROUGH THE GROWTH AND PRESENTATION
OF ITS COLLECTIONS AND BY ADVANCING THE
UNDERSTANDING AND PRESERVATION OF THE
WORLD'S ARTISTIC HERITAGE.
• TODAY THE MUSEUM’S PERMANENT
COLLECTION CONTAINS GREEK AND ROMAN
ANTIQUITIES, 18TH-CENTURY FRENCH
FURNITURE AND EUROPEAN PAINTINGS,
AND IS VISITED BY MORE THAN 1.8 MILLION
PEOPLE A YEAR.
• THE GETTY CENTER OCCUPIES A UNIQUE,
HILLY SITE JUTTING SOUTHWARD FROM THE
SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS IN CALIFORNIA.
• THE CENTER COVERS ALMOST 100,000 SQUARE FEET OF AREA, AND IS ORGANIZED ALONG
TWO RIDGES IN THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE 110-ACRE PARCEL.
• THROUGHOUT THE MUSEUM THERE IS A LAYERING IN SECTION BETWEEN PAINTINGS,
ILLUMINATED BY SKYLIGHTS ON THE TOP FLOOR AND ARTWORKS WHICH MUST BE SHIELDED
FROM ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT ON THE LOWER LEVELS.
• THE SMALLER PAVILION BUILDINGS, CONNECTED BY GARDENS, BREAK DOWN THE SCALE OF
THE MUSEUM EXPERIENCE ALLOWING FOR PAUSES AND ENCOURAGING INTERPLAY BETWEEN
THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR.
• EACH PAVILION CLUSTER HAS ITS OWN ATRIUM WITH AN ADJACENT STAIRWAY AND
ELEVATOR LINKING THE SCULPTURE DRAWING, MANUSCRIPT, AND PHOTOGRAPHY
GALLERIES ON THE FIRST FLOOR TO THE PAINTINGS AND GALLERIES ABOVE.
• A 450-SEAT AUDITORIUM, WEST OF THE GETTY TRUST OFFICES AND THE ART HISTORY
INFORMATION PROGRAM, TERMINATE THE EAST ELEVATION. THE GETTY CONSERVATION
INSTITUTION, THE GETTY CENTER FOR EDUCATION, AND THE GETTY GRANT PROGRAM TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THE CLIMATE THROUGH THE USE OF LOGGIAS, PERGOLAS AND FULL-HEIGHT
GLAZING AT THE EXTERNAL PERIMETER. ALONG THE MORE SECLUDED WESTERN RIDGE, THE
GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE HISTORY OF ART AND THE HUMANITIES COMPLETES
THE COMPLEX.
BARCELONA MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

• CONTEXTUALLY RESPONSIVE IN ITS SCALE AND

ORIENTATION, THIS MUSEUM PLAYS A KEY
ROLE IN RESTRUCTURING THE GOTHIC DISTRICT
OF BARCELONA. TOGETHER WITH THE CASA DE
LA CARITAT CULTURAL CENTER AND A NEW
UNIVERSITY BUILDING TO THE NORTH OF ITS
SCULPTURE COURT, THE MUSEUM HELPS TO
CONSOLIDATE THIS NEW ARTS QUARTER
WITHIN THE BROADER URBAN FABRIC.
• ENTRY TO THE GALLERY SPACE IS THROUGH A
CYLINDRICAL, TOP-LIT GALLERY/FOYER
LEADING TO A GLAZED, TRIPLE-HEIGHT RAMP-
HALL THAT FACES THE NEW PLAÇA DELS
ÀNGELS TO THE SOUTH.
• THIS HALL, TOGETHER WITH AN INTERMEDIATE
CORRIDOR PAVED IN GLASS BLOCK, ENABLES
THE VISITOR TO ACCESS SIX CONTINUOUS
LOFT-LIKE SPACES ON SUCCESSIVE LEVELS
• CONTEXTUALLY RESPONSIVE IN ITS SCALE AND
ORIENTATION, THIS MUSEUM PLAYS A KEY
ROLE IN RESTRUCTURING THE GOTHIC DISTRICT
OF BARCELONA. TOGETHER WITH THE CASA DE
LA CARITAT CULTURAL CENTER AND A NEW
UNIVERSITY BUILDING TO THE NORTH OF ITS
SCULPTURE COURT, THE MUSEUM HELPS TO
CONSOLIDATE THIS NEW ARTS QUARTER
WITHIN THE BROADER URBAN FABRIC.
• ENTRY TO THE GALLERY SPACE IS THROUGH A
CYLINDRICAL, TOP-LIT GALLERY/FOYER
LEADING TO A GLAZED, TRIPLE-HEIGHT RAMP-
HALL THAT FACES THE NEW PLAÇA DELS ÀNGELS
TO THE SOUTH.
• THIS HALL, TOGETHER WITH AN INTERMEDIATE
CORRIDOR PAVED IN GLASS BLOCK, ENABLES
THE VISITOR TO ACCESS SIX CONTINUOUS LOFT-
LIKE SPACES ON SUCCESSIVE LEVELS
• A SEMIDETACHED WING AT THE EASTERN END OF THE BLOCK ACCOMMODATES ADDITIONAL
GALLERY SPACE AND THE SUITE OF CURATORIAL OFFICES
• THE MAIN GALLERIES ARE PARTIALLY LIT FROM ABOVE, PARTICULARLY AT THE TOP OF THE
BUILDING WHERE THE LOFT SPACE IS COVERED WITH LOUVERED SKYLIGHTS. SOME OF THE
LIGHT FROM THIS SOURCE FILTERS DOWN VIA GLASS BLOCK FLOORS AND OPEN SLOTS TO
ILLUMINATE THE LOWER LEVELS. WHERE NATURAL LIGHT ENTERS FROM THE SOUTH, IT IS
SCREENED IN PART BY THE EXTERNAL LOUVERS, BY A NUMBER OF FREESTANDING SCREEN
WALLS, AND BY THE RAMP.
• CLAD IN WHITE ENAMELED-STEEL PANELS, THE PLAZA ELEVATION IS ANIMATED BY THE
HORIZONTAL LOUVERS OF THE RAMP-HALL AND BY TWO PLASTER SCULPTURAL ELEMENTS,
A CUT OUT PLANE ABOVE THE ENTRANCE AND A FREE-FORM, TOP-LIT SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS
GALLERY SET IN ADVANCE OF THE BUILDING AT THE EASTERN END OF THE MAIN FACADE.
SAN JOSE CITY HALL
• THE SAN JOSE CITY HALL IS THE CENTERPIECE
OF A SEVEN-BLOCK REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
OF NEW AND EXISTING BUILDINGS UNIFIED
THROUGH STREETS, WALKWAYS, PLAZAS,
COURTYARDS, AND FOUNTAINS.
• BUILDINGS IN THE SURROUNDING DISTRICT
WILL INCLUDE A NEW PERFORMANCE HALL,
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, REBUILT CHURCH, A
JOINT LIBRARY SHARED BY THE CITY AND
UNIVERSITY, AND TWO PUBLIC PARKING
GARAGES.
• THE PROJECT COMPRISES AN EIGHTEEN-STORY
OFFICE BUILDING TO HOUSE THE CITY
DEPARTMENTS, THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS,
A MAJOR CIVIC ROTUNDA, AN EXTERIOR
PLAZA, AND BELOW-GRADE PARKING
• THE FOCAL POINT OF THE SWEEPING PUBLIC PLAZA IS A
TRANSPARENT DOMED ENTRY SERVING AS A VISIBLE SYMBOL
OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS THE MAIN POINT OF
ENTRY.
• THE GLASS ROTUNDA, WHILE OF A MORE CONTEMPORARY
FORM AND MATERIALS, IS REMINISCENT OF TRADITIONAL
DOMES OF IMPORTANT PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND CAN
ACCOMMODATE LARGE PUBLIC EVENTS SUCH AS LECTURES,
CONCERTS, AND EXHIBITIONS.
• THE CURVED WALL DEFINING THE MAIN PLAZA, TOGETHER
WITH THE ROTUNDA SPACE, ACTS TO UNIFY ALL COMPONENTS
OF THE FACILITY.
• THE ROTUNDA IS COMPLEMENTED ON THE EAST SIDE BY THE
OFFICE TOWER, WHICH HOUSES CITY DEPARTMENTS AND THE
PLAZA-LEVEL PERMIT CENTER, AND ON THE WEST SIDE BY THE
THREE-STORY COUNCIL WING.
• A GRAND STAIRCASE IN THE ROTUNDA LEADS TO THE
PROMINENTLY LOCATED CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, WHICH
ARE ALSO ACCESSIBLE ALONG A WALKWAY OF EXTERIOR
STEPS THAT FOLLOWS THE PLAN OF THE PLAZA WALL.
CITTADELLA BRIDGE
• REPEATED FLOODING ALONG THE RIVER TANARO
CONFIRMED THE NEED TO REPLACE THE ORIGINAL
CITTADELLA BRIDGE DATING FROM THE
NAPOLEONIC ERA.
• DURING THE FLOODS OF 1994, THE WATER LEVEL
ROSE TO COVER THE ROADWAY, AND THE PIERS OF
THE BRIDGE TRAPPED MUCH OF THE DEBRIS IN THE
RIVER, EFFECTIVELY ACTING AS A DAM.
• THE NEW DESIGN, A SINGLE SPAN RAISED ABOVE
THE FLOOD PLAIN, NOT ONLY ELIMINATES THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH OBSTRUCTION RECURRING
BUT ALSO ENHANCES THE NATURAL FLOW OF THE
RIVER.
• SINCE TRAFFIC ON THE OLD BRIDGE MADE IT
UNSAFE FOR PEDESTRIANS, THE NEW BRIDGE
PROVIDES SEPARATE BUT STRUCTURALLY
CONNECTED SPANS FOR PEDESTRIAN AND
VEHICULAR CIRCULATION.
• THE 70-FOOT HIGH BOWSTRING ARCH CARRYING BOTH
SPANS IS CURVED TO THE SOUTH IN ORDER TO
COUNTERBALANCE THE INFLECTION OF THE VEHICULAR
ROADBED BOWING OUT TOWARDS THE NORTH.
• THE WEIGHT OF THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE ON THE
OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ARCH HELPS TO MAINTAIN THE
STATICAL BALANCE OF THE OVERALL STRUCTURE.
• THE NEW BRIDGE DESIGN IS INTEGRATED WITH THE
PROPOSED RECONFIGURATION OF THE ADJACENT PIAZZA
GOBETTI.
• THIS REFORMULATION ENVISAGES AN EXTENSION OF THE
PARK LAND BENEATH THE BRIDGE AND ALONG THE
EMBANKMENT.
• THE 70-FOOT TOWER INTRODUCED AS A FOCAL POINT ON
THE PIAZZA GOBETTI WILL NOT ONLY PROVIDE A VIEW
OF THE BRIDGE FROM ABOVE BUT IS ALSO A VANTAGE
POINT FROM WHICH TO SURVEY THE CONNECTION FROM
THE CITY CENTER THROUGH THE PIAZZA GOBETTI AND
ACROSS THE BRIDGE TO THE CITTADELLA ITSELF.
VITRVM
• WITH IMPRESSIVE VIEWS TOWARDS THE CITY AND
IN DIRECT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SECLUDED
SEMINARIO MAYOR, ONE OF THE LARGEST AND
MOST IMPORTANT SEMINARIES IN COLOMBIA, THIS
13 STORY RESIDENTIAL PROJECT CONSISTS OF TWO
TOWERS WITH A TOTAL OF 36 APARTMENTS.
• THE PROJECT IS LOCATED ON A PROMINENT SITE
ALONG SEPTIMA AVENUE IN THE NORTH SECTION OF
BOGOTA, AND IT IS SURROUNDED BY THE
MOUNTAINS AND THE MAJESTIC GARDENS OF THE
ADJACENT CHICO PARK.
• A RAVINE AND WATER GORGE DELIMITS THE
PROPERTY TO THE NORTH AND SERVES AS A BUFFER
AND SEPARATION TO THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTY
DELINEATING THE UNIQUE ANGULAR SHAPE OF THE
SITE.
• VITRVM IS CONTEXTUALLY INSPIRED BY THE BEAUTY
OF ITS IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS AND IT AIMS TO
REFLECT AND TO ENGAGE WITH THE NATURE THAT
CONVERGES AT THE SITE.
• THE MASSING OF BOTH TOWERS RESPONDS TO THE INTERNAL PROGRAM, THE
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT, THE VIEWS TO THE EXTERIOR AND THE
PRIVACY REQUIRED FOR EACH UNIT.
• WITH TWO APARTMENTS PER FLOOR ON TOWER 1, THE FLOOR PLATE IS BISECTED
THROUGH THE MIDDLE TO GENERATE TWO DISTINCT AND LARGE UNITS WITH FOUR
BEDROOMS.
• BOTH UNITS ENJOY AMPLE MORNING AND AFTERNOON NATURAL DAYLIGHT, HAVE
DIRECT ACCESS TO PRIVATE ELEVATORS AND SHARE A SERVICE CORE.
• IN CONTRAST TO TOWER 1, TOWER 2 HAS ONLY ONE APARTMENT PER FLOOR
COMPRISED OF THREE BEDROOMS AND A STUDIO.
• THE FLOOR PLATE IS ORGANIZED IN A LINEAR CONFIGURATION WITH THE LIVING
AREAS AND STUDIO LOCATED TOWARDS THE NORTH WITH FULL EXPOSURE TO THE
LANDSCAPE THAT SURROUNDS THE SEMINARY AND THE DISTANT MOUNTAINS TO THE
EAST.
• THE LOBBY WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE SECOND FLOOR
AND PRECEDED BY A GENEROUS PORTE-COCHÈRE IS
SHARED BY THE TWO TOWERS.
• ON THE FIRST FLOOR, THERE ARE A SERIES OF
AMENITIES INCLUDING A MULTIPURPOSE ROOM, AN
INDOOR SWIMMING POOL, A GYMNASIUM AND A
CHILDREN’S PLAYROOM.
• THE INTERIORS OF VITRVM WILL BE COMPLEMENTARY TO
THE ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT INCORPORATING A
PALETTE OF RICH MATERIALS WITH SUBTLE TEXTURES
AND COLORS, SOLIDS AND VOIDS.
• NATURAL MATERIALS SUCH STONE AND WOOD AND
EARTH TONES OF SMOOTH AND TEXTURED SURFACES
WILL CONTRAST THE LIGHT COLOR PALETTE OF WHITES,
GRAYS AND GLASS, ALL HIGHLIGHTED BY BRIGHT ART
WORK AND MODERN FURNITURE.
 MORE
QUOTES:
• ROME HAS NOT SEEN A MODERN BUILDING IN MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY. IT IS A CITY
FROZEN IN TIME.
• AN IMPORTANT WORK OF ARCHITECTURE WILL CREATE POLEMICS.
• ANY WORK OF ARCHITECTURE THAT HAS WITH IT SOME DISCUSSION, SOME POLEMIC, I THINK IS
GOOD. IT SHOWS THAT PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED, PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED.
BOOKS:
• RICHARD MEIER
• RICHARD MEIER HOUSES
• BUILDING THE GETTY ETC.
AWARDS:
• PRITZKER ARCHITECTURE PRIZE,
• AIA GOLD MEDAL,
• ROYAL GOLD MEDAL,
• TWENTY FIVE YEAR AWARD.