CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE

09AT5DCCOA

CONTENT COMPILED BY
AR. SAHANA. S
(ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, B.M.S.C.A.)
RICHARD MEIER - LIFE AND WORKS

•Richard Meier is an American architect known for his rationalist designs and the use of the color white.
On the use of white in his buildings:
"The whiteness enables one to see the architectural ideas, openness v/s closure, linear v/s plane elements, solid v/s void,
public v/s private. "
•Thought process of Richard Meier:
Much of Meier's work builds on the work of architects of the early to mid-20th C, especially that of Le Corbusier. Meier
expanded many ideas evident in Le Corbusier's work, particularly the Villa Savoye and the Swiss Pavilion.
•Richard Meier has maintained a specific and unalterable attitude toward the design of buildings.
•Richard Meier usually designs white Neo-Corbusian forms with enameled panels and glass. These structures usually play with
the linear relationships of ramps and handrails. He manages to generate endless variations on his singular theme.
•The three of the most significant concepts of Richard Meier 's work are Light, Color and Place.
•His architecture expresses how plain geometry, layered definition of spaces and effects of light and shade, allowed him to
create clear and comprehensible spaces.
RICHARD MEIER - SMITH HOUSE, CONNECTICUT - 1965 - 67

•Richard Meier is an American architect known for his rationalist designs and the use of the color white.
•Set on the rocky coast of Long Island Sound in Darien, Connecticut, Richard Meier ’ s Smith House is a transparent geometry.
•The site is 1 1/2 acres and drops from a plateau on the north side that contains several evergreen trees to the rocky shoreline
of Long Island Sound on the south.
•The house is located on an axis with the entry drive, and lies slightly below the crest of the sloping hill. This allows a
sequence of approach, entrance, and views. As one enters the site, they see views of the house beyond, but they are also able
to see the surrounding landscape.
•The main principle of the house’s design is the opposition between public and private spaces. This opposition plays
itself out in spatial organization, both vertical and horizontal.

Private/closed

Public/open

First floor Second floor Third floor Site plan

RICHARD MEIER - SMITH HOUSE, CONNECTICUT - 1965 - 67

•The steep front elevation, a closed white plane interrupted only intermittently by windows, acts as an
opaque screen to private interior spaces such as bedrooms and bathrooms, which, on all three levels, lie just
beyond.
•The transition through the entryway to the southern, public side is sudden: the brilliant blue sound leaps into
view, invited by the fully glazed rear elevation. Meier uses glass generously on this side of the house to open
the corresponding public spaces above and below the main floor to the spectacular setting.
•The Smith House keeps to a traditionally American structural system. A wooden bearing-wall and framing
system supports the private half of the house, while the glazed public areas rely upon a steel columnar
structure. Only the fire-place is in brick
RICHARD MEIER - SMITH HOUSE, CONNECTICUT - 1965 - 67
RICHARD MEIER - SMITH HOUSE, CONNECTICUT - 1965 - 67
RICHARD MEIER - GETTY CENTER, BRENTWOOD, LOS ANGELES - 1984 - 97

•Location: Just off the San Diego Freeway in the Santa Monica Mountains, overlooking Los Angeles, California and the Pacific
Ocean.
It is also called a modern "Acropolis" since it is located on a 110-acre hilltop.
•Design Highlights: The Getty Center is organized around a central arrival plaza. Meier used curvilinear design elements. The
Museum Entrance Hall and the canopy over the Harold M. Williams Auditorium are circular.
•Planning:
Getty Center portrays three key points that characterize good architecture:
• Interaction
• Consistency
• Unity
•The structure is clear and comprehensible; it is complex in plan and overly rich in texture. The play of volumes and
proportions, manifested in the cascade of terraces and balconies, flow of ramps, galleries, arcades and staircases, weave the
interplay of nature and architecture.
The Getty Center, sometimes referred to as a campus, is comprised of six buildings:
The Auditorium, North and East Buildings at the north and east sides, the Museum, Cafe and Research Institute on the south
and western sides of the site.
RICHARD MEIER - GETTY CENTER, BRENTWOOD, LOS ANGELES - 1984 - 97
RICHARD MEIER - GETTY CENTER, BRENTWOOD, LOS ANGELES - 1984 - 97
RICHARD MEIER - GETTY CENTER, BRENTWOOD, LOS ANGELES - 1984 - 97

•Meier has exploited the two naturally occurring ridges (which diverge at a 22.5 degree angle) by overlaying two grids along
these axes. These grids serve to define the space of the campus while dividing the import of the buildings on it.
•Along one axis lie the galleries and along the other axis lie the administrative buildings. The primary grid structure is a 30-
inch square; most wall and floor elements are 30-inch squares or some derivative thereof.
•The north promontory is anchored by a circular grass area which serves as a heliport in case of emergencies, and the south
promontory is anchored by a succulent plant and cactus garden.
•Throughout the campus, numerous fountains provide white noise as a background.
•The five galleries, called pavilions are North, East, South, West and the Changing Exhibit pavilion. The artwork is displayed
throughout the pavilions chronologically: the North houses the oldest art while the West houses the newest.

Because of height restrictions, much of the Getty Center is underground and the six buildings are linked to each other at
basement levels.
•The museum has a seven-story deep underground parking garage with over 1,200 parking spaces. An automated, driver-less,
three-car tram takes passengers to and from the museum (The tram is essentially a horizontal elevator, which is electric,
noiseless, and pollution-free). This serves to decompress the visitor and create an entirely pedestrian experience for the
museum-goers.
RICHARD MEIER - GETTY CENTER, BRENTWOOD, LOS ANGELES - 1984 - 97
RICHARD MEIER - GETTY CENTER, BRENTWOOD, LOS ANGELES - 1984 - 97

The Getty Center was the first building to be LEED

certified after the standard was established by the U.S.
Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1998. It is a reflection
of Richard Meier & Partners design philosophy that
innately considers sustainable elements like natural light,
circulation and energy saving technologies and materials.

Computer-controlled skylights on the second floor

galleries allow paintings to be displayed in natural
light. The second floors are connected by a series of
glass enclosed bridges and open terraces, both of
which offer views of the surrounding hillsides and
central plaza.
RICHARD MEIER - GETTY CENTER, BRENTWOOD, LOS ANGELES - 1984 - 97

MUSEUM and MUSEUM COURTYARD

The Museum Courtyard, a long axis of space which seems enclosed, has a canal water basin
leading to a circular fountain at the opposite end. The Courtyard is planned between five
pavilions: North, East, South & West Exhibitions. Art is arranged chronologically beginning at
the North Pavilion and finishing with the West.
EAST BUILDING
The East Building (at a right angle to the Auditorium and North Building) houses the
Conservation Institute, the Education Institute for the Arts, and the Grant Program.
NORTH BUILDING
The North Building, next to the Auditorium , houses the Getty Trust and Information
Institute.
RESTAURANT
The three-story restaurant and cafe seats 650 diners. It is to the west of the grand staircase .
RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The Research Institute is characterized by open spaces and light-filled study areas.
Materials Used:
• 1.2 million square feet, 16,000 tons, of beige-colored travertine stone from Italy. The
stone was split along its natural grain, revealing the texture of fossilized leaves, feathers,
and branches.
• 40,000 off-white, enamel-clad aluminum panels.
• Expansive sheets of glass.