Process and Vision

The “Richard Meier: Process and Vision” exhibition is part of the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial and presents the architect and artist’s work in numerous drawings, pictures, models and collages.     

In keeping with the Biennial theme “The State of the Art of Architecture”, Meier’s architectural projects and part of his collage collection are exhibited on the fifth floor of MANA Contemporary. His creative process has always spanned several art fields as well as that of architecture and this passion for art is translated into drawings, sculptures, paintings and collages. His collage work has developed hand in hand with his architectural production and began on his trips to Europe, while still a student. Meier says that his first collage works were produced on long journeys, using bits of paper picked up in the cities he visited and glue. His approach to collage is, to some degree, similar to the process of architectural composition as regards the choice and combination of different materials and colours, exploring the spatial rapport between the different parts. On initial impact, the wealth of colours, materials and textures brought together seem almost a contradiction to an architectural language distinguished by monochrome, purity and simplicity. But, on looking beyond this seeming sense of casual discord, you perceive an ideal order, the result of a creative synthesis.

The second room contains hand drawings of four of the architect’s iconic designs, flanked by another four of his most recent works. Just two illustrations per project manage to convey the spirit of his architectural composition and the models displayed complete the spatial description. The works in the exhibition were constructed in the United  States, Latin America and the Middle East, proof that the language of Richard Meier & Partners, renowned for its monochrome, simple and pure surfaces and details, is able to rise to the challenge of working in different contexts. The proposed design solutions respond dynamically and effectively to the social, environmental, technological and economic diversities found in each place and guarantee the best quality of life on the inside, exalting the beauty of the natural light via skilful control of the transparent surfaces.

So, the Reforma Towers, rising along one of Mexico City’s major thoroughfares, offer the public space of a square raised above street level and linking the two towers to create an area connected to the local social life. The sense of openness and dialogue with the city is reiterated by a strategic void passing through the principal tower in the system and organizing its internal spaces. As well as ensuring constant natural ventilation, this design choice allows the light to reach and enliven every space; it also celebrates the longstanding tradition of courtyard buildings in the city, where the spatial organisation revolves around a central void.

The Rothschild Tower, named after the Tel Aviv boulevard it is built on, stands in the heart of the city and faces comparison with the  modern 1930s’ architecture in the International Style in its surrounding district, also known as the White City. The ground-floor space is made permeable by large transparent windows, inviting people into the lobby and retail spaces, and creating a connection with the lively social life that characterises the boulevard. As you ascend to the upper floors, the design guarantees the constant presence of natural light on every storey and frames the sea views. Pictures of the Teachers Village, by contrast, reveal the connection between the design project and the urban fabric of the city of Newark, New Jersey. The eight new buildings, all rising to no more than four storeys, were designed to create a system that responds to living needs while, at the same time,  allowing the residents to relate to the new services and cultural infrastructures scheduled for the future. It is a sustainable design that ensures the development of the flourishing Newark community. Finally, the last two pictures illustrate the project for the legendary Surf Club overlooking the Atlantic ocean in Surfside, Florida. The design incorporates the building’s old structure and the key challenge was that of finding a balanced rapport between the courtyard type of this existing construction and the three new vertical buildings.

The story behind the designs was further explored and presented by the architect Bernhard Karpf, who became an Associate Partner several years ago. He held an exemplary lesson on the practice’s compositional-architectural process at the opening. His words provided clear keys for an understanding of the design choices made for each project; choices that have led, over the years, to the development of a formal and spatial language that was initially applied to the small scale of the house before then being translated into increasingly larger designs. This process and the passage from the domestic to the urban scale were illustrated via selected pictures of many of their works. It all began and ended with the presentation of the unusual project of the Douglas House, as if to underscore the consistency of a language pursued over many years of intense architectural activity, one that, despite addressing very different situations, has always managed to guarantee the quality, originality and elegance that underpins designs by the architect Richard Meier.

© all rights reserved

until 30 January 2016
Richard Meier: Process and Vision
Mana Contemporary Chicago