A master of geometric patterns in black and white, Richard Meier is a quintessential abstract artist and architect. He is a Pritzker prize laureate who, in 1963 went on to be the founder of Richard Meier & Partners. In the field for more than five decades, Richard Meier & Partners has completed over 130 projects across the globe. The high-end works have been honored with almost 300 design awards, one being the prestigious awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Here are the best-known works by this reputed firm:
1. Smith House
Location: Darien, Connecticut
Year: 1965 – 1967
Constructed over the Connecticut coast, on a one-and-a-half-acre site, the spatial organization of this house focuses on a functional separation between public and private areas. The façade appears as solid slabs held fast together with white mullions of glass shell covering.
2. The Getty Center
Location: Los Angeles, California
Year: 1984 – 1997
A 110 – acre hilly site on the south of the Santa Monica Mountains, The Getty center comprises Buildings along two ridges in the topography. The building consists of a humongous library, an auditorium, small pavilion buildings, a small exhibition space, and a workplace for staff.
3. United States Courthouse, Islip
Location: Islip, New York
Year: 1993 – 2000
A new style of a civic institution is this federal courthouse with dramatic views over the Atlantic Ocean. The landscape design comprehends the formal building with rectilinear planting of trees. This civic complex is intricately layered in two wings, one has judge’s rooms, courtrooms and the other has a 12-story atrium and public corridors.
4. Jubilee Church
Location: Rome, Italy
Year: 1996 – 2003
The Jubilee Church is an initiative to rejuvenate congregated life in Italy. Built on a triangular site, the entire built form is based on an array of squares and circles, each forming various parts of the nave. The interplay of the various patterns of light and shade defines the character of the inner volume of the church which consists of liturgical furniture and a waterbody to symbolize baptism.
5. Cittadella Bridge
Location: Alessandria, Italy
Year: 1996 – 2017
A 70-foot high bowstring arch carrying both spans of the bridge is curved to the south to counterbalance the vehicular roadbed as well as it enhances the natural flow of the river. The Design is integrated into the adjacent Piazza Gobetti.
6. Arp Museum
Location: Rolandseck, Germany
Year: 2002 – 2007
The Arp Museum showcases the work of the Dadaist master Hans Arp. One of the astounding features of this region is the series of medieval castles stretched over the banks of the river Rhine. The main gateway to this romantic architecture is at the lowest level of the old village’s railway station, further smoothly transcends into tunnels and modulated shafts and burrows through the mountain leading to the museum building.
7. Gagosian Gallery Expansion
Location: Beverly Hills, California
Year: 2008 – 2010
Molded out of an existing wood barrel vault roof, it is a retail gallery space. It utilizes skylights to balance daylight. It has a single 225 SF glass and aluminum door at the entrance that allows oversized artwork to be unloaded directly into the gallery and allows exhibit space to open to the active sidewalk.
8. Engel & Völkers Headquarters and Apartments
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Year: 2012 – 2019
The 16 story ensemble contains a multiplicity of different functional spaces such as apartments, training academy, and retail spaces. The courtyard type of construction, with an atrium as central circulation, enables a light-flooded interior, balancing transparency and natural light with panoramic views of the Elbe River, and the city port.
9. 685 First Avenue
Location: New York, New York
Year: 2015 – 2019
The 42-story, 460-foot high residential tower provides a panoramic view of the New York City riverfront. Minimalistic in form, the theme of ‘façade as skin,’ is fulfilled by a taut curtain wall with selective metal panels in the form of balconies, canopies, and corners.
10. JEI Commercial Building
Location: Gangnam, South Korea
Year: 2017 – 2023
The concept of “Urban Garden” is practically achieved in a dynamic city. Courtyards, terraces, provide tranquil spaces for the public. Although the building is visually modest in proportion to the surroundings, one can find dramatic spaces inside. The architectural features are integrated with well-planned landscape and lighting.
11. Torre Cuarzo on Reforma
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Year: 2012 – 2018
In collaboration with Diametro Arquitectos, it is a mixed-use complex project. It was an initiative to maintain the rich architectural legacy of the cultural and commercial center of Latin America, Mexico City.
12. The Surf Club
Location: Surfside, Florida
Year: 2012 – 2018
Expanding the existing Surf Club, is a 9-acre property on the Atlantic Ocean in Surfside, Florida, is a private membership club. The entire ensemble of the complex centers surrounding the historic Surf Club.
13. 1 Waterline Square
Location: New York, New York
Year: 2014 – 2019
Along the Hudson River Waterfront stands the sparkling crystalline composition of Waterline Square. A vibrant mix-use development designed as a subtle and graceful mass, its emphasis on the ambiance of the condensed spaces naturally by absorbing the color of the sky, storm, and sunset.
14. Montagnola Residence
Location: Lugano, Switzerland
Year: 2011 – 2018
The sun’s position, local context, and the southern exposure gave a form to this two rectangular solid mass, situated on a steep hillside in Montagnola, Switzerland on the verge of the Swiss Alps. The transparent loggia acts like a connection as well as the main entrance.
15. Mitikah Office Tower
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Year: 2011 – 2014
Mitikah Office Tower rises above a transparent and translucent building base. It further changes to a curtain wall façade made of fritted Low-E glass, maximizing the use of natural daylight throughout the office building while reducing the solar energy intake. It consists of commercial space, low-rise residential buildings.
