Five decades ago, Carole Smith called Richard Meier and told him about a site in Darien, Connecticut that she had bought with her husband. This was a rocky piece of land with dense evergreens and coastal outcrops. A dramatic slope at the back of the plot gave way to the Long Island Sound and a small, sandy cove. Carole wanted to place her weekend home on this particular site and she wanted Richard Meier to do it. At that time, he was just 31.
The Smith House was built between 1965-1967 by Richard Meier & Partners Architects. Richard Meier recalls of the project that would later propel his career as an architect: “I was working out of one room of a two-room apartment shortly after leaving the office of Marcel Breuer. One day I had a call from Carole Smith asking if I would be interested in designing a weekend house for her...She was looking for a young architect who would give full attention to her house.”
In never-before-seen photos and an exclusive interview with the architect himself, we trace the building's history from the first phases of construction to now.
Richard Meier & Partners has revealed the design of 685 First Avenue, a new 42-story residential tower to be located just south of the United Nations Headquarters along the East River in Manhattan. The 460-foot-tall building, Meier’s tallest in New York City, will be primarily constructed of black glass and metal panels, marking a surprising departure away from Meier’s signature all-white aesthetic.
Richard Meier & Partners has released images of their competition-winning design for a new 34,750 square meter (374,045 square foot) mixed-use building in Hamburg, Germany that will combine luxury condominiums, rental apartments and the new headquarters for German real estate company Engel & Völkers.
The firm was selected as the winners of an international competition for the design in 2013, beating out proposals from Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects.
Richard Meier, Reynolds Logan, Stefan Scheiber-Loeis
Project Architect
Richard Liu
Project Team
Thibaut DeGryse, Aurora Farewell, Hank Jarzabkowski, Katie Kasabalis, Jeremy Keagy, Aung Kyaw, Peter Liao, Ian Lotto, Hans Put, Hee-Joo Shi, Steven Sze
Owner
Continental Development Corporation
Associate Architect
C.T. Chen & Partners
Area
25931.0 m2
Project Year
2017
Photographs
Vize.com; Courtesy Richard Meier & Partners Architects, Courtesy of Richard Meier & Partners Architects
Richard Meier & Partners has unveiled plans for a 127-meter-tall tower in Taipei. Already under construction, the CDC “55 Timeless” Xin-Yi residential skyscraper will be comprised of two volumes: a solid north tower and transparent south tower.
"The solid north volume contains the core of the residential units that flows towards the transparent south volume, which is a natural light-filled space where living, social and the more public programs are located," says the practice. "A carefully crafted geometric organization allows viewing corridors towards the mountains in the far distance."
Richard Meier & Partners has revealed their first ever building in Taiwan, a 163-meter apartment building close to the center of Taichung. Offering 110 apartments with views over Taichung City Hall, the Opera House, and the Convention Center, the tower is composed of two towers connected by a central circulation core. The north tower is the taller section, with a geometric appearance that responds to the more built-up area to the north of the building. The south tower, which faces an area of smaller-scale residential buildings, features an expressive facade of translucent glass.
One of the earliest built works of Richard Meier, The Saltzman House, completed in 1969, is one of several Meier-designed residences that exhibits his signature style: absolute whiteness, geometric composition, and the prominence of light. With a heavy early-Modernist influence, the Saltzman House captures the purity of form and space seen in the projects of Le Corbusier.
North View. Image Courtesy of Richard Meier & Partners
Richard Meier & Partners has unveiled designs for their first project in Bogota: Vitrvm. Conceptualized as two towers united at the base, the new 13-story residential development will provide 36 apartments along Septima Avenue in the north section of the city.
“The project is contextually inspired by the beauty of its immediate surroundings,” described the architects. “It aims to reflect and to engage the beautiful gardens and large trees at the Chico Park and the Seminario Mayor,” one of the largest and most important seminaries in Colombia.
Richard Meierwill be adding his mark to Greater Miami with the completion of a Four Season’s expansion to the historic Russell Pancoast-designed “Surf Club” in 2016, located in Surfside. Already under construction, the luxury hospitality and residential project will include two, 12-story residential towers, offering 150 private units, alongside an 80-room hotel on 9-acres of pristine oceanfront property. A members-only club, restaurants, spa and other amenities will be included on site, connected to each other via an expansive park and oceanside gardens.
Reforma Towers. Image Courtesy of Richard Meier & Partners
Richard Meier & Partners has unveiled the “Reforma Towers,” a 40-story, mixed use development planned for Mexico City’s historic Paseo de la Reforma. Comprised of two high-rise towers, clad in Meier’s signature white concrete, the new development will bring high end office, hotel, and retail space, as well as restaurants and a fitness center to the city’s distinguished Boulevard upon completion in 2015.
