June 7, 2013
Who says contemporary architects only use CAD? Sometimes, when it comes to sketching plans, working out quandaries, or even just jotting down notes, nothing beats the old pen and paper. Which is why we’ve partnered with Moleskine to create a special gift for the Architizer A+ Awards. Each member of our illustrious jury will receive a custom-edition Moleskine sketchbook as a token of our thanks—and to scribble and draw and come up with their next amazing project. And we thought what better way to light up their imaginations than with a selection of sketches from Architizer Lifetime Achievement honoree Richard Meier? Click through to see drawings from 10 of the master builder’s famous projects. (And check out more architectural drawings that have become realities here.)
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May 17, 2013
It is New York City’s first ever design week, NYCxDesign. Fifty years ago, when Richard Meier established his architecture firm in New York it was a different world. Since opening his doors in 1963 Meier has become one of the most prolific and well-known architects practicing today.
He is simultaneously an architect’s architect—he is one of the celebrated New York Five—and known around the world for building iconic and accessible buildings.
Architizer is proud to announce Richard Meier is its 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award winner. Watch his inspirational acceptance video above!
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May 17, 2013
Image of A+ Award by Snarkitecture
Last night on the West Side of New York City we celebrated the first annual Architizer A+ Awards. Altogether 55 winners flew in from all over the world to be with us to celebrate architecture.
But this wasn’t your typical architecture award event. We skipped the typical conversations of architects speaking to architects and, instead, had a diverse crew of honorees and presenters get up on stage to fete the world’s finest buildings. We had developers giving awards to architects, we had architects giving awards to presidents… it was an architecture love-fest!
Last night we introduced six special achievement awards designed to remind a world that loves buildings that architecture belongs to everyone. Great architecture takes advocacy to be relevant, and it takes patrons with visions to create spectacular projects. That is why we are proud to announce the 2013 Architizer A+ Awards Relevance Award, Advocacy Award and Patron of the Year Award. We also announced the Do Good Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Building of the Year.
And our Special Award Winners are …
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May 16, 2013
Hitting the A+ Awards Red Carpet tonight are (clockwise from top left): MoMA’s Paola Antonelli, David van der Leer, Elizabeth Diller, and Yves Behar
Our first gala for the Architizer A+ Awards starts in … a matter of hours! And we’re putting the finishing touches to make sure we look all pretty and polished for our guests, who are, needless to say, pretty distinguished. So, who’s gonna be on the red carpet tonight (you know, besides the President of Georgia)? From architect giant Juergen Mayer H. to intrepid photographer Iwan Baan, here’s just a sampling of the many glamorous names attending our fete!
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May 10, 2013
Photo: Scott Frances/Esto
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and if you’re (un)lucky enough to have a child working as an architect, you may be in for a big surprise come Sunday. Along with designing an iconic chair, building a house for one’s mother is a longstanding architectural tradition. So in honor of this holiday, we’ve rounded up five of the most important of houses designed by famous architects for their parents, ranging from Le Corbusier to Richard Meier. Think of it as a long-overdue thank you for the years of emotional and financial support in the arduous process of becoming an architect!
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March 14, 2013
Yesterday, all eyes turned toward Rome for the election of the wold’s first Latin American pope. Indeed, many of the past week’s headlines have focused on the unexpected papal election and the myriad ancient rituals under way in the Eternal City—one thing is certain, no one does pomp and ceremony like the Roman Catholic Church. It’s no surprise that many of the greatest architects, artists, and designers of Western history have worked for the Church, contributing unmatched visual and spatial masterpieces for the world’s longest-surviving institution. But not all great architecture in Rome is religious in nature; Italy’s capital also boasts some fantastic secular design. We’ve gathered 12 projects we’d be visiting if we were Pope Francis! Click through for the slideshow!
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January 23, 2013
Project: Italcementi i.lab
Architect: Richard Meier and Partners
Location: Bergamo, Italy
Richard Meier and Partners’ new research and development center is a benchmark of sustainable design in Europe, and has attained one of the first LEED Platinum accreditations in Italy. Built for Italcementi, one of the top five manufacturers of cement in the world, this is Meier’s fourth project completed in Italy, and showcases the possibilities of concrete in perfect balance with the building’s technical purpose. The roof of the structure forms a virtual fifth façade perforated with a system of skylights directing natural light into the offices, circulation corridors, and laboratory spaces. Read more about this project in the Architizer database.
Photo © Scott Frances
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January 14, 2013
All images: Richard Meier & Partners Architects
When you think of Richard Meier, you think mostly of white-plastered walls and voluptuously modeled plastic forms, not prismatic towers of glass, right? Well, as it turns out, Meier is well-versed in the material. Case in point: the winning design for the Engel & Völkers Headquarters, a mixed-use complex rendered in all glass. The project, to be built in the Hafencity District of Hamburg by 2015, privileges “transparency” over plasticity, with large expanses of glass framing the experience of the spaces. It’s the interiors that hold the more sculptural elements we’ve come to expect from Meier and his team. Continue.
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November 13, 2012
Building: Bodrum Houses
Architect: Richard Meier & Partners Architects
Location: Bodrum Peninsula, Turkey
Why We Liked This:
The Bodrum Residence is just one of twenty-one houses that overlook the Yalikavak Bay of Turkey’s Bodrum Peninsula. The masterplan consists of 1-acre parcels strewn across the hilly topography which will allow for each home ample privacy and views. Five prototypes are being developed, each 330 square-meters with a separate guest house (40 square feet) in tow. The design of houses is in keeping with Meier’s career-long exploration of domestic space, with cubic massing that masterfully articulates a solid-void relationship. See more of this project in the Architizer database here.
You think you’ve got a better project? Submit it for an Architizer A+ Award!
All images: Richard Meier & Partners Architects
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October 15, 2012
Rarely as a blogger do I find something so personally exciting that it’s difficult to type without practically punching my keyboard. The upcoming dedication ceremony for the new Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, designed by world-renowned starchitect Zaha Hadid, is one such moment. As an MSU alum, it is an unimaginable honor to witness the collaboration of one of the greatest architects in the world with one of the most important art collectors of our time on a nondescript campus in East Lansing, Michigan. The 46,000-square-foot museum will be dedicated on November 10 and open for public tours throughout the day. (Just in time for the A+ Awards!) Read more.
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