Pursuing Light and Magic

American architect Richard Meier brings his modernist sensibility to Italy

Renowned American modernist Richard Meier earned high marks for his design of the Jubilee Church for the Roman archdiocese in 2003. The architect is hoping for a similarly positive response to a new museum he designed in Rome's historic centre.
Meier's new building will house the Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace, a sacrificial altar commissioned by Rome's first emperor, Augustus, in 9 BC to commemorate the end of Gallic and Spanish campaigns. The marble altar sits within a rectangular enclosure and features a bas-relief depicting Augustus, Agrippa, Julius and Tiberius. The ancient monument was unearthed by the government of Mussolini. Architect Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo designed a new building to house the altar in 1938, but by the end of the 20th century the City of Rome concluded the building area was in need of revitalization, and design plans by Meier were approved in 1995.
The new Ara Pacis Museum is intended to be a very transparent building, which will include public exhibition areas, a small auditorium, a museum shop and offices. The area surrounding the museum, including the nearby Mausoleum of Augustus, has been transformed into a more pedestrian-friendly neighbourhood.
"Although it's very small, I think the Ara Pacis [symbolizes] something about life in Rome moving on into the 21st century," Meier says. "That's the most important thing for me about the building. I think it's extremely important that Rome should not become a museum. It should have not only a rich history, but contemporary life as well."
The new museum, located on the east bank of the Tiber River near Ponte Cavour, is scheduled to open on April 21.
An internationally respected architect, Meier's first project on Italian soil was the Jubilee Church in the Rome suburb of Tor Tre Teste. The church, also known as Dio Padre Misericordioso (in celebration of the silver anniversary of the pontifiicate of Pope John Paul II), features an exterior of three massive, white, concrete shells that resemble ship sails but also symbolize the Holy Trinity. Like many of Meier's buildings, the use of a white facade is critical because, as the architect says, "white is never just white; it's almost always transformed by light and that which is changing - the sky, the clouds, the sun and moon." The interplay of natural light with built forms is also central to the New York-based architect's work.
Meier's most famous creation is probably the Getty Center arts complex in Los Angeles. The hill-top structure is clad with 16,000 tons of Italian travertine and has been compared to Hadrian's Villa. The youngest-ever recipient of the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1984, Meier, now a veteran, has a portfolio that includes art museums in the United States and Europe as well as city halls, courthouses, and private homes. A member of the board of directors of the advanced scholastic American Academy in Rome, Meier lists influences in his own work, including the Italian Rationalists of the 1930s and 17th-century Baroque architect Francesco Borromini. "If you visit Borromini's church (Chiesa di S. Ivo alla Sapienza), you'll experience a glorious, white interior filled with light and magic," Meier says.
After two rather intimidating Italian projects filled with the weight of history and tradition, Meier was able to feel a little less pressure with his design of a new luxury resort at Jesolo on the Gulf of Venice. The beachfront complex features a three-storey, residential block with brise-soleil, or sun-screened, façades, allowing scenic views of adjacent public space. The plan also includes one hotel and two residential towers. The Jesolo Lido resort is scheduled to open next year.

Publication Date: 2005-02-06
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4893