Product Description

The latest installment of Rizzoli's best-selling series of monographs on one of America's most important architects, Richard Meier, Architect Volume 4 documents Meier's work since the publication of the previous volume in 1999. This extensively illustrated presentation vividly conveys the purity and power of Meier's unique and celebrated vision. Twenty-seven residential, commercial, and civic projects are featured, including the 173/176 Perry Street residential towers in New York overlooking the Hudson River, perhaps the most celebrated new apartment buildings of our time; the Yale University History of Art and Arts Library in New Haven, Connecticut; and the Vatican-sponsored competition for his winning Jubilee Church of the year 2000 for the Vicariate of Rome.
The development and significance of Richard Meier's work is discussed in two essays by the distinguished architectural historians and critics Kenneth Frampton and Joseph Rykwert. A biographical chronology and a selected bibliography complete this elegant and comprehensive monograph on a modern American master.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #592051 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-13
• Released on: 2004-11-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

About the Author
Richard Meier received his architectural training at Cornell University and established his office in New York in 1963. Since that time his international practice has included museums, courthouses, city halls, corporate headquarters, educational facilities, and public housing in addition to private houses. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Pritzker Prize for Architecture and the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects.
Kenneth Frampton is Ware Professor of Architecture at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.
Joseph Rykwert is Paul Philippe Cret Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.

Customer Reviews

Disappointing addition to the Meier series
I have to agree with the first reviewer. Something about this book just doesn't live up to the excellence of the earlier 3 volumes. Perhaps it's the heavy lineweights of some of the plans and elevations. Or perhaps it is the sudden introduction of dozens of computer renderings which are either too bland or overdone. On one hand they fall short of photorealism, while on the other hand these collages of blazing color/material/fake-looking-people detract from the architectural purity of Meier's work. Sadly the tiny images in the chronology at the back of the book reflect Meier's style better than the projects this book chooses to present.

That said, this book contains the Jubilee church, the two courthouses and a few private houses all of which are Meier at his best and are well documented with drawings and photos. That alone makes this book worth the purchase price. But if you're hoping for a book equal to or better than Vol 1 or 3, prepare to be disappointed.

Excellent book, not works though
Meier's has passed his peak after Thomas Phiffer leaving his office and that's cleary illustrated in Vol.4. The 2 courthouse projects are the best among them while those apartments are just cheesy and really get me wonder why he even take those jobs. Yale Univ. project is simply diegrading, almost an intentional offense to one of P.R.'s best.(Is Yale that cheap?) That being said, Jubilee church is one of Meier's best works, which really save my faith in him.

The book is still edited well, except some of plan lineweight is on the heavy side. I highly recommend Vol. 1 & 3, with Vol.3 being simply astonishing.

Meier Meier
Richard Meier ARCHITECT V-4 can be considered as a window accesible to everyone who would like to know one of the world's leading architects and his works from a closer distance.

On the otherhand, Keneth Framptons essay lets us make a fruitfull kickoff before we come face to face with the various projects of Meier presented in a quite explanatory way. Though the texts acommpanying visual metarial is limited with very basic knowledge; drawings project, photographs and 3d presentations -hardly distinguishes from real Photos- are satisfying.

Briefly it can be claimed here that this book is a good source which puts forwards the way a star architect represents his ideas with supportive visual material, however the textual structure which could have provide an access to the design processes is very poor.

Orçun ERSAN
Architect -Turkiye-