Zephyr
Active Member
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The goal of most religious architecture is to convey spiritual power. How does your design convey that kind of spirit?
Richard Meier: Light is the protagonist of our understanding and reading of space. Light is the means by which we are able to experience what we call sacred. Light is at the origins of this building. I am reminded of H.G. Gadamer’s words in The Relevance of the Beautiful: “We only have to think of certain expressions like the ‘play of light’ and the ‘play of the waves’ where we have such a constant coming and going, back and forth, a movement that is not tied down to any goal. That the sense of freedom and movement – both in human festivities, and also in natural phenomena as the play of light – may be seen as fundamentally theological.â€
If you visit Borromini’s church (Chiesa di S. Ivo alla Sapienza), you will experience a glorious white interior filled with light and magic. It is one of the great works of architecture of 16th century Rome. Also, S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, also by Borromini, has a quite animated interior.
In the Jubilee Church, the three concrete shells define an enveloping atmosphere in which the light from the skylights above creates a luminous spatial experience, and the rays of sunlight serve as a mystic metaphor of the presence of God.
The Jubilee Church is not a traditional church. If the Vicariato wanted a traditional church, they would not have invited me to participate in the competition. This church was always intended to be a work of contemporary architecture, meaningful for our time and one that is marked by openness. Transparency and light cascade down from the skylit roof, literally invading the interior of the church and also penetrating from below through a narrow slot opened at floor level. People in the atrium are enveloped with mystical light.
ArchNewsNow
October 23, 2003
Wow, nice stuff... except for the residential towers which don't appear particularly remarkable.
Wow, nice stuff... except for the residential towers which don't appear particularly remarkable.
Have you seen those Perry street towers in the flesh, ganja? Up close, they are structures of remarkable elegance. The glass is unbelievably delicate and the granite forecourt is incredibly serene. I also love how there are three of them, spaced equally among three blocks almost as if they form a triptych. They really are among the finest residential buildings built in the last few years.
A proposed skyscraper for Philadelphia by Meier and his team: