Richard Meier '56
By Clare Ulrich
The Life Sciences Technology Building will blend the function of science with the form of art on the Cornell campus. Architect Richard Meier '56 has been selected to design the new building. He is perhaps best known for the acclaimed Getty Center in Los Angeles. The Life Sciences Technology Building is Meier's first academic, and first Cornell building, and he says he's delighted and honored to be involved with the project.
"I've never learned so much as I have working on this building," he admits. "The field of life sciences is amazing. It's always exciting to be part of something that is emerging in this way."
When asked what distinctive features he is considering for the building, he says: "Biotechnology is a modern science, so the design of this new building will be modern, open, transparent and filled with light. Three things are working simultaneously. First is the function of this unique, new science building and the nature of the work space, the laboratories, the offices, and the way people come together. The spaces in and around the building, where people meet, how they meet, how they relate to one another as they use the building or visit there is very important. The architecture will help to foster communication. The second concept is the building's relationship to the existing neighboring buildings and, in particular, to the buildings to which it will connect underground. The third idea is the nature of the building and the appearance of the building as you approach it. When you come down Tower Road to the campus, it will be the first building you encounter on your left. So it becomes a gateway building to the campus, relating to the overall university and signaling what Cornell is about."
After graduating from Cornell, Meier established his office in New York City. In 1984, he was awarded the Pritzker Prize for Architecture, considered the field's highest honor. In 1989, he received the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 1992, the French Government honored him as a Commander of Arts and Letters, and in 1995 he was elected as a Fellow to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1997, Meier received the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, the highest award from the AIA, and in the same year the Praemium Imperiale from the Japanese government in recognition of a lifetime achievement in the arts. He is a Fellow of the AIA and received a Medal of Honor from the New York chapter of that organization in 1980 and a Gold Medal from the Los Angeles chapter in 1998.
The final schematic design for the Life Sciences Technology Building is expected to be ready in November 2003, with groundbreaking tentatively planned within the following year.