by Alex Marshall - articles and essays

The Architecture Articles:

The Master Of Modernism - "BACH WROTE his musical masterpieces in the 1700s at a time when many people considered his Baroque style passe. He proved them wrong. Perhaps history might say the same about architect Richard Meier, the great master of modernism who labors away in the style three and four decades after its heyday. Meier designs smooth, gleaming white buildings that denote a purity of form and a fascination with light, space and structure. Regardless of whether one is a fan of modernism, the architectural style developed after World War I that emphasized form and absence of ornamentation, no one denies that Meier is a colossus of the trade. He circles the globe with his fellow superstar colleagues such as I.M. Pei, Michael Graves and Cesar Pelli, touching down to build museums, airports and concert halls." Click on link for full article.

Let There Be Light - More On Richard Meier - "Many older courthouses are beloved for the richness of their detailing. Nineteenth-Century courthouses often have a thick icing of granite columns and beaux arts ornamentation. Courthouses from the 1930s often have marvelous art deco touches, such as rounded corners and etched, stainless-steel doors. But however beautiful, these older courthouses are almost always dark and heavy, particularly from inside. Meier's building is the contrary. It encourages sunlight and shadows to paint themselves on white walls amid grand spaces. Of course, some might contend that a witness at a murder trial or a recently bankrupted businessman might prefer dark, more anonymous spaces. But Meier believes the opposite." Click on link for full article.

A New City Grow Up On Berlin's Old No Man's Land - For a week we examined this city from the inside out, often with personal tours by top planners and architects. We saw a new city coming out of the ground, spurred on by the torrents of money, both public and private, rushing in to fill the blank spaces now that the dikes of communism and the Cold War have been broken and breached. For a traveler, Berlin is a great place to spend a weekend or a week, particularly if you like contemporary architecture. But it's also a great place to eat spicy German sausage from street vendors, drink great beer, shop for high fashion, and people watch. Click on link for full article.