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MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Pierre de Meuron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 8 May 1950 |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Awards | |
| Practice | Herzog & de Meuron |
| Buildings | |
| Website | www |
Pierre de Meuron (born 8 May 1950) is a Swiss architect and co-founder, alongside Jacques Herzog, of the architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron.[1][2]
The firm's projects include the transformation of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in London, the design of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, and the creation of the Beijing National Stadium, commonly referred to as the "Bird's Nest", for the 2008 Olympics.[3]
Together with Herzog, de Meuron has received the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the Royal Gold Medal.[4][5]
De Meuron was born in Basel, Switzerland.[6] He attended grade school alongside Jacques Herzog, who would later become his long-term collaborator and business partner.[4]
De Meuron pursued his architectural studies at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) before continuing his education at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich).[7][8] In 1978, de Meuron, together with Herzog, co-founded the architectural practice Herzog & de Meuron.[7][9]
The critic Luis Fernández-Galiano states that Herzog & de Meuron's work is known for combining formal restraint with attention to materials and urban context.[10] According to the Financial Times, a central aspect of their design philosophy is uncovering and revealing the latent potential of existing structures and environments.[11]
Early projects include the Ricola Storage Building in Laufen, Switzerland (1987), which emphasized materiality and texture,[12] and the Dominus Winery in Napa Valley, California (1998), where they incorporated locally sourced stone-filled gabions as a key architectural element.[13]
Their international prominence grew with the transformation of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in London (2000).[14] Later commissions include the Allianz Arena in Munich (2005) and the Beijing National Stadium—commonly known as the "Bird's Nest"—designed for the 2008 Olympic Games.[15][16]
Two significant early influences on de Meuron and Herzog were artist Joseph Beuys and architect Aldo Rossi, the latter being their professor during their studies at ETH Zurich.[4][17] Their friendships with artists have impacted their architectural philosophy, favouring a concept-based approach over a stylistic one. [11] De Meuron, along with Jacques Herzog, initiated Joseph Beuys's involvement in the Basel Carnival (Fasnacht) through the creation of felt suit costumes and the reproduction of other elements of Beuys's installation "Feuerstätte". The physical remnants of that 1978 carnival event have then been piled up, reassembled and transformed – based on a sketch by Beuys – into "Feuerstätte II", a large installation piece which is since then part of the permanent collection of the Kunstmuseum Basel.[18][19]
He graduated from ETH Zurich in 1975. He was a visiting professor at Harvard University in 1989 and again from 1994..[20] From 1999 to 2018, de Meuron and Jacques Herzog served as full professors at ETH Zurich.[21][22] During this period, they co-founded the ETH Studio Basel – Contemporary City Institute in collaboration with Swiss architect Roger Diener.
The ETH Studio Basel, operational from 1999 to 2018, was a research institute affiliated with ETH Zurich but based in Basel, Switzerland.[23][24] The institute focused on analyzing contemporary urban transformations and urbanization trends in the 21st century.[25] By integrating architecture, urban planning, and sociology, the research conducted at the institute examined urban development dynamics. Notable studies included research on urbanization in Switzerland and the concept of the "city region" in Europe.[26][27]
Since the company's founding, Pierre de Meuron has worked collaboratively with co-founder Jacques Herzog. As stated by Herzog, "Pierre de Meuron and I have always loved trying things out, being experimental – ever since we were in grade school together. It's the way we are. We're curious by nature."[28] Each has brought their specific strengths to the partnership as "a source of some difference to start with in terms of centres of interest, character, and so on."[29] Jacques and Pierre have extended this mode of collaboration to a larger group of partners that have successively joined the practice over the years.[30]
Pierre de Meuron is involved in the competitions as well as the architectural, urban and territorial projects of Herzog & de Meuron since the firm's founding. In a 2022 interview in Le Temps, de Meuron said he believes architecture as a discipline goes beyond formal or technical aspects, but must consider history, social psychology, and geopolitics, and is rooted in the reality of a project.[31] According to the Basler Zeitung, the two founders are gradually transferring ownership of the firm to its partners.[32][30]
De Meuron also collaborated with Herzog – and occasionally with artists such as Rémy Zaugg or Ai Weiwei – on urbanistic and territorial projects. This work began with an early in-depth study of the Basel metropolitan area,[33] which ultimately led to the foundation of the ETH Studio Basel (1999)[34] together with Roger Diener and Marcel Meili. The focus was the analysis of landscapes and urban territories across the world; the theoretical output was summarized in their publication "The Inevitable Specificity of Cities".[35]
De Meuron has said urban development should engage decision-makers and residents in discussions about shared resources such as land, water, and green space.[31] The Ronquoz 21 master plan in Sion relies on an evolutionary approach to adapt organically to the city's changing needs over time. As the de Meuron notes in Le Nouvelliste, "This project will be carried out progressively, without everything being fixed and set in stone once and for all," ensuring a flexible and phased implementation spanning multiple decades.[36] Bahnknoten Basel, which aims to improve the connection of Basel to its larger metropolitan region;[37][38] and Cargo Sous Terrain, an underground freight transport system.[39] In the Le Temps interview, he described urban and rural areas as politically, economically and socially interdependent..[31]
De Meuron uses photography as part of his working method. He photographs completed projects to study how they are used, and uses photography as a tool for structural and spatial analysis. He has also maintained an ongoing photographic survey of the Basel metropolitan region as part of his research, which has informed his view that urban development should account for unbuilt space as well as buildings.[40]
The Kabinett is a charitable foundation established in Basel in 2015 to preserve and manage the extensive archives of Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. It holds architectural drawings, sketches, models, and personal collections related to the firm's work.
The foundation is structured around three key areas: architecture, art, and photography, encompassing a wide range of materials and collections. Among its notable holdings is the photography archive of Ruth and Peter Herzog, which includes an extensive collection of historical images. Although the Kabinett is not open to the general public, it offers access to researchers and specialists by appointment.[65][66][67]
In addition to their architectural practice, Herzog & de Meuron have developed a range of object designs, which includes furniture, lighting, jewelry, and cutlery. Since the firm's founding in 1978, they have designed over 400 objects, many of which were conceived as integral elements within their architectural projects, while others function as standalone design pieces.[68]
A design in their collection is the "Unterlinden" lamp, developed in collaboration with the Italian lighting company Artemide. This compact lamp features an aluminum head with an industrial aesthetic, integrating advanced LED technology for energy-efficient illumination.[69]
In addition to standalone pieces, the firm has designed custom furniture and objects for many of their architectural projects, including bespoke door handles, lighting fixtures, and seating.[70]
Awards include:
Additionally, they have been awarded honorary doctorates from several institutions:
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Pierre de Meuron (born 8 May 1950) is a Swiss architect and co-founder, alongside Jacques Herzog, of the architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron. The firm's projects include the transformation of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in London, the design of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, and the creation of the Beijing National Stadium, commonly referred to as the "Bird's Nest", for the 2008 Olympics. Together with Herzog, de Meuron has received the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the Royal Gold Medal.
Pierre-Frédéric de Meuron (17 April 1746 – 30 March 1813) was a Swiss army officer and colonial administrator who served the fifth Military Governor of British Ceylon from 1797 to 1798, and fourth General Officer Commanding, Ceylon. He was also the commanding officer of the Regiment de Meuron, a unit of Swiss mercenaries that had served in Ceylon under the Dutch, but whose transfer of allegiance to Great Britain facilitated the fall of Columbo to the British on 15 October 1796.
Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd. is an international architecture firm headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with additional offices in Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Munich, New York City, Paris, and San Francisco. Founded in 1978 by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, the practice's portfolio includes more than 600 projects in 40 countries. The company is led by the founding partners along with senior partners Christine Binswanger, Ascan Mergenthaler, Stefan Marbach, Jason Frantzen, Andreas Fries, Wim Walschap, and the CEO, Adrian Keller, who collectively oversee the firm's direction and management. Its staff comprises over 500 employees representing more than 50 nationalities.
Jacques Herzog (born 19 April 1950) is a Swiss architect and a founding partner along with Pierre de Meuron of the architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron. Herzog, along with de Meuron, has received the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the Royal Gold Medal, among numerous other awards. Some of the most well-known projects by Herzog & de Meuron include the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in London, the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, the Tour Triangle in Paris, and the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest", designed for the 2008 Olympics.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
