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Richard Meier’s Atheneum Selected to Receive 2008 AIA Twenty-five Year Award
Visitors Center for New Harmony is the starting point for the tour of this historic town
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For Immediate Release |
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Washington, D.C., December 18,
2007 — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced that the
Atheneum designed by Richard Meier, FAIA, has been selected to
receive the 2008 AIA Twenty-five Year Award for architectural
design that has stood the test of time for 25 years. Both building
and architect will be honored at the American Architectural
Foundation’s Accent on Architecture gala February 22, 2008, in
Washington D.C.
The Atheneum, located on the banks of the Wabash River at the edge
of New Harmony, Indiana, which serves as the Visitors Center for
New Harmony is the starting point for the tour of this historic
town and is intended to serve as a center for visitor orientation
and cultural community events. The Atheneum was conceived in terms
of the linked ideas of architectural promenade and the historic
journey of one of America’s most significant utopian
communities.
“The Antheneum is one of Richard Meier’s seminal works of
architecture,” writes nominator Peter Eisenman, FAIA.
“The design elements in this important work are evident
throughout his career, having been further distilled to their most
essential expression. While one of his earliest buildings, it is a
wonderfully pure example of the recurring themes among his
substantial oeuvre; it is a classic ‘Meier’
design.”
Visitors arriving by boat land on a path that leads through a field
to the building. A three-story plane set at a 40-degree angle to
the podium acknowledges the point of arrival. Once visitors have
crossed the threshold, the entry box propels them to the foot of
the internal circulation ramp.
The ramp winds upward from the orthogonal grid and regains the
five-degree offset orientation of the path from the river, the
entire building is set in motion. The geometry of overlaid grids
induces a sense of spatial compression at certain points, tension
at others, with grids almost colliding. This collision resonates
throughout the interior of the complex of the ramp, illuminated by
light from above, and resolves the two grids in plan and
section.
On reaching the third-level exhibition space, the visitor can look
back on the route traveled, through staggered interior slots and
windows framing the essential spaces, as well as forward to what is
to come. Framed views to the exterior allow controlled glimpses of
the town and the landscape. At the uppermost roof terrace, the
visitor is confronted with the town. This small space affords a
panoramic vista like that from the prow of a ship. Visitors descend
by way of a second ramp, this one elongated and stepped, an
uncoiled version of the interior ramp, leading out of the building
and into New Harmony itself.
The Atheneum has received numerous design awards, including the
Progressive Architecture Award for 1979 and an AIA Honor Award in
1982. The stunning building, which serves as the Visitors Center
for New Harmony, houses exhibits on the communal history of New
Harmony, a large theater where an orientation film on the town is
shown, and the Museum Shop. The Atheneum’s galleries also
accommodate frequent receptions and meetings, allowing the
structure to continue to participate in the vitality of this still
unique community.
New Harmony was founded in 1814 by the Harmonie Society, a German
communal society looking to put their egalitarian ideas into
practice. The town became known as the “Athens of the
West” for the many scholars and scientists it attracted. More
recently, New Harmony has become known for its idyllic gardens,
plentiful antique shopping, and peaceful spiritual centers. A
walker's paradise, visitors can see the sights as part of a formal
or self-guided tour.
About The American Institute of
Architects
For 150 years, members of The American Institute of Architects have
worked with each other and their communities to create more
valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and
cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people, knowledge,
and tools to create better design, and through such resources and
access, they help clients and communities make their visions real.
www.aia.org
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