Richard Meiers project for Ara Pacis - Understanding the Controversy - Research Paper Example

 Richard Meier’s building was erected to accommodate the Ara Pacis in Rome, the 2000 year old altar built by Augustus to celebrate the Pax Romana. It has been affected by war since the beginning in 1995 and went through unprecedented controversies and conflicts in the world of architecture. The essay seeks to investigate the sources and reasons of these attacks and criticisms that include Meier’s involvement in the project. The study will explore the most fundamental sources of criticism such as the ongoing war between Modernist and traditional architecture in relation to the counter-projects proposed in view of challenges faced by restoration of Ara Pacis. The study will also try to establish the role and objectives of politics in the controversy. It will attempt to address how nationalism recovered the debate which is also linked to so many personal interests. It can be concluded that the answer lies in the future. Table of Contents Introduction 1/Richard Meier's Project Description of the Ara Pacis Altar Brief Historical Review Description of Meier's Project 2) Understanding of Rome's specific Context 3) Elements of Criticism 4) Modernism VS. Traditional Architecture 5) The Counter-Projects 6) Meier as a Victim of Italian Politics 7) Nationalism Conclusion Introduction Richard Meier’s building was erected to accommodate The Ara Pacis in Rome, the 2000 year old altar built by Augustus between 13 and 9 BC to celebrate the Pax Romana (Roman Peace). Ironically, it has been affected by war since the beginning. It has been surrounded by unprecedented controversies and conflicts involving politics, culture, history, nationalism and different schools of architecture. The essay seeks to investigate why so much effort is focused on this project. It will also investigate the main sources of criticism and justification if any. It will try to answer these questions: How can we explain why so much effort is spent on a single project? Are the critics justified? Where do the attacks come from and why? 1) Richard Meier’s project During the Emperor Augustus' rule in the last century B.C, Rome went through a chaotic period in which conspiracy and rivalry prevailed in the Roman senate. However, he got power and authority over the senate and the population of Rome and finally took the title of emperor. His great military successes in Gaul and Spain from 27 to 24 B.C. were such remarkable events for Rome that the Senate decided in 13 B.C. to erect an altar to celebrate his victorious return. Dedicated as a symbol of the reigning peace in the Roman Empire, Pax Romana, the altar was named Ara Pacis. In appearance, the altar resembles stone structures that early generations of Romans had built for offering sacrifices to the gods but it is much larger and was built with marble not stone. All four sides are decorated with images of different scenes. The picture showing the procession at the inaugural sacrifice in 13 B.C. is found on the South side. On the West side is an image showing Aeneas' sacrifice to the Penates, whilst procession of the imperial family can be seen on the North side and the Mother Earth on the Eastern side. The short sides comprise of four allegorical panels. The lower part of the marble is decorated with images of acanthus scrolls, flowers, birds, insects and other little animals. As a whole, the Ara Pacis evokes the image of the Golden Age of Augustus. The Ara Pacis was originally built on an open area in the Campus Martius beside the Via Flaminia, today’s Via del Corso and facing the Via Lata. It was destroyed after Rome fell to the Barbarians. In the early twentieth century, some of its components were traced in museums in Italy and also in The Louvre in Paris. In the XX century, Mussolini demolished all the buildings within a thousand-square-yard area around the mausoleum of August, leaving only the two baroque churches. Two buildings were added at the North and Eastern sides of the piazza. The design of the whole Piazza was executed by the Jewish architect Morpugo who was designated by Mussolini. Originally, the buildings were two stories high but eventually, they increased to four stories to contribute to fascism’s grandiosity. It can be seen a contradicting view had already been existing between the various sides of the piazza during the same period. During the same period of time, the Ara Pacis was rediscovered, excavated and moved to the Piazza Augusto Imperatore situated next to the Mausoleum of Augustus. Morpurgo was in charge of designing a simple building to house the altar, a mostly glass, cement and travertine structure. After the anti-semitic racial laws, engineers were in charge of the project and hardly followed the initial design. For many years, after the Second World War, the Ara Pacis was neglected and the area became home to cats. In 1995, a new mayor, Francesco Rutelli underscored the need to intervene and restore the Ara Pacis. It had to be protected from damaging effects of the traffic, exhaust gases, overheating, rising humidity, oily and acidic dust, which was being deposited on the marble and plaster surfaces. He entrusted the project's design to the American architect Richard Meier. This was the first major contemporary architectural project to rise in Rome's historic center since Fascism in the 1930's. The initial mandate consisted of preserving the Ara Pacis but was expanded to cater for new features that included cultural services sector, auditorium, library and administrative offices. Richard Meier created a lot of space around the Ara Pacis. On the south side adjacent to the Tiber, a large elevated area is linked to Ripetta with a monumental staircase. On the square is the entrance to the museum comprising of an additional room with a vestibule, a library and administrative offices. To the north, inside the museum, there is a staircase that leads downstairs to another space. Meier used the same materials as Morpugo previously did in his construction in the 1930's. The prominent features of the project are created with glass and steel. There is a natural light effect that occurs throughout the whole building, where other zones are darker than others depending on the transparency of glass of the zone. The structure’s weight and enormous power is supported by columns in the main hall. INCLUDEPICTURE "http://www.avoe.org/URBANLOVERS-7/arapacis+morpurgo.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "http://www.avoe.org/URBANLOVERS-7/arapacis+morpurgo.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET Morpugo Architect INCLUDEPICTURE "http://www.avoe.org/URBANLOVERS-7/arapacis-3.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "http://www.avoe.org/URBANLOVERS-7/arapacis-3.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET Meier Architect 2) Understanding Rome’s specific context Rome is the city that founded the basis of our European culture. It consists of a unique concentration of Antique, Classical, Renaissance and Baroque architecture, which does not exist in any other city throughout the world. Being one of the largest cities in Europe with a population of about 2.6 million, Rome has a small center with one of the largest and most complicated urban structures in Europe. It is stratified and complex from an architectural point of view. As a matter of fact, the last buildings to be erected were fascists’ buildings when Mussolini decided to bring down the whole XVIII century districts. In addition to this particular context, Rome has been dominated for about 30 years by a preservationist lobbying group of artists and architects seeking to influence politicians or public officials on particular issues. The preservationist lobby says "no room for bold new architecture in Rome". Therefore, Rome has to live with memories of the past which are still glorious and have become iconic in its history. Their main philosophy can be summed up by this sentence from Garofalo, a Roman architect who said, ‘There is nothing you can build in the center of Rome that could possibly be as interesting as what is already there, either on the ground or under the ground”. Until recently, Romans had for instance no opportunity to face contemporary art where the only public collection concerned early twentieth century. The challenge was clear as Francesco Coppari (1) expressed it, “if Rome continues in this way, it will become a beautiful necropolis, beautiful for the Japanese who come for the shopping and the Americans who get drunk in the center, but it certainly won’t be a modern city.” When Rutelli became mayor, the change was drastic as he decided to propel Rome into the twenty first century standards, to raise it above its provincial image and into the network of major European capitals, such as Paris, Barcelona, and London. He launched high profile contemporary buildings through competitions like MAXXI by Zaha Hadid, set a new city plan and launched initiatives like pop concerts at the Colosseum or wireless hotspots Villa Borghese. It is in this tense and antagonistic context that Rutelli, then succeeded by Veltroni, chose the modernist American architect Richard Meier to build the Ara Pacis project; an initiative that was an enormous challenge. 3) Elements of criticism From the very beginning when Richard Meier was commissioned to design the project in 1995 to 2008, Richard Meier's Ara Pacis has been involved in controversy. He still continues as the new mayor, elected in 2008. However, when putting together elements of criticism from the various sources, we need to question if the critics address to Meier himself. No open competition In 1995, Richard Meier was the architect chosen by the former mayor Francesco Rutelli to design the great project to house the Ara Pacis. The mayor Rutelli did not hold any open public opinion or international debate that could have given the public the chance to express their views and attempt compare Richard Meier's project with other ideas. Mr. Rutelli explained that he chose Richard Meier because he was an acclaimed architect who could bring a jolt of modernity to Rome's ancient center and also because Richard Meier had already won a project in Rome, the church Tor Tre Teste situated in the suburbs. As Samir Younes, professor of architecture at the university of Notre Dame in Rome, explains, "The Altar to Augustan Peace is a monument that transcends the context of Rome; it truly belongs to the heritage of humanity at large. Architectural interventions on this site therefore require the consultation of many architectural minds around the world." However, he does not express that another architect would do better. The absence of competition may have been awkward as it did not take into account that, 70 years before, Mussolini inflicted the same wound when he tore down this eighteenth century district without any consultation. Lack of integration into the surroundings The project raises the problems of the restoration and redevelopment of ancient urban centers, and this is where critics have mostly attacked him. Richard Meier's project has been perceived as a takeover of the historical city and was immediately attacked by the association Italia Nostra which is against the principle of modernism. It has been classified as, “a parasite that infiltrates the healthy body of a human being.” It is considered as an ordinary building that could be in any big city in the world as it does not integrate Rome’s particularities. Sgarbi, the undersecretary to the minister of culture, under Berlusconi’s government, mentioned how incongruous was the white, industrial-looking building among Rome’s peachy neoclassical façades. Actually located on the Piazza Augusto Imperatore, it is found on a Piazza that already lacked the preservation of architectural continuity. Richard Meier had to deal with the fascist monumentality of the buildings in the square of the Piazza, the location of the Renaissance churches and the ancient values of the Ara Pacis itself and of the Mausoleum of Augustus which do not complement each other though interesting. Nicolai Ouroussoff, architectural critic for the New York Times, said that the treatment of the two churches is seen as worse: "Viewed from the road, the wall chops the churches off at half height, so that you do not feel the full effect of their coming into view as unexpected treasures. And Mr. Meier's project overwhelms the piazza below, pressing in on it disrespectfully so that the church facades almost seem to recoil in embarrassment." Others, on the contrary, consider that Meier has been too respectful of fascist buildings existing on two sides of the piazza and that his goal was to improve past Morpurgo’s building. Mario Manieri Elia, historian and adviser to the city of Rome, also argues that Meier’s architectural language is inspired by Italian rationalism of the 1920’s. . Building over-scaled Besides the fact that the construction's integration is contested, the building's scale and proportion are oversized too. The mission determined by the city government to build an addition of a bookstore, a lobby, a theater and a future auditorium in a single work of art multiplied the size by eight compared to the size of the altar itself and therefore caused a bloated appearance. The oppressive weight of the construction, caused by the slab of the roof and the white blocks framing the building, increased the monumentality of the Piazza instead of identifying the Piazza with quietness. Uncivil attacks Richard Meier's project received the vociferous criticism of systematic opponents that were so excessive that they finally lost a good part of their credibility. The construction has been labeled “gas station”, “indecent cesspit”, “pizza piazza” or “giant coffin,” meant to provoke laughter and emotions. The antagonists of the project found a friend and a powerful ally in Vittorio Sgarbi. This conservative art critic, frequent guest to popular TV shows and well-known for his outrageous personal attacks said, “Meier knows Rome as I do Tibet.” Actually, Richard Meier spent a summer (1955) in Rome as a student at the architectural school at Cornell University and spent one year (1976) as a visiting architect at the American Academy in Rome. Therefore Sgarbi can dislike Meier's project and its contemporary architecture but cannot attack Meier for not knowing Rome's architectural context. Widespread satisfaction with the inside Although there are many criticisms, there is widespread satisfaction with the presentation of the Ara Pacis. Critics have no solid arguments to criticize the way it was constructed. Richard Meier’s interior work has been designed with such careful concentration that it emphasizes and protects the altar in a way that nobody else could have done."His work intrigues us through the charm of material and his tendency to show even the slightest effort or difficulty as a search for visual perfection in which pure beauty takes the place of ideas" ( Il Fascino Della Materlialita, Ara Pacis Rome.p13.) Few people observed the interior approach to the altar, which ended up being praised. The darkness of the entrance space is an ingenious tactic to emphasize that the ordinary daylight once arrived in the great hall. As Peter Davey (2) says, “The great glass walls permit the ancient structure to be flooded by daylight and permit the visitors from the inside to have a wide overlook to the outside. The great amount of light emphasizes the great space, which seems almost sepulchral. At least the use of the travertine refers to the local stone of Ancient Rome”. 4) Modernism versus Traditional architecture A war between Modernist architecture and Traditional architecture has arisen for about a century, of which each side tries to work out their own ideals. It can be understood that for centuries, in spite of some variations, there has been a total consensus for Traditional architecture on how to build windows, doors, roofs. Those architectural codes date from the Renaissance where Modernism breaks those codes of Traditional architecture and creates projects for which new architectural codes have been set up. Richard Meier belongs to the modernist movement, a result of the radical transformation of the society, driven by the science and technology of the 20th century. It is partly based on Le Corbusier's ideal of architecture that is motivated by the “quest for efficiency". As such, Richard Meier is perceived as an engineer who emphasis on function and not beauty, who puts ahead techniques but little ornamentation. As part of the movement, Meier is the heir of its founder "Le Corbusier" who did not hesitate to mock Rome as "the traditional destination for the education and edification of young architects" and suggested various names for it including the following, ‘the city of horrors', 'the damnation of the half-educated' and 'the cancer of French architecture.' Terence Riley, chief curator of architecture and design for the museum of Modern Art in New York said, “Meier is probably the most classical in the sense of proportion and in his sympathy with urban fabric.” But apparently he was not classical enough according to the critics in his project for the Ara Pacis. Since 1995, the project around the Ara Pacis has been largely commented in the media. One of the consequences has been an immediate exposure to all the architectural protagonists at national and international level and the projects became the ideal target for the opponents to modernism as it is located in Rome. The Associations that favor new urbanism or architectural renaissance are vivid and well-organized in their work to achieve their purpose, for instance opposition to modernism and preservation of the city’s original values. Among them are: A vision for Europe, The International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism that is an active network of individuals and institutions. All the architects who criticized the flaws of Richard Meier’s project belong to these movements as opinion leaders and have central positions of the counter-projects. 5) The counter-projects Contestation over Richard Meier's project is in fact a great opportunity to address the problems of the restoration and redevelopment of ancient urban centers. Since Meier's project was commissioned, there have been many counter-projects as alternatives to the proposal put forward by Richard Meier. All of these projects come from professionals and academics who focus on the Urban Renaissance movement. Gabriele Tagliaventi, Professor of Architecture at L'Universita Degli Studi Ferrara and major figure in the European Urban Renaissance movement, brought together in 1996 five world famous architects in competition He then published some of these projects in Archi e Colonne 5 in 2002. Samir Younés published a book of counter-projects entitled, Ara Pacis Contro-projetti, Counter projects, (Alinea, Firenze).   This book also included student projects from the University of Notre Dame's Rome Studies Program.   The professional projects included those of Léon Krier, Maurice Culot, Colin Rowe, Michael Lykoudis, Liam O'Connor and Duany & Plater-Zyberk and Co. Similarly, the archaeologist Paolo Marconi had made proposals for the reconstruction of the Porto di Ripetta. (art entitled War Over The Altar Of Peace) Thus, According to Tagliaventi, the project for the Ara Pacis piazza should represent a proposal for: 1). The New Museum Building for the Ara Pacis, containing a restaurant-café, a library specializing in the reconstruction of the ancient Roman monuments and a bookshop. 2) The construction of a Monument and a Hospital for the Roman cats. 3) The reconstruction of the historic urban fabric around the Augustus Mausoleum. 4) The restoration of the Augustus Mausoleum as a permanent building. 5) The improvement of the connection between the urban quarter and the Tiber. In identifying the five key problems that need to be solved, Tagliaventi positions the project at the urban planning level where the main goal consists of integrating buildings together and enlivening the piazza. Meier’s mandate was much more limited as he was commissioned to house the Ara Pacis only, though he asked to include the whole piazza with a radical solution. Next year, an international consultation will take place for the rest of the project. The counter projects already published focus mainly on the piazza itself and not that much on the building. The main counter-projects are the following: INCLUDEPICTURE "http://www.avoe.org/URBANLOVERS-7/arapacis-culot.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "http://www.avoe.org/URBANLOVERS-7/arapacis-culot.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET Maurice Culot (4) created an urban space that integrates the situation-circulation, quays, monuments with intermediate world between Roman antiquity and the Rome of 1840 with the Port of Ripetta. From there, an esplanade and steps that descend into the water of the Tiber is placed. He creates a paving in front of the Churches of San Rocco and San Girolamo. The circular cellar and the high gallery of the Mausoleum become an integrating part of the museum situated on the banks of the Tiber. Although Culot's project responds on the number 2, 3, 4 and 5 criteria, he does not mention how he will integrate the Museum Building for the Ara Pacis within the context and put the problem of the fascist buildings aside. INCLUDEPICTURE "http://www.avoe.org/URBANLOVERS-7/arapacis-krier.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "http://www.avoe.org/URBANLOVERS-7/arapacis-krier.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET Léon Krier (4)) envisages building ten, three to four story high small urban blocks, with courtyards, creating a fabric of streets and squares around the Augusteo. The 45m Rotonda, could obtain the great model of imperial Rome. The new shelter for the Ara Pacis and the monumental steps are built entirely with bronze which may interrupt with the uniformity of the Lungotevere. Krier’s urban area around the Augustus Mausoleum doesn't solve the problem of the fascist buildings that do not belong to the ancient city as it hides them behind the urban blocks. 6) Meier as victim of Italian politics A close relation between culture and politics is noticeable from the beginning and Richard Meier sees politics as the source that contributed to the controversy surrounding his project. "The project is caught in a political situation" says Meier. Francesco Rutelli, leader of the Christian Democratic Alliance Margherita, led as mayor of Rome, during Meier’s commission and the beginning of the project’s construction from 1995 to 2001. He was then succeeded by Veltroni, leader of the left democrats from 2001 to 2008. In supporting Meier's project, both Rutelli and Veltroni received verbal attacks by politicians and preservatists. Things toughened with the coming of Berlusconi’s government to power in 2001. The conservative art critic and new under-secretary to the Minister of Culture Vittorio Sgarbi became an important figure in the new projects in the sense that he officially opposed projects that contradicted Rome's architectural value or projects that disfigured Rome's classical charm. Admittedly, he had no formal responsibility for the Ara Pacis but used his influence to present Meier’s building as the symbol of careless attitude towards heritage and shortcomings of modernism. Interesting enough, a clash had already occurred between Rutelli and Sgarbi over the restoration of the Montecitorio palace which resulted in Rutelli suing Sgarbi for libel. Concerning the Ara Pacis, he said, "It's a project that puts a great monument at the service of modern architecture. We want to put modern architecture at the service of art", which refers to his rejection of modern architecture. According to reports, on June 2004, he burned a model of Meier's building near the Mausoleum of Augustus.   The protest coincided with elections where Sgarbi was a candidate in the European elections. Since the old building was gone, it was difficult for Sgarbi to stop the project. He then went to see Meier and ask him to change part of the project so he could save face in Italy. In April 2008, Mr. Alemanno was elected as the new right-wing mayor of Rome and supported the opinion of the conservative preservationists. He threatened the project's demolition with the support of Berlusconi’s government. When campaigning, he had used Ara Pacis as a tool in the election in order to get votes. Nevertheless, knocking down the museum would be too expensive. Richard Meier concluded in the shifts of opinions and decisions that, “the idea that anyone who comes into a new position of authority can undermine something that has been going on for years is outrageous." Meier also concluded that, “It is a public building and therefore if people who are running for office use it as a way to discredit the people who are for it, it becomes a political football.” Interesting enough, Meier's later project of the Jubilee church in the suburb of Rome in 2003 opened to the universal approval. But in this project the church was the patron and the Meier church is located far away from Rome's historical center. 7) Nationalism In September 2005, the month that Richard Meier unveiled his museum of the Ara Pacis for the first time, 35 Italian architects signed an open letter to the Italian government. This letter, published in the newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, was an initiative of Paolo Portoghese (5) and appealed to Silvio Berlusconi to intervene “to defend Italian tradition.” At first sight, it could have been considered as the expression of tradition versus modernity. In reality, the purpose was clearly a protest against the ‘invasion’ of foreign architects. Portoghese argued that, “there is an obsession with foreign architects.” He considered that they gained contracts for most prestigeous projects when there is even no lack of homegrown talent. Their protest was supported by the Architectural Association Direzionale Generale per l’Archittectura e l’Arte Contemporanea in Rome. Its Director, Pio Baldi signed the open letter in declaring that the Italian architects are being usurped in their own country. In order to understand the sources of this nationalism, it is essential to remember that in Renaissance times, Italy exported architecture all over the world with architects like Bramante or Borromini. In 1570, Palladio became the most influential architect in the history of Western art. For centuries, classical architecture had been spreading all over the world and there was unanimity on the right standards of buildings. In the twentieth century, architectural rules changed dramatically and a new generation of architects surged. Unfortunately, Italy had only been able to produce very few home-grown world-class architects; one exception being Renzo Piano. In this context, it is very likely that Meier’s nationality reinforced the antagonism against him as his building became a spotlight for anti-American sentiment. Visitors expressed their dissatisfaction in graffiti’s on his building such as: “Meier is a criminal.” The place also became a meeting point for anti-war and anti-Americans opponents. To a certain extent, its lack of regard for integration with the surroundings becomes a symbol of hatred in America. It has been politically motivated. The project had not only become a hostage between right and left political parties but Berlusconi’s ideology also contributed as ideal. As a counter opinion to nationalism, Dante Benini, a well-known Italian architect with offices in London, admitted that the fear was exaggerated. He said, “Designs are opened to competition and the best design wins”. He suggested that the answer lay in encouraging talent rather than excluding foreigners. Conclusion The fundamental question to be addressed is to investigate whether, Richard Meier’s Ara Pacis is good architecture and if it will survive once personal and inappropriate interests disappear? There is need not to be biased. The Ancient Roman architect Vitrivius can be of immense help. He established three principles that still hold the truth and these are: function, structure and beauty. In terms of function, the museum fulfills the requirements as the altar is valued in a carefully calibrated approach. Concerning structure, Meier used highest technology available for preservation, yet what differentiates architecture from engineering is beauty. Without it, the utmost functional and solid building will remain purely utilitarian and will never be an outstanding piece of architecture. But what is beauty? Our sense of beauty for a location is linked to emotions provoked by cultural background and ability to find our roots in it. A fundamental shift in architectural principles with modernism destabilizes and creates a loss of aesthetic identity that has remained unchanged for centuries. Rome has ancient, classical, baroque and fascist buildings and it is against this background that this project has put Rome at the center of architectural debate in a way to establish if the city can find a way to cope positively with its history. As Veltroni said, “there is no contradiction between the beauty of the past and the beauty of the present”. Basically, only the future will be able to tell us if Meier’s Ara Pacis will become part of Rome’s heritage when the next generations, unconcerned by the present quarrels and born in modern buildings, will express their judgment in terms of beauty. Read More