Capitol gains
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier is aiming to turn the Capitol project into a landmark building in Singapore
By tay suan chiang
One of Singapore's most exciting landmark transformations is in the hands of his company.
It involves developing the site of the much-loved Capitol Theatre building and its Stamford Road surrounds into an iconic arts and commerce destination worthy of its former glory.
Meet American Richard Meier, one of the world's best-known architects. His company, Richard Meier & Partners Architects, which he founded in 1963, was appointed project designers last year.
So just who is the man on whom Singaporeans are pinning their hopes to do justice to reviving the faded grand dame Capitol Theatre, plus Capitol Building and Stamford House?
Well, someone not without his quirks.
Mr Meier says he loves building houses but, ironically, his home of 40 years is not one that he built.
Home is a 5,000 sq ft duplex on New York's Upper East Side in a pre-war limestone building, where Mr Meier lives on his own.
Asked why he has not built his own home, he says: 'I've no time, I'm too busy. Someday I will build my own home and I look forward to that time.'
This from a man aged all of 76.
He spoke to Life! on the telephone from his New York office last month. The divorced father of two is the managing partner of his architectural company.
Fans of the old white neo-classical building that is Capitol Theatre will be pleased to know that Mr Meier is renowned for the use of white in his buildings.
'In architecture, I feel white best reflects the colours of nature around you, and allows you to appreciate the architecture in its context,' he says.
His love of white extends to all aspects of his life. 'My office is white, my kitchen is white, my shirts are white. It's my colour,' he adds.
On the other hand, he is also known for his Modernist style - using plain geometry, layered definition of spaces and the effects of light and shade to create clear, comprehensible spaces.
He reassures: 'We have proposed a timeless architecture to give the area the authority of a landmark without diminishing the quality and presence of the historic Capitol Theatre, Capitol Building and Stamford House.'
The primary goal in redeveloping the Capitol site is to create a strong sense of place by enhancing and transforming the existing site in a dramatic way, he adds. What is more, he foresees the Capitol project as the landmark building in Singapore when it is completed.
'We hope it becomes a landmark, a destination for art, culture and commerce,' he says. 'People can visit the theatre, they can enjoy the public spaces and they can live and stay in beautifully, well-appointed environments.'
Mr Meier landed the prestigious project after being appointed by Capitol Investment Holdings, the consortium that made the winning bid for the Capitol site for $250 million last year.
It consists of joint venture partners Kwee Liong Seen's Chesham Properties, Pua Seck Guan's Perennial Real Estate and Sukmawati Widjaja's Top Global, all property developers.
'Mr Kwee approached us to ask if this is a design competition in which we would like to participate. There is a lot of great architecture being built in Singapore and we wanted to be part of it,' says MrMeier.
The Capitol development is his second project in Singapore. His first was Camden Medical Centre in Orchard Boulevard which was completed in 1999.
Though the silver-haired architect has not been back to Singapore since completing the Camden building, he has seen Singapore's development since then through photographs.
'There is a very high quality of architecture built throughout the city, although there is not one building that stands superior to the others,' he points out.
While he has not seen the site of the Capitol project, Mr Michael Palladino, the firm's design partner, has. 'This is an opportunity for us to create a unique civic centre that will reflect the city's past through the historic structures and celebrate the future with the new and contemporary additions,' says Mr Palladino.
Under the project, Capitol Theatre, Capitol Building and Stamford House will be conserved and restored.
The theatre will be refurbished and transformed into Singapore's largest single-screen cinema with about 800 seats. It will be operated by Golden Village for most of the year.
The theatre will also alternate as a performance venue for dance and theatre groups.
Capitol Building and Stamford House will be restored into a new luxury hotel with about 200 rooms.
Capitol Centre will be torn down to make way for a 15-storey building that will have retail space, and 60 to 70 apartments.
There will also be a public plaza with a glass canopy that will provide sheltered outdoor space.
Construction of the $500-million development will start in the third quarter of this year and it is expected to be ready by 2014.
With just a few years to complete the project, MrMeier says one of the challenges he foresees is the deadline.
'The construction schedule is very ambitious,' he says. 'Our goal is to make this as fine a project as humanly possible.'
His longest project so far was the Getty Center art museum in Los Angeles, which opened in 1997 and is named after its benefactor, the late oil tycoon J. Paul Getty.
It is also Mr Meier's most famous building. 'The Getty is probably my most important building. It was 13 years of my life,' says Mr Meier, who was commissioned to design the US$1-billion building in 1984.
It was a complex project due to site challenges and other restrictions but Mr Meier speaks of it fondly: 'There are as many people visiting it today as there were when it first opened. People come up to me when I'm at the centre and they tell me how much they enjoy it. It is very gratifying.'
When asked for three words that best describe his buildings, he says: 'Beautiful, inspiring... functional. No, forget functional, memorable is the third. Any good building is functional. Architecture has to go beyond functional, but have meaning for the place and the people who use it.'
His favourite moment of a project is 'when it is finished, but that is also the saddest moment'.
'I enjoy working on the project so much that I want to keep working on it. But once it is done, it is no longer my building anymore,' he says.
As for which of his buildings is his favourite, he breaks into a chuckle and says: 'The next one is always my favourite.'
When it comes to building types, museums are a clear favourite of his. 'I love to build museums. I love to create public spaces where people can come together and appreciate art or just appreciate the environment around them,' he says.
Museums he has designed include the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art and the Frankfurt Museum for the Decorative Arts.
Mr Meier says he rarely turns down jobs but there are some buildings that he 'wouldn't be interested in doing'.
A prison is one such building as 'it is a place without life, not a humanistic kind of place to build'.
The other is a hospital which he says is very special and specific. 'Its main role is in getting a patient well. Architecture is not important in a hospital. It is not a place I want to get involved in.'
In 1984, he was awarded the Pritzker Prize for Architecture, considered the field's highest honour. At 49, he was then the youngest recipient. 'It was great to get it but I didn't think about being the youngest,' he says. 'I thought it was gratifying to receive it but it was nothing that changed my life.'
He has wanted to be an architect since he was 14. 'I feel you need that passion and drive to be an architect. It takes total dedication,' he says.
He adds that his love for making things such as model airplanes and boats during his childhood created an interest in this profession. 'I could never get the airplanes to fly, and my boats sometimes sank,' he says with a laugh.
The man has humour. When asked what is the best thing about being Richard Meier, his immediate response is: 'I can tell you what's worst. Growing old,' before bursting into a chuckle.
His two children have not followed in his footsteps. His 33-year-old son Joseph is a sculptor, while daughter Ana, 30, designs furniture.
'It would be nice if they had become architects but it is up to them,' he says.
While some see architects such as Briton Norman Foster and American Daniel Libeskind as the design stars of today, Mr Meier does not think of himself as one. In Singapore, Mr Foster designed the Supreme Court building, while Mr Libeskind designed the Reflections at Keppel Bay condominium.
Mr Meier says there are stars in every field, be it in architecture, medicine, law or film.
'There are certain people who do well and people respond to that. Some of us are better than others. I am happy for the opportunity to build good architecture, but I don't respond to the notion of 'starchitects'.'
Despite his own stellar success, there are no airs about him.
When complimented, he replies with a polite 'thank you'.
Was there a moment in his career when he knew he made it as an architect? He answers: 'I'm not sure I have yet made it.
'There's no point at which you made it, but you keep working and do the best you can.'
taysc@sph.com.sg
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PHOTOS: AMY ETRA, CAPITOL INVESTMENT HOLDINGS
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