Last week, we discussed the competition for the design of The Hague’s City Hall and library, which was won by Richard Meier. This week, we shall talk about the iconic building the American architect shaped and how Calcutta is suffering mediocre designs.

Meier had made a name in Europe with his Museum fur Kunsthandwerk in Frankfurt, and was contracted for many projects in Germany, France and the Netherlands. This led him to being referred to as the most European of the American architects.

Meier’s City Hall is a fairly colossal building, structured around a huge atrium. The walls throughout the building are faced with white slabs, a characteristic feature of his works. The layout of the building is based on logically-ordered, geometric shapes.

The people of The Hague are extremely proud of their City Hall and Library. The iconic building has not only energised the city centre but also put the city on the international map of great contemporary buildings.

In India, too, we have a few cities known among the architecture fraternity for great examples of contemporary public architecture selected through proper competitions. Many of these competitions were followed by public exhibitions.

But in Calcutta, people are a mute witness to mediocre designs selected through “open” tenders while the city’s skyline gets one ugly edifice after another. The reason for the open tender is not quite clear. Although the calling of the tender is “open”, the process of declaring the results is not. A cash-starved state is out on the streets with a begging bowl and it cannot be hidden behind suits and ties. Architecture has a unique way of showcasing the culture and mindset of people and its time.

Hundreds of years later, people will look back on this era when in a race among laggards, convenience was chosen over quality in all spheres of life.