ABSTRACT
One of the keys to understanding contemporary architecture is the interaction between time and space. A phenomenological solution can be distinguished among the various approaches to this issue. The research subject is two selected completed projects by Andreas Meck (1959-2019) in Munich (Germany). The works of the architect deserve attention not only because of their special artistic qualities but also because of their unique symbolic meaning and timeless character. Meck implemented phenomenology in architectural design in the early stages when Peter Zumthor promoted this trend. Meck’s designs correspond to Zumthor’s writings. His funeral center in the Riem district, designed in collaboration with Stephan Köppel, was created according to the phenomenological concept ‘motion, weight, and substance’. This triad was popularized in the theory of architecture by Thomas Thiis-Evensen in the 1980s. A second later work by Andreas Meck was designed together with Wolfgang Amann, Susanne Frank, Peter Fretschner, Wolfgang Kusterer, and Werner Schad. The cultural and spiritual center at the Nordheide estate presents an even more advanced implementation of phenomenological rules. At first glance, all the buildings are examples of contemporary minimalist architecture, but a more detailed study shows that designs are, in fact, a more advanced and subtle play of the senses. These issues are especially relevant from the point of view of the parallel form development toward virtual reality and haptic architecture.
