ROBERTO MEYER, ARCHITECT & FOUNDER MVSA

MVSA is more than just an architecture firm. With a team of seventy employees, architect Roberto Meyer runs his office as a creative institute spanning different disciplines and approaches. After several large, renowned projects, Mall of the Netherlands opened in 2021, following seven years as Westfield. MASTERS asks: who was Roberto's driving force?

MVSA is more than 'just' an architectural firm. With a team of seventy employees, architect Roberto Meyer sees his office as a creative institute with different disciplines and approaches. In addition to designing, the team also looks at exploitation, integrality and what the team contains wizkids in the IT field and the company entered into the first Public Private Partnership within architecture. After several large, renowned projects, in 2021, after seven years, Westfield Mall of the Netherlands opened. The largest high-end shopping center in the Netherlands and one of the larger in Europe. MASTERS wonders: who was Roberto's wheelbarrow? Text: Mical Joseph
Image: MVSA Architects

What kept you busy as a child?

“I was born in South America and moved from Colombia to the Netherlands at the age of 6. My mother is Uruguayan and my father was Dutch. He worked in Colombia for an American bank. After emigration we lived temporarily in a 50s bungalow. As a child I was already drawing and I thought that some things could really be changed in that bungalow. As far as I am concerned, that is the origin of my current profession.

I didn't find school interesting. During this period I partied a lot and met many new people. Ultimately, this helped me create a valuable network. So we can say that I was there early, haha.”

What was your very first job?

“When I took a break from the aforementioned lively and turbulent period, it wasn't until after high school when I started studying Architecture that I fully committed myself. I set up MVSA together with a partner at a very young age during my studies.”

What is very young?

“I was 23 years old. Such a thing was still possible back then, but nowadays it would be unthinkable that an Architecture student would start something so big at such a young age.”

Why is that unthinkable now?

“A lot has changed in the years that followed. It used to be that a client needed an architect, selected him, a plan was made, the builder was chosen and the result: the physical building. This is the process in a nutshell. Nowadays, an architectural firm is a multidisciplinary team of well-attuned people, supplemented by external experts and working closely with suppliers and clients. There are so many different facets within architecture, which makes it much more difficult for a 23-year-old to set up his or her own architectural firm at such a young age.”

How did your career come about?

“I had not yet graduated, but I already had my own projects running through the agency I set up. My goal was to participate in the Prix de Rome, the renowned State Prize for visual arts and architecture, but one was only allowed to participate once the studies had been completed. I didn't care about that: I sent the relevant minister a letter and explained why I was a suitable candidate. No sooner said than done: I graduated in 1990 and won silver with this project. Even before I graduated, someone within my network gave me the opportunity to build a villa. It was of course bizarre that he had confidence in someone who was just starting out and was only 23 years old, but in the end the end result was worth it.”

Who was your wheelbarrow?

“I am a huge social animal and have built up a large network over the past thirty years. That's been my wheelbarrow to be honest. As an agency, we work for both governments and large private parties. With MVSA we built the building for the EMA, NATO, Ministry of Finance and Rotterdam Central Station. We also work for major investors and developers. All in all, I have of course also learned a lot from the people I am in contact with for such projects.”

The largest shopping center in the Netherlands, Westfield Mall of the Netherlands, has opened in Leidschendam. Designed by MSVA Architects under the direction of you. How did you manage to make the 'un-Dutch' large mall 'intimate'?

“Usually one template a large building with an opening where you as a customer enter and where you end up in a covered shopping street. This is exactly what we didn't want. We wanted to create unity with the shape of the voile that embraces the entire building like a veil. This veil embraces all entities: these are the shops, cinemas and restaurants, each with its own entity. The flowing lines of the design guide the visitor inside, as it were. The colossal of one template as we know it, this shopping center does not have. You experience a human scale.”

You entered the building in Amsterdam that you are currently in just before the corona period and was designed by MVSA itself. What makes this project so unique?

“Our office is more than a beautiful building. Personally, I think the purely attractive design of a building is much too thin, that is obvious. We asked ourselves the question: 'How do you create a beautiful building that anticipates the future?' Through an integrated approach, in addition to all sustainability labels, we have twenty-six different IT systems that work together to make the building a pleasant place. In addition to a company canteen, which is compared to a nightclub, we have a fitness room with wellness center. As a result, our office is no longer primarily a place to work, but a place to meet, a clubhouse.”

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

“I like to raise the bar again and again. It gives me a kick to work on a project that is an important part of society.”

What has been the biggest turning point in your career?

“Often after completing a project I wanted to continue in the same way, because the assignment had been a success, but the turning point came just when I thought: 'We are not going to do it like that again'. It is important to stick my neck out, otherwise it will become deadly boring. I have learned to stick my neck out even more, but with the confidence that my team and I will get everything done with their expertise.” 

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

“Follow your heart and do what you like. That is the basis of all success.”

Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

“I believe that people should develop further, both in our office and outside of it. It's nice if I can inspire and encourage others. Especially the next generations. I also have a broad network, so I like to connect connections. Some people have good ideas, but do not always know how to put them into practice. I like to help them.”