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Getty Art Centre
Los Angeles, 1984-1997
Presented by :
Charu Sukheeja
B.Arch- iv yr
Architect : Richard Meir
Biography
 Born on October 12, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey
 1957 - completed B.Arch at Cornell University in Ithaca
 1984 - awarded the Pritzker Prize
 1989 - awarded a royal gold medal by the Royal Institute of
British Architects
Philosophy
 Main figure in the “New York Five”
 Main concepts: Light, Color and Place.
 Main focus - placeness: "What is it that makes a space a place."
 Plain geometry, layered definition of spaces and effects of light and shade.
 Forms interlaced in landscape.
 Usually designs white Neo-Corbusian forms with enameled panels and glass
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Exploited the two naturally occurring ridges by
overlaying two grids along these axes.
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Along one axis : galleries
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Along the other axis : administrative buildings.
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The primary grid structure is a 30-inch square;
most wall and floor elements are 30-inch
squares or some derivative thereof.
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Six buildings on 124 acres (50 hectares) :
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Getty Conservation Institute
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Getty Education Institute for the Arts
Getty Grant Program
Getty Information Institute
J. Paul Getty Trust, the Getty Research
Institute for the History of Art and the
Humanities
J. Paul Getty Museum
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It is architecture for the 21st century
as imagined in the early 20th century.
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There are no diversionary pediments
and keystones, only suave geometries
and rigorous details.
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Richard Meier, designed the building
in a way that it offers framed
panoramic views of the city.
 "the most complex task imaginable,“ in
it was Mr. Meier's goal to design six
separate buildings, each with its
individual purpose and architectural
identity, and yet to produce "a feeling of
intimacy and coherence" among them.
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The museum has a seven-story deep
underground parking garage with over
1,200 parking spaces.
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Automated driverless three –car tram.
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The 134,000-square-foot Central Garden
at the Getty Center is the work of artist
Robert Irwin.
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Throughout the campus, numerous
fountains provide white noise as a
background
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Five pavilions around a garden
courtyard, interconnected by walkways,
some open air.
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Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the gods from whom Meier claims stylistic
influence, and the basic form of this building -- a five- story cylinder whose
salient interior feature is a broad ramp that follows the building's curve as it
descends -- suggests Wright's Guggenheim Museum with the sides straightened
and one large slice of the layer cake removed.
Materials
Three major architectural materials:
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Stone - beige-colored, cleft-cut,
textured, fossilized travertine catches
the bright Southern California light
Glass
Concrete and steel with
either travertine or aluminium cladding.
 Abstract collages of interlocking
white-metal-clad boxes and curved
white-metal-clad walls, with nothing but
dark punched windows and steel stair
rails for exterior ornament.
Lighting
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Galleries, offices, and the auditorium lead out to
courtyards and terraces; all offices receive natural
light.
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First floor galleries house light-sensitive art, such as
illuminated manuscripts, furniture or photography.
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Computer-controlled skylights on the second floor.
The second floors are connected by a series of glass
enclosed bridges and open terraces.
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Most Sophisticated Computerized Lighting System
Ever Installed In An Art Gallery.
Photo sensors located throughout the galleries:
measure and monitor incoming light on upper level of
the museum.
22 skylit galleries showcasing the museum’s priceless
painting collections.
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To counteract the damaging effects of direct sunlight,
an elaborate configuration of shades and louvers
were installed throughout the museum’s galleries and
common areas to direct and control the stream of
incoming light.
Conclusion
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Getty Center portrays three key points that characterize
good architecture: interaction, consistency and unity.
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The structure is clear and decipherable, it is complex in
plan and overly rich in texture. The play of volumes and
proportions, manifested in the cascade of terraces and
balconies, flow of ramps, galleries, arcades and
staircases, weave the interplay of nature and
architecture.
Thank You