Getty Center
Richard Meier & Partners · Los Angeles, United States · 1997
Richard Meier's Getty Center organizes museum, research and institutional functions across a hilltop campus above Los Angeles. Opened in 1997, the ensemble uses pale stone, geometric volumes and a series of courts and terraces to connect the buildings with broad views of the city. Arrival by tram makes the approach part of the architectural experience. The complex rewards attention to transitions between formal institutional spaces, gardens and distant landscapes rather than only to the individual gallery buildings. Visiting: Museum admission is free with advance reservation. Parking and some special programmes are charged separately.