Getty Center

The Getty Center straddles two hillside ridges in the Santa Monica mountains like a modernist Acropolis. This campus of buildings is more than just a museum; it is also a concert hall, an office complex, a research centre and a library. The museum is composed of five galleries arranged around a long courtyard fountain. The skin of all of the buildings is composed of 30-inch square panels, made of aluminium painted white, Meier's signature. Even the Italian travertine stonework follows this 30-inch grid pattern. The use of white in Meier's projects allows him to skilfully manipulate the natural light, reflecting the colours of the building's environment. The buildings are the most beautiful in the late afternoon/dusk when the golden light washes across the travertine and the sun sets across the Pacific Ocean.