LA Architecture Tour – Pritzker Prize-winning Architecture
Often called the “Nobel Prize of Architecture,” the international Pritzker Prize is given to one living architect annually to honor his or her body of work. Today’s itinerary takes you to Los Angeles architectural masterpieces designed by three Pritzker Prize-winning architects.
Start at the southwest corner of Main and 1st Street in Downtown LA. CalTrans District 7 Headquarters sounds like a snooze until you discover that Thom Mayne and his firm, Morphosis, designed this modern wonder. CalTrans calls the 13-story structure futuristic with a design that goes beyond merely providing a functional workplace for almost 2,000 people. On the Main Street side, the building’s street number “100” rises four stories over the entrance. The main lobby, in typical LA style, blurs the boundaries between inside and outside space. Notice the neon tubes that grace the façade and comprise the massive environmental artwork — appropriately named “Motordom” — by artist Keith Sonnier. The tubes evoke taillights streaming down the freeway. Also look inside the lobby up to the third-floor conference room.
It’s a five-block walk west on 1st Street to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The first glimpse is breathtaking. The stainless steel curved exterior unfolds like rose petals or the sails of a ship. The interior is a stark contrast, with Douglas fir in an abstract, tree trunk arrangement. Here, Frank Gehry has designed one of the most architecturally sophisticated concert venues in the world, with perfect acoustics designed by Yasuhisa Toyota. when they do not conflict with performances. The auditorium itself is not included in the tours when performers are rehearsing there. More often than not, you’ll have to attend a performance to see that.
Take the 110 Freeway south from Downtown LA to the 10 Freeway going west, then the 405 Freeway north to Getty Drive to reach the Getty Center. Richard Meier designed this breathtaking cultural center with views of the city and the sea. This $1 billion complex actually contains six buildings — far more than just one museum. Meier captured the essence of Southern California living with the open spaces and stunning gardens. Meier used Italian travertine marble (16,000 tons imported from Tivoli) for the Getty Center’s massive façade because he liked how light plays off the finish.
