The Getty Center

Richard Meier clad the Getty Center in roughly 16,000 tons of cleft-cut travertine from Bagni di Tivoli, the same quarries that supplied ancient Rome. Rather than polishing the stone, Meier specified a machine-split face that exposes the travertine's layered sedimentary structure, fossil impressions and natural voids.

The choice demonstrates how travertine behaves at scale: warm under the Californian sun, crisp under the shadow of deep reveals, and quietly varied across every panel. No two pieces are identical, which is the point. The material carries the weight of a monumental institution without reading as monolithic.

Travertine of this character is available today from Turkish and Italian quarries in a range of cuts and finishes, from the rough cleft Meier favoured to honed, brushed and filled surfaces suited to interior use.