Travertine: Out of Mineral Springs And In To Brentwood The Rock Catches Light

A building tells a story whether the Architect and builders want it to or not. Through out the centuries one can look at buildings and evaluate the status of the institution it housed. At one time castles where the largest and highest structures built. Religious structures had their time. Today many of the tallest and most elaborate buildings belong to banks and other financial institutions. Often the materials used are also very revealing. Some structures are built for utilitarian ends, the materials basic and budget worthy. Some structures have an image to project. Stone tile and travertine tile offer a sense of grace with power. Perhaps no building has recently employed travertine tile as effectively as the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

Travertine is a sedimentary rock. It is formed by geothermal activity and consists of carbonate minerals. In essence it is a limestone and has many pores. liquid seeps through the limestone and interacts with and dissolves the carbonate. The mineral rich liquid seeps to the surface where it deposits either aragonite or calcite. These minerals continue to build up into a solid deposit. The accumulation turns into travertine. The creation of travertine reliant on temperature and CO2 levels. This is why travertine is found near geothermal hot springs. A Travertine surface has pores and fossils that make it an interesting building material.

The Getty Center in Brentwood took time to develop. It was built on two canyon crests above the 405 overlooking the Los Angeles Basin. Critics of the project objected to one of the the few unscarred mountains surrounding L.A. being destroyed. Today, many of the original critics are supporters of the museum. The Getty Center is available to everyone. It is an attractive tribute to ancient castles. The Getty Center is a public private retreat. The building and grounds are as beautiful as the art housed within. One of the enchanting elements of the project is the use of travertine through out the project.

The travertine blocks are rough and contain crystalline deposits and fossils. They hold the shadows of the sun as it arcs across the sky. The project made use of 1.2 million square feet of Travertine. It is as heavy as 16,000 tons. The stone was cleft-cut from quarries in Bagni di Tivoli, 15 miles outside of Rome. Great care was taken to retain the fossilized plants and feather sections. The white amber stone is a perfect match for the California sun. Around noon the Getty Center shines bright on the hill. As the day goes on, the light pulls out the honey color, and the rocks glow red with the setting of the sun.

The Getty Center employees travertine to its best effect in a dramatic design. These mineral rich rocks seem to grant the same kind of peace one might have achieved sitting in the springs near which they came.

Connor R. Sullivan and his wife chose to redo their bathroom with elegant travertine tile. He and his wife recently redid their foyer with stone tile.