Building the Getty

This book should be required reading for all architecture students, it illustrates to the reader all that goes into getting something monumental like this built. The process is fascinating and Meier is quite candid. Highly recommended, with one caviat, the images should have been better and more abundent, but all and all a great read.

Richard meier has written a book that is indeed about not as much about the project itself as about the process, the setbacks, and the (literally) trials and tribulations that he and his firm went through while making it happen. i am an architect who after reading it realised that it is not only the small and struggling architects who have problems in making projects happen. Definitely a must read for anyone who wants a truly riveting but simply told tale behind one of the greatest projects on our age. You really can read it like a novel. Very well written.

One of the finest architectural masterpieces of the 20th century is depicted in this wonderful book written by the master builder himself - Richard Meier. This new Parthenon of modern times shows that modern architect are still capable of producing timeless buildings like in the age of classical Greece. The book is an insightful and delightful story about creating a mega project from the idea to implementation. A rare book which reminds of Vitruvius and Alberti in many ways. Higly recommended...

I enjoyed very much reading this book. It suprised me, because the lack of photographs did not prejudice the quality of the report given by Meier, although it could have helped it to become a perfect one. Its great for an architecture student like myself to become familiar with all the design process, its problems and joys; in a project that took 13 years to conclude. What I found most interesting was the way the architect exposed his work methods, his life and his own learning during the construction of the building that he considers to be his masterwork.