Salk Institute

[Beton Brut]

I had a meeting there with the Director of Materials Management (why I "work" on vacation is puzzling to me too).

Of course, I took some shots that are currently uploading to my Flickr account; looking forward to sharing with all of you.

What to say? It's an astonishing place. Anyone who claims interest in architecture should go see Salk. The concrete is polished as smooth as the travertine walkways. The redwood siding has been burnished by the sun. It feels like an ancient, inhabited ruin, something from Egypt or Rome or Assyria.

Will post the good stuff later today.

 

[Beton Brut]

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

What/Where is this place?

 

[Lrfox]

^San Diego, CA and it is incredible.

*Edit. I'm sure they ( www.salk.edu ) can explain what better than I can.

 

[Pierce]

It is the home of the Salk Institute, as in Jonas Salk. It is in LaJolla, California, was designed by Louis Kahn, and is widely regarded as a masterpiece.

 

[Beton Brut]

What/Where is this place?

Sorry, van. Here's a bit more info.

 

[unterbau]

Louis I Kahn is such an amazing architect. The Phillips Exeter library is amazing, too.

 

[ablarc]

If the architecture is great enough, you don't need plants.

They thought that at City Hall, but it seems a harder sell in Boston.

 

[Lrfox]

^The environment also helps this. The ocean and perfect climate help A) keep Salk looking clean and not so run down and B) this structure's attractiveness. If this spent 4-5 months every year covered with salt, sand, snow and surrounded by gray skies, it may not be as nice.

The architecture is stunning though.

 

[statler]

The concrete is polished as smooth as the travertine walkways.

b?ton lisse?

 

[Beton Brut]

b?ton lisse?

Strictly speaking, yes, though I'm not sure that Kahn would have refered to it as such.

 

[Lurker]

Did you pick up on the elephants?

 

[Beton Brut]

You mean this? (Result of Googling "salk institute + elephants")

 

[briv]

These are beautiful, Brut. Thanks for posting them.

I'm so jealous. Regrettably, I've never had the chance to visit a Kahn building. The Salk is the one I want to see the most, though. I imagine it must be sublime in person.

I definitely see a trip up to Exeter in my near future.

 

[Beton Brut]

I definitely see a trip up to Exeter in my near future.

Been thinking about this briv. Potential field trip for some of us? We could also visit this little Frank Lloyd Wright gem, possibly the world's most beautiful ranch house.

 

[Lurker]

Because Toby got me to fire up photoshop today. Can you all see the elephants now? Khan had a similar sense of architectural humor as Cram.

 

[kennedy]

That's awesome (the elephants)! And, I think I just found one of my favorite structures ever. Is the Salk Institute at all part of the Getty Center? I have some vague memory of an uncle telling me that if I want to be an architect, I must visit the Getty Center.

 

[Ron Newman]

huh? the Salk Institute is in San Diego (La Jolla).

 

[Beton Brut]

Can you all see the elephants now?

Nice find, Lurker -- I honestly had no idea.

I think of Salk and much of Kahn's work as fine cabinetry, executed in concrete.

Kennedy, The Salk Institute, as Ron says, is on a high bluff in La Jolla, about 20 minutes north of downtown San Diego. Louis Kahn designed it in the 60's.

Now the Getty Center is another story. Richard Meier was commissioned to design the entire complex in the 90's, but the curatorial staff made a mess of the interiors. I've not visited it, but have driven by it a number of times on visits to LA.

IMHO, there's better architecture to look at in Los Angeles than Meier.

 

[kennedy]

Got it. I wasn't sure about the where of the Getty Center, and was actually too lazy to Google it.