Visited the Getty Center and it bugged me

Went to the Getty Center in LA last month. Walked through the garden area. The concrete retaining walls there had these weird patch jobs that were cracking already. Looked like they used the wrong mix or didn't let it cure right. Anyone else notice bad concrete work at famous buildings?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivangrant1mo ago

Getty paid a fortune for that place and their garden walls look like a DIY homeowner special. Saw the same kind of sloppy patchwork at the Broad Museum downtown, big name architects must not hang around to watch the actual pour. Cracking concrete on a brand new public garden is just embarrassing. Makes you wonder what they spend all that endowment money on.

faithb741mo ago

Have you tried talking to the project manager about the mix design they specified? In my experience, a lot of these high-end garden walls crack because the architect picks a smooth, white concrete finish that's super prone to shrinkage. I had a buddy who poured a similar wall for a city park, and they had to add a special fiber reinforcement and keep it wet for a full week to stop the cracking. Your mileage may vary, but sometimes it's not the crew's fault, it's a spec that looks good on paper but doesn't work in real life. The Broad might have the same issue with their stamp pattern, it's a headache that's pretty common with decorative concrete.