By: Blayne Nichols

Capitol Federal Hall is located at the University of Kansas, home of the school of business. Gensler and Associates’ goal during the design process was to inspire entrepreneurship. The building is 4 stories tall and has spaces for students and faculty. It has study rooms, labs, offices, and conference rooms. Within the building, collaboration and connection is encouraged. Buildings like this should be on every college campus.

By: Blayne Nichols

The Finance Centre Tower, designed by Gensler and Associates, is located in Manila, Philippines. It is 44 stories tall and is 1.3 million square feet. There is all kinds of programs within the building, from retail stores to penthouse offices. The two main focuses during the design was economic expansion and sustainability. They expected to rent the office spaces to local industries and firms to aid the expansion. The outer walls are made out of aluminum and glass and the orientation of the building is optimized for efficiency. The building also harvests rainwater and graywater. The building is impressive and almost blends in with the sky.

By: Blayne Nichols

Shanghai Tower, designed by Gensler Associates, is located in Shanghai, China. It is 632 meters tall and is China’s tallest building. It has a centralized structure and an outer glass shell. The shell has a 120 degree twist from the base to the top. The building was built with sustainability in mind. The main focus was light pollution, 87% of the outside of the building is constructed of glass. The recommendation for low light pollution is 70%, so they constructed the glass in layers to bring the reflectiveness of the glass to 12%. This made the building very efficient at absorbing the sunlight and not reflecting it onto the surrounding city. Shanghai Tower is a symbol of sustainability and conservation.

By: Blayne Nichols

The Incheon International Airport was designed by Gensler and associates. It is located in Incheon, South Korea. Within the airport, there is a heavy emphasis on nature as plants can be seen everywhere. But the air port is also very modern. A large portion of the roof is made of glass and supported by pillars. The glass roof allows for an abundance of natural light and the pillars are made to resemble trees. The building was designed to allow for passengers to feel calm and refreshing as they immerse themselves in Korean culture.

By: Blayne Nichols

This my favorite piece of architecture close to home. The church is located in Tulsa, OK. In Tulsa, I feel like this building is overlooked because there are more examples of modern architecture in the city, such as the BOK Center. As a little kid I first saw this building at night, I noticed it because the top has colorful lights. The reason I could see it was because we were stuck in stop and go traffic. The church is right by one of the highways that leads into the city. I could not count how many hours I spent looking at the Boston Avenue Methodist Church while stuck in stop and go traffic. For the longest time this building made me want to be an architect but after discovering my passion for working on vehicle and engines, this dream faded. But it is one of the reasons that I decided to take this class.

By: Blayne Nichols

This massive cathedral is located in Barcelona, Spain. This was the very first building I visited on my first trip out of The United States of America. What a great way to kick off the trip. The cathedral is still under construction, but in the middle of Barcelona it towers over everything in the city. The inside is so big, with tall vaulted ceilings and wonderful pillars. The architecture on the outside is very impressive, but on the inside it is so breathtaking that it is over whelming. I could not count how many times I got dizzy from walking around looking upwards. It is by far one of the favorite place I have been.

By: Blayne Nichols

I have family that lives in Puerto Rico and every time we visit we have to take a trip to this castle. This castle is on a peninsula at the inlet of the Bay of San Juan . There are not many restrictions at the castle so you can go almost anywhere in it. The yard in front is massive as a result there are always people and vendors congregated there. Being on a peninsula there is always high winds, so it is the best spot to fly kites in PR, hundreds of kites are flown daily. It has a great view of the ocean and a great atmosphere. If you are ever in Puerto Rico, I would recommend checking it out, and its admission fee is cheap.

By: Blayne Nichols

In 2015, my family went on a trip to France and Spain, I was 15 years old at the time. We visited this Château, It was stunning. It was one of the biggest buildings I have been in. In fact it was so big it made me feel like an ant. The Château has 426 rooms, 282 fireplaces and 77 staircases. It is one of the largest Châteaus in France. I was so young when I was there, I could not fathom the significance of a building like this. As a immature kid I took most of this experience for granted. I wish I could go back and actually appreciate it.