Hangar 25 is an airplane hangar located in Burbank, California that was designed by John Picard. The hangar is 62,000 feet, was designed to be more environmentally friendly (relying on solar power for electric vehicles and office operations, low-water plumbing, an innovative non-chemical fire suppression system, etc.), and was the first facility of its kind to ever receive LEED Platinum certification. The facility also received the Environmental Management Award from the Airports Council International-North America. The design of the hangar was meant to be used as a basis for similar projects in the future.

Atlantic Station is a mall located in Atlanta, Georgia that was designed by John Picard. The mall has a variety of dining and shopping options, a large Regal Cinema and claims to be Atlanta’s premier shopping center. I didn’t realize it until I started reading about this place, but I actually went to this mall when I was in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl. We stopped here on the way back to Oklahoma and I got to enjoy fresh California Pizza Kitchen for the first time. The mall isn’t a single enclosed building so it can be difficult to keep track of where you’re going, but there are plenty of maps posted to let you know where you are and where everything is around you. It’s truly a great place to go if you find yourself in the Atlanta area.

CityCenter Las Vegas is a complex that plays host to multiple major hotels on the Las Vegas strip. The complex was designed in part by John Picard, with Gensler being the executive architectual firm on the project. The complex has approximately 2,400 condos and 4,800 hotel rooms distributed throughout the hotels located within. The plan for the project was announced in 2004 and was originally slated to cost $4 billion, but increasing costs and changes to the original design ended up pushing the price to $9.2 billion. Most of the buildings were finished and opened in 2009, but the Veer Towers didn’t open until 2010.

The Grand Wailea Maui Resort is a luxury resort hotel located in Maui, Hawaii that was designed by John Picard. The resort has a large number of trees, plenty of beautiful water features and the hotel building itself has a sleek, curved design. The resort is 40 acres, was opened in 1991, and is one of the largest private employers in Maui. It is a very well known and very well designed resort and is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful resorts I’ve seen a picture of (that are still within the US).

South Florida State College is a college located in Avon Park, Florida that offers associate degrees, occupational certificates, a GED program, and select bachelor’s degree programs such as elementary education. I started taking my first college class here in the summer right after 10th grade when I was 16. The campus was primarily outside and was much larger than my high school, although is nothing in comparison to OU. The architecture on campus was absolutely beautiful. The buildings were sleek and modern, the insides were (in most buildings) looking really clean and fresh, and the landscaping on campus was beautiful. There was even a nature path that you could go to that would take you into this woods-type area. You’re on a wooden walkway and there’s plenty of room and benches to sit down with friends and hang out, do homework in peace, or just relax in nature. There are many reasons why I prefer OU as a college, but I do strongly prefer SFSC’s architecture and campus.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the primary stadium used by the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. I believe that, for most people, this stadium would be recognizable because of the Falcons and/or because it hosted a Super Bowl recently. However, the stadium also plays host to the Peach Bowl and a variety of NCAA football games. This year, I was able to be part of the Pride of Oklahoma marching band and so I was able to accompany the band and the football team to the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, where we unfortunately got stomped out 63-28 by a dominant LSU national championship team. When I first saw the stadium, the size of it reminded me of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but the design of it intrigued me. The inside, however, truly caught me by surprise. At the top of the stadium was a roof that spun open and a circular video screen that is currently the 7th largest video screen in the world. The field looked beautiful and being able to look outside through the glass was such a great experience. Although we didn’t win the game, I will always be able to look positively on my experience in this stadium and with the band.

OU’s stadium has been involved in some of my earliest and happiest memories. I was born and spent 9 years in Texas before moving to Florida and I didn’t move to Oklahoma until I came out here to start classes. My dad, however, was born and grew up in Norman and loved OU football. I remember him having the windows open and screaming when something bad happened, jumping up and screaming when something great happened, and always letting the outcome of the game affect his day. I didn’t understand football until I moved out here and decided to take the time to figure it out, so I don’t remember any specifics of any games I watched with him when I was younger. What I do remember was loving how excited my dad got, how open the house felt when the windows were open and the sun was shining, and how much I enjoyed throwing the football that we owned in our yard with my dad and my brother.

Avon Park High School is a high school located in Avon Park, Florida. This was my high school and was therefore a building where I spent a significant part of my life. My town was a small town and we only had one middle school and one high school. My senior class was a little over 100 people and it is drastically different than the life I got when I moved out here to Oklahoma. Our rival city/school was Sebring and, although Sebring was a different city and our rival, our middle and high schools were designed and built almost exactly the same way. For the most part, the structure is built out of brick and it is primarily outdoors. The only things inside buildings are generally classrooms and bathrooms so any time you walk to a different class, you get to experience some natural light. Although I didn’t have the greatest experiences there, I did love the campus.