The Maison Louis Carre, designed in 1956, is yet another example of Aalto’s well known architecture and design style. It was a spin on modern architecture with an emphasis on the materials and furnishings. He was also consulted when it came to the landscaping of the house and surrounding areas. The entrance to the house has a large hall that leads to the different wings and areas of the house, along those walls there are large panels for art pieces to be displayed, as the owner of the home was a very well known art dealer.

This structure is very similar to that of Villa Mairea because of both designs to be on the more modern end of the spectrum. He also used similar materials to Villa Mairea, incorporating an abundance of wood to add warmth and depth.

The Villa Mairea was a project that Aalto worked on for Harry and Maire Gullichsen. It was meant to be a guest house and they gave Aalto complete freedom to experiment with any materials and ideas that he wanted. Not only did he deliver on making the house unique but he created a timeless piece of architecture that would stand the test of time. The interior has material changes that highlight the structure itself. He would meet one type of stone to another and then that stone would then meet glass. This had not really been done before and definitely not to this extent. Making a significant impact in the transition from traditional to modern architecture.

Not only was this one of, if not, the most famous of Aalto’s works but it really transformed architects and designers at the time. He changed their whole outlook on modern architecture and gave a different perspective when it came to materials and their way of changing a space. Something that ultimately changed the way all architects and designers use materials.

Finlandia Hall, completed in 1971, is like many other of Aalto’s works in the sense that he designed many government and governmental affairs buildings. This building doubles as an event venue with individual spaces that can be rented out. Since he knew that there would be performances there, he wanted to ensure that the acoustics were up to par, creating the tall white towers. This gave the individual experiencing the building the feeling that they were still in an intimate space but with the tall towers, the sound carried like church towers.

The interesting fact about this building is that Aalto designed everything, including the interiors. Not many architects design both the building and the interior spaces within. He had a hand in choosing everything from the types of walls, to the fabric on a seat cushion. He wanted to make sure that everything flowed nicely together and created a seamless experience.

The Nordic House, designed by Alvar Aalto, was opened in 1968 and is the workplace for the Nordic Council of Ministers. The purpose for the building is the create and support cultural connections between Iceland and other Nordic countries. In this space they hold cultural events and exhibitions through a program that was developed by the Council of Ministers. It also houses one of the more unique and important libraries in Iceland, it has over 30,000 books, some in all seven different Nordic languages.

This being one of Aalto’s later works of architecture, it still holds his signature mark of organic shaped design. The blue roof has a unique shape to it that draws the eye up the building. He also used materials that make the structure feel more natural and not so industrial.

Cattle Men’s Steak House in Fort Worth, Texas, located in the Fort Worth Stockyards, is the most famous restaurant in this area. It has a very western-style design that makes it so appealing to the viewer and makes it a true experience for the visitor. I chose this restaurant to showcase mostly for the interior of the building. I remember the first time I went into Cattle Men’s and I remember the experience of the matching ambiance of the restaurant to the rest of the stockyards.

The elements that play into the design that give it the feeling that is desired is first, the exterior. The outside of the building is wood paneled and has a western-style porch look. The signage on the outside is a western font with lights, the other source of exterior lighting is the small pendant lights that are shaped like lanterns. The interior of the building has more ambient lighting and has western-style decor, as well as artwork and pictures that show history of Fort Worth and the family that founded Cattle Men’s.

This building is one I chose to showcase because it was the first “tall” building that I vividly remember going into. 777 Main Street is the third tallest building in Fort Worth and is 40 stories tall. Designed and constructed in 1983, it was originally built for Carter and Burgess, an Architectural Engineering firm that my dad worked for when I was little. I remember going into the building and the 12th floor was the environmental area, where my dad worked, and his office window looked over the skybridge, which I thought was the coolest thing ever.

This building is so interesting to me because there are so many aspects that go into the planning and design based upon the buildings around them. This building is memorable and important to me because it does stand out to me and has influenced me as a designer and the direction that I am going when it comes to my career.

The Dallas County Courthouse is an iconic building within the heart of Downtown Dallas. It is known as the Big Red Brick Building and has kept much of it’s mystique and charm over the years. It was built in 1892 and is constructed of red sandstone with marble accents. It has since then been renovated and was also added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is the country’s longest standing courthouse and at the time of construction, was only $350,000 to design and build.

This building is interesting and memorable to me because it is so recognizable and is a key structure to Downtown Dallas. Everyone knows it as “The Big Red Building” and it is often used as a point of wayfinding around downtown. My dad worked in downtown Dallas when I was little and I remember walking around near this building and sitting on the front steps. At the time of course, I did not know it was a courthouse but it is still ingrained in my memory to this day.

The Perot Museum, located in Dallas, Texas, is a very interesting building because from the front view, which is down one of the major highways in the Park Village area of Dallas, the building seems like it is floating up above you because you can not directly see the entrance. There is also a floating escalator that is cut out of the building, that is completely made of glass and the viewer can see people walking up and down through the museum. The building is constructed of precast concrete panels that have textured fins that fade away as the building gets taller, creating an illusion of the building becoming a part of the sky above. An interesting concept of the building is something that you can not see from the outside, the roof is home to a rainwater collection system that fills a set of cisterns, which equals to about 50,000 gallons of water. The water is heated by solar panels and all of the landscaping is watered through a drip-irrigation system.

This building was one of the first buildings I visited after my first year of studying interior design, so I was able to apply the things I learned to this building and I could truly appreciate how the architect/designer made this building. It is so amazing because I have never personally seen a building like this. Another important factor to me is sustainability and this building check all of those boxes.