The last building from Williams and Tsien that I’ll cover is the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, and this very well may be the best one so far.  Much like the other buildings, it has the squared stones covering the entire exterior of the structure, however this time, about a quarter of the exterior is covered with reflecting tiles shining bright at night. Next, the shape of the building is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before; it’s somewhat of a three-dimensional hexagon. I also appreciate how the nature surrounding the building allows people to walk around, soak in, and enjoy the sight that is the Obama Presidential Center.

The next building from Williams and Tsien that caught my attention was the LeFrank Center at Lakeside, located in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY. I’m now detecting a pattern in Williams and Tsien’s exterior design: it seems they like using the squared stones, which I sincerely have nothing against. I personally believe the exterior designs are beautiful. Along with the gorgeous ice skating rinks, the LeFrank Center looks like it could be a nice getaway home in the arctic. A place where you can relax inside, and then skate around with your significant other for a while. It’s perfect for this upcoming Christmas season.

For Williams and Tsien’s next architectural work, I looked into the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, PA. The outside of the building is totally covered with large, white, square stones. This was accompanied by a reflecting pool that looked as if it was from the year 2035. The whole building had me asking myself, “is this how buildings will look in the future?” I say this because it looks a decade or two ahead of its time. I still can’t wrap my head around how the top section of the structure stuck out so much further than the bottom. The Barnes Foundation is truly ahead of its time, in my opinion.

When I first began my second round of blogs, I was assigned the married architect duo of Tod Williams and Billie Tsien.  My initial thought was, “great, two people who I’ve never heard of and will probably bore me to death.” However, I was wrong. The first building of their’s which I looked into was the American Folk Art Museum; when I looked it up I had never seen anything like it before in my life. While it does stick out like a sore thumb among the average skyscrapers of New York, I found a deep appreciation for its uniqueness. The outside reminded me of what you’d see on the wall of a fancy hotel fountain: many tall, dark, stone brocks put together. It’s certainly different, but at the same time it’s gorgeous.

Because of my strong vendetta against my dorm, I spent an awful lot of time at the Sigma Nu fraternity house, which I can comfortably say is the nicest house on OU’s campus. To give context, it opened up in the spring of 2017 so it’s almost brand new. I still remember receiving my initial tour: the balcony that overlooked south of campus was probably my favorite part. In the spring of 2019 we finalized our state-of-the-art media rooms that use the same technology as the biggest IMAX theater in the country. All the amenities plus the memories I’ve made with my friends makes the Sigma Nu house especially important to me.

When I first came to OU from California, I was a scared kid who didn’t know a single soul, and once I got to Walker Tower for the first time, I instantly thought “this doesn’t make me feel any better.” My nine months living in Walker Tower was arguably the most exhausting experience of my life. Within the first five minutes of me being in my dorm room, the toilet paper holder broke off. On top of this, there was mold in our shower and our hall smelled like mold the entire time. The fact that this building still stands for more freshman to live in should be a crime against humanity. I was just lucky to have a safe haven in my fraternity house to go back to.

One of the most memorable experiences of my life was the eighth-grade trip to Washington D.C. I definitely won’t forget our first day when we went to the National Cathedral. Never before had I seen such elegant gothic architecture, but at the time I would’ve just said “wow, that church looks dope!” I was absolutely stunned by the array of colors on the stain-glass windows. Also, I distinctly recall how long the path was from the doorway to the alter; our tour guide said that the path was so long that it gave enough time for a bride to change her mind during a wedding. I also remember that the organ had pieces that ranged from the size of your pinky to about 30 feet tall. All these different components permanently imprinted the experience in my mind. I highly encourage, if you’re going to D.C., stop at the National Cathedral.

While growing up in San Jose, I didn’t see a lot of tall buildings; my hometown’s airport was right by downtown so towers couldn’t exceed a certain height. That’s why when I went to Chicago back in 2013, I was mesmerized by the sheer size of the Willis Tower. To my 13-year-old self, it looked like four separate towers put together and I was truly in awe of how I could see the reflection of the city on the structure. This still didn’t compare to how it looked at night; it looked like a continuation of the night sky with most of the building lights still on. When most people travel to the windy city, they look for quality food, the Bean, or a Cubs game… too many people don’t go to see the wonder that is the tallest skyscraper in America.