Located in La Defense, France, covering  95,000 sq.m. The West Tower houses offices and the East Tower houses a 4-star hotel and a hotel residence. Structure includes offices grouped in pairs with open views and external planted loggias-gardens. The position of the building is exceptional but the basement, occupied by the railway lines, determines the constructability and the very shape of the project. The two towers are linked by a manned bridge that houses an auditorium, a restaurant opening onto terraces, a fitness center and a swimming pool, as well as a restaurant-bar with a unique suspended viewpoint revealing a spectacular panoramic view of Paris and La Défense.

The building style increases surface in height, developing in cantilever towards an open leveled area. Presented as three curved leaves that appear to spring from the ground, the towers work like a stem that widens over a high height and resonate with the curvature of the surrounding buildings. The outer façade is covered by a protective glass skin silkscreened with thin white lines that allow the view to pass through but filter out UV rays.

Built for The University of Paris, this 35,000 sq.m space is located in the heart of eastern Paris and will be used for art, literature and languages, and human and social sciences. The structure will rehouse the University of Sorbonne Nouvelle and is surrounded by existing buildings. The goal of this design is to support a place of learning and be suited for individual work, community life and a large number of students. It is considered an innovative, ecological block within the University grounds.

In the center, the library has been planned as a unifying element. Triangular in shape, it forms a courtyard – a central corridor and hub of university life that is surrounded by connected buildings.

The building and library are open to researchers, as well as the public.

Finishes in 2009, the Galeo Building for the French property development company Bouygues Immobilier spans 24,000 sq. m, contains multi-program of offices, a business restaurant, retail, multi-function commercial spaces and a 5-level place car park.

This project is composed of three buildings along a street. The block has a public path crossing the site, and existing workers’ houses and mill houses are integrated into the whole. Along the street, two office buildings, Dueo and Trieo, are constructed in contrasting materials. The geometry of the Galeo Building has a “double skin” of glass scales which plays a practical role, insulating the office floors from fluctuations in external temperature and allows for the opening of broad windows. The interior consists of offices that are soft and light-filled. At night, this crystal exterior becomes a “lamp” visible from the highway, despite it being surrounded by large buildings. The entire project is HEQ® accredited for its high standard of environmental performance and efficiency.

Architect Christian de Portzamparc is a leading designer and urban planner who studied architecture in Paris and New York. Portzamparc became well known for his designs of the rue des Hautes Formes in Paris and a large-scale project for François Mitterrand called the City of Music in 1995. It consisted of music halls of different sizes and a music museum. The draw towards the arts comes from his enduring passion for music and has led him to participate in several series of music and dance-related architectural competitions prompting awards and spectacular architecture. His style is marked with distractive features such as bold designs that stem from being a watercolor painter. Most of his work is concentrated on concert halls, opera, philharmonies and urban planning.

One of the most recent projects is the Great Theater of Casablanca. It is the largest theater in Africa at 20,245 sq.m. The interior consists of a multipurpose hall with a flexible theater, an amplified music room, public rehearsal rooms, special events rooms, shops, restaurant, café, cyberspace, space for reading, a library, showroom and an art gallery. The exterior is a simple white façade with a large entry point providing shade from the sun and can be turned into an exterior stage. A fluid ensemble that is inviting to visitors and leads to a large public gallery formed from curved red staff pillars. The structure utilizes natural light from above and on the sides with open walkways. 

“Gives a complementary twist to classical composition”

Built to flow with nature. No air conditioning meant the house needed to be aerodynamic enough for the ocean breeze to go through the house. Openable windows and larger doorways allow for that air to pass through. Most of the houses have a layout of a ranch-style or a shotgun house. The beautiful weather, smell of the ocean, and of course fresh brewed Kahuna Coffee filled the house while keeping windows and doors wide open. The materials used to build the house were mostly natural woods and stalks from native plants. Sustainability and efficiency were key to providing a long-lasting structure that could stand against high ocean winds, sea spray, immense amount of sand and potential higher tides. 

All of my experiences on the North Shore were extraordinary, it’s where I found my love of the sea and marine life. Waking up to the crashing waves outside the window produced a feeling of home for a long time. Being located just steps away from life and nature was great, but being inside a house that felt like being within nature topped it. These houses that are structured to bare the winds, storms, and vegetation fit within the environment they are built in. Designing architecture for a place promotes long-term sustainability, efficiency, and use. 

The Cape, as locals and surrounding residents call it, has standing architecture from the early settlements built by those that traveled to the America’s in the 1700-1800’s. Most structures include the original framing and facades while being renovated inside to fit present-day sustainable needs. The upkeep of landscapes and the buildings is crucial because of the proximity to the ocean where risk of rust and other deteriorating effects can occur. 

This past summer, I was fortunate enough to go on a trip with a friends’ family to Cape Cod. There I was able to take a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard to experience the beautiful architecture that has been standing since the early 1800’s. Houses proudly display signage that tell stories of what happened and who lived there. Most of the houses and buildings looked the same but one could tell that some were younger than the rest due to the changes in design. The architecture throughout the island created part of its identity that rings true to this day. The colonial renditions encompassed in each building gives an insight to the history of where the original settlers were from and what influenced their choice in design.

Built between 1477 and 1480 by Giovanni dei Dolci for Pope Sixtus IV. The exquisite painted ceiling by Michelangelo is one of the must-see attractions of Vatican City. Nearly 5 million visitors in a year, with about 20,000 a day during peak tourist season. There is a major risk to the painted ceiling when about 2,000 visitors at a time bring in dust, carbon dioxide, and sweat. 

My experience while taking a tour was initially overwhelming with how many people they pack into the chapel like sardines. There was a single guard standing on a balcony yelling “Silence” since there was a very strict rule of no talking. It would be difficult to see every inch of the 500-year-old architecture with so many people jammed next to you. It was beautiful inside and out but the experience could have been much better.

Built in 1969 by architects Dow Gumerson and Donald McCormick using a newer method of pouring concrete and sandblasting, the materials had given the well-known look of the Physical Science Center. Also known as the “Waring Blender”, the building had never been one of the favorable buildings on campus even by faculty because of the extensive problems it has had. It includes 28 classes and lecture rooms, as well as 54 research and class laboratories that were connected with the Chemistry building. This 5.5-million-dollar project originally included connective buildings that would follow down Elm Street towards Brooks though was cut short when lack of money and resources occurred. 

My encounter with this was a negative experience because the one class that I despised and failed was chemistry and it took place in this building. Part of the experience was that most freshman take classes in the building but live on the other side of campus, thus having to walk from one side to the other was brutal in the summer heat. That heat lasted until November and there was no substantial air conditioning most of the time within the building. There were tiny elevators that took forever to run up and down so the students were expected to walk up the twelve flights of stairs that seemed to be narrower than any staircase known to man. You would get bumped by other sweaty freshman going up and down the stairs. The classrooms were tiny in order to fit more into the building schematics. I have yet to encounter a student that enjoys being in the Physical Science Center even after being a student here for four years, even President Cross called it the “Devil Tower”!