Sarkey’s Energy Center has stood tall since it was built in 1990. It is home to energy and research as well as the College of Earth and Energy. It seems to be of the younger of building found at the University of Oklahoma, and it just so happens to be where I had a class on my first ever day of college. This is not the most fond place to have a class according to most college students here at the university, but that is solely because of the walking distance between this building and the majority of class buildings. It was definitely a burden trying to get to Sarkey’s and back to my dorm. It has had a positive impact of my life, though. This is where I made my first friend in college. We are still close three years later. We were both lost, as many newcomers find themselves to be, and just so happened to be looking for the same classroom. This signifies the start of me find a community here at the University of Oklahoma that I resonated with the most. Over the years, I have met many people and have made very close friends, and this was just the beginning.

Bizzell Memorial Library, also know as “The Bizz” was built in 1929. With additions being built onto it, the library stands different than it did when it was originally built. Today, it seems to be the face of the beautiful architecture found at the University of Oklahoma. The Bizz is where you may find many students studying until 3 AM hyped up on coffee from The Bookmark, a coffee shop on the bottom floor. It is of significance to me because this is where I too spent my evenings and nights Freshman year of university. It was in walking distance of the dorms that I resided in, and with it, come very fond memories as well as exhausting ones. Overall, it has impacted my positively. This is where I learned how to really apply myself and study. It helped to lay the foundation for how I study today in order to keep track of who I am going to be career wise.

This is a building unfamiliar to few. Grand Central Station, also known as Grand Central Terminal, opened in 1913. It was originally meant for railroads, but now that it had been transformed to meet the need of modern day New Yorkers, it has become a hot spot for tourism. Covering 48 acres, it is a sight to be seen. So, why is this important to me? I had the privilege to enter Grand Central Terminal at the age of 13. I have always lived in a small town of Oklahoma, and New York City is the craziest place I have had the honor in visiting. Seeing places that I had only seen on tv growing up like Grand Central Station definitely had an impact on me. It was a positive one. It helped me to realize that if I wanted to, I could continue visiting places like these. Coming from a small town that never felt like a possibility. After my visit, I knew that it will always be an option, if I choose to take it.

These illustrate Aldo Van Eyck’s work on creating a Roman Catholic Church with an innovative design. The church was completed in 1964, Usually, when we think of a Catholic church we think of dozens of pews, very high ceilings and over the top decorative mosaics and marble. Aldo Van Eyck redefined this genre of building with this piece. He created an environment entirely new to a religion that has been around for thousands of years. He incorporated a lot more curvature to buildings that are normally straight to the point.

Although Aldo Van Eyck is much more known for larger and more modern structures of the 60’s and 70’s, but he made an impact in his early career as well. In 1947, Aldo Van Eyck began with playgrounds. This may seem an insignificant section of his great career but it is everything but. Following WWII Amsterdam was a place of recovery and dysfunction. These playgrounds served as a break for children in a city where almost no public playground had previously existed. At the same time, this project was able to make significant use of empty plots throughout Amsterdam. Van Eyck’s use of minimalistic design was intentional in encouraging children to use imagination. This project helped to lay the ground work of modernism.

Among Dutch architect, Aldo Van Eyck’s, work lies the Amsterdam Orphanage that was built in the year 1960. Aldo Van Eyck once said “a house must be like a small city if it is to be a real house.” This work was representative of just that. It consists of a complex design incorporating outdoor and indoor spaces collectively. It has the capability of housing 125 children of all ages with inclusion of the varying size of spaces. The Amsterdam Orphanage was Van Eyck’s take on modern architectural ideas. This work represents meaning getting put into architecture as Van Eyck worked to create a small world within a large one for these kids.

Just like most college students, I had to start my college career in an overpriced dorm, but specifically the one above, Couch Center. This building has influenced me a lot. This is where my parents dropped me off on Move-In Day, as I tried my hardest not to cry while I waved goodbye to everything I was ever comfortable with. It is where I spent a lot of time making microwavable meals and procrastinating assignments until the very last minute. This building not only represents the start of moving away from my small rural hometown and out of my comfort zone, but it represents my rough start on my own. Freshmen year was fun and full of blurry memories, but it was also a time that I felt really lost. I was only focused on school enough to make the grades that I wanted, but when I think of my freshmen year of college I think of the mistakes that I had made. I was living from weekend to weekend only caring about when the next outing was with my friends. I was in the midst of making decisions that, in the long run, I wish I wouldn’t have made. I lacked guidance and my faith during this time not knowing how to find myself without everything that used to define me at my side as it was in my hometown. This building represents a lot of learning for me, and the building of my testimony as a Christian. Although Couch Center harbors negative feelings, I am able to take the experience that it gave me and turn it into something that made me grow as a person and as a Christian.