The National Museum of Qatar, located in Doha, Qatar “aims to be a destination for people from around the world that reflects the contemporary spirit of Qatar” ( Nouvel). The museum was inspired by the desert rose which is a mineral formation where minerals crystalize and resemble rose petals. The structure is made of a steel frame that includes a waterproof superstructure supporting interlocking discs. Nouvel was inspired by the idea of the desert rose and how nobody knows the the inside of a desert rose looks like, he then ” created a typology of intersections that makes you question what is inside it”. The structure is an impressive 52,000 square meters and not only encompasses the rich history of Qatar, but the modern city it has turned into. The museum includes gallery spaces, an auditorium and two restaurants.

The museum’s visitor route is approximately one mile and the route includes level changes beginning on the upper floor and leading back down the route. With the concept of the museum Nouvel wanted to create a dialogue between art and information. In order to do so , Nouvel collaborated with the Doha Film Institute to incorporate movie projections along the route. The projections accompanied by a soundscape give the visitors a sense of what the environment was like in Qatar from busting market towns, to the pearling industry to the underwater environment. The museum encourages exploration in order to continue telling the stories of Qatar and grow the country in the promising future.

One Central Park located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia has a 1.6 billion dollar price tag attached to its name. One Central Park was created as the first stage of the Central Park project. This project was created as a “state significant project” after the political climate in New South Wales began changing and the state governemnt approved the plan. One Central Park , a 69,000 square foot , 34 story residential tower is encompased by the buildings green facade and vibrant landscape. Nouvel states ” By miming what can exist in Australian nature, we are proposing a new form of high-rise living in direct contact with nature. ” The tower is is known as one of the most environmentlaly efficient towers in Sydney with its multiple sustainable strategies.

Approximately 50% of One Central Park is covered with a variety of exotic climbing plants; where the idea came after collaborating with botanist Patrick Blanc. The structure also includes a vertical garden system which includes hydroponic walls and planting panels on the structure surface. With over 35,000 wall plants on the structure, there are over 350 different species that are found within the plants. These plants are able to survive without soil by having the vertical garden hang off the wall , and then having light carbon dioxide water dispersed to the plants. One Central Park was awarded ‘2014 Best Tall Building in Asia and Australia and ‘2014 Best Tall Building in the World’. The Central Park Project continues to be known as an urban renewal of Sydney as it gets praises for its sustainability and size.

The Torre Glories , once known as the Torre Agbar , designed by French architect Jean Nouvel is seen as a symbol of modern Barcelona. The skyscraper is located in the Poblenou neighboruhoud which was once the industrial center of Barcelona, Spain. Today the Poblenou neighbrhood is encompassed by the young, urban elite with working spaces, art studios, etc. When desgining the tower , Nouvel was said to have rejeteced what a typical North American skyscraper is said t look like and instead was inspired by the different symbos of the Catalan culture and the Monsterrat mountain range. The skyscraper is known as a popular spot on New Year’s in Barcelona due to its light display every year. The Torre Glories is able to produce over 16 million colours across the face of the builidng with its 4,500 LED lighting devices incorporated into the structure. Anther feature within the skyscraper is the temperature control system. The skyscraper depends on a ” network of temperature sensors placed on its outside surface to regulate opening and closing of window blinds”. This design increased energy effieincy and also won the Green Building Award in 2011.

The Torre Glories quickly became one of the most famous buildings in Barcelona when it was finished in in 2004 and opened in 2005. The skyscraper consists of 38 floors and is 545,655 square feet. The building also represents a water fountain that is constantly changing its appearance after the building was built by the Grupo Agbar a waterworks company. It will continue to be on the most popular sites to see in as it illuminates the skyline of Barcelona making it hard to miss.

Construction on the Hekla Tower began in May of 2018 after receiving the permit to build in June 2016. The tower designed by French architect Jean Nouvel is said to be completed in early 2022. The tower is designed to be 220 meters-high and located in the business district of La, Defense. One of the main aspects of the tower is that it will majorly alter the skyline of La Defense; the tower is said to bring a new sense of equilibrium and offer impeccable views. Nouvel says the tower is heavily influenced by the Rose de Cherbourg construction project. The tower is a collaboration between Nouvel and AG Real Estate and Hines, which primarly focuses on the construction of large head offices. The idea for the tower was for it to be a prismatic composition made of glass an metal, to have a mass effect of brightness, shade, and transparency. The purpose of the tower was to create work and convivial sapces, while also included an amphitheater, perfromance halls, bars, resturants, and gyms.

An impressive 76,000 square feet, Nouvel also focused on the aspect of sustainability when designing this project. As the tower is built based on a system of triangular panels, the top-end of the tower is occupied by a roof garden that will then by shaded by the triangular panels and given room for natural growth. The tower meets multiple requirement of the LEED, HQE, and BREEAM environmental certificates. The skyscraper was also designed to incorporate TWIN elevators in order to improve energy efficiency, free up floor space, and increase transportation capacity. The TWIN elevators are meant to go above the high standards of the tower as sustainability is seen as one of the main priorities in the project. By 2022 the project is set to be complete and be a main site to see in La Defense.

Billy Bob’s Texas is located in the heart of the Stock Yards in Fort Worth, Texas. This iconic building is known as the worlds largest honky tonk, ( a country bar). When talking to Fort Worth natives they always love to say to visitors “wanna go down to the honky tonk” because it is a must see location. The rustic wooden floor interior is perfect for line dancing and connects back to when saloons were very popular in the wild west. When you walk through the building you come up to a long hallway where the walls are filled with hand prints and signatures from the different people that have performed there. This hallway gives a unique personalized touch to the building and it is always enjoyable to see how your hand size compares to the ones on the wall. Billy Bob’s large open floor plan allows for easy access to different parts of the bar such as the pool tables, eating area, and dancing floor. This building was only created in 1981 but the moment you walk in you are thrown back in time. I love going to Billy Bob’s for different occasions and I think it is a staple in Fort Worth. However Billy Bob’s is a bit outdated in my mind and I think in the future it needs to be updated to still have that rustic old time feel, but also be able to keep up with the modern aspects that are constantly changing.

Congregation Ahavath Sholom means a lot to me because it is the synagogue my family started going to when we moved to Texas. This building has become a second home to me as I would spend my Saturday mornings there during services, and Sunday mornings there with my friends during Sunday school running up and down the halls just trying to avoid class. From the outside the building looks small but when you enter it is large in size as it has a pre-school, a small sanctuary, a large sanctuary, a library, many offices, and a large space for lunches/ entertaining. My favorite part of the building is the main sanctuary, where the red velvet chairs are engraved in my mind and there are beautiful mosaics along the walls depicting different stories. The main sanctuary is used primarily for bar/ bat mitzvahs and high holidays . During these different occasions the room fills with people ready to celebrate others and the vibrancy of the colors that come from the mosaics ties everything together. I’ve been going to this synagogue for the past 10 years and I am excited to see the changes that will be made to it in the future to make it more modern and appealing.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is located in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem. This was on the most massive structures I have ever been in, and the detail on the floor and the walls on the inside is beyond impressive. I went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre because it was part of the itinerary we had for the trip and it was extremely beautiful. I found it really interesting when I heard that one person holds the key to the church and that the key is over 850 years old. I was not sure what to expect when we were heading towards the church, but the size of the arches and columns were much large than I had expected. When we entered there were mass crowds of people walking around and praying over the tombs. Jerusalem is a city with so much history that no matter how many times you go there is always something new to learn and a new site to visit.

The Western Wall also known as The Kotel is located in Jerusalem, Israel. The Western Wall is over 2,000 years old and is known as one of the holiest places that Jews can pray at. Having been there three times , its significance increased in my eyes as I grew older. The experience is a bit overwhelming as you see hundreds, even thousands of people praying along the wall, with the men and women divided into two sections. It’s astounding to see the magnitude of the wall and to see everybody overcome with emotions from crying, to laughing, to being memorized by the experience. Being able to write a note and place it in the cracks of the wall meant a lot to me and my family because it was a spiritual moment that not everybody gets to experience in their lifetime. One of my favorite memories of visiting the wall was getting to go on a tour of the tunnels under the wall. I was able to see the different excavation sites and the raw framework of what was holding everything up . Visiting the Western Wall is definitely something I plan to do again in my future.