Having a talented interior designer for an aunt has come with some perks, one being my favorite vacation home. In early 2000s San Diego, my aunt Tiffany Heon began renovating one of the three historical neo-classical homes overlooking Mission Bay. Known as the “Three Sisters,” these homes were built around 1915, becoming a site to see by visitors ever since. This house is one of the most relaxing places you could ever stay, even with the noise of planes taking off at the nearby airport. The cool ocean wind and clear skies provide ideal weather year-round, and if one doesn’t enjoy it sitting inside with opened windows and opened doors, they’ll enjoy it on the back patios. I have spent many summers at this house, which has become as much of an attraction of San Diego as the beaches. Sometimes it does not feel real, does not feel like an actual home, rather like a beautiful museum with stunning exterior architecture, stylized interior design, and a breathtaking view of the ocean.

Torre Agbar- Jean Nouvel 

The Torre Agbar located in Barcelona, Spain is one of Jean Nouvel’s well designed buildings. I really like how it is standing tall in the middle of a Calm city. It draws attention to its vibrant colors when it lights up in the night sky. Not to mention, this tower has an oval and circular shape to it, just like a rocket ship! There are not many buildings shaped like this, which gives the building more purpose! It is one of the new symbols of Barcelona. Nouvels tower design of the outer curtain wall is “clad in different-coloured glass louvers which can be tilted at different angles”. Allowing the tower to have a saturated color effect. The shape of Torre Agbar was inspired by Montserrat, which is a mountain near Barcelona. The design allowed the building to have over 4,500 window openings as well as 4,500 LED luminous devices which allows it to form images on the tower shown below.

https://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/page/517/torre-agbar.html

http://architectuul.com/architecture/torre-agbar

http://www.jeannouvel.com/en/projets/

I remember visiting the museum when I was young and being blown away by its beauty. The building in itself is a spectacle, but I especially appreciated the well-worth effort put into the landscaping. Very rarely do you see such a classical building in Oklahoma. The works of art inside are incredible, one statue of an Indian hunting a buffalo specifically caught my interest, but you will miss much of the art if you do not remind yourself to slow down because you will be caught up in the excellence of the building. I never saw the original as the building and surrounding area has gone through multiple expansions since its construction. However this building still feels as if it must be older than it really is. This is likely because of my small exposure to buildings of this nature, but the classical style of Philbrook is unlike any other you will find in Oklahoma.

Aside from being a home, Phillips hosted receptions and welcomed friends to come visit the beauty. In 1938, Phillips and his wife decided to move out of the villa. They donated the building and land to the city of Tulsa for the purpose of becoming a museum. Phillips wanted the museum to be full of art, especially that of Native American culture. Phillips also payed for the renovations that transformed his former home into a museum. He wanted the property open to the public and still is to this day, as I have visited on multiple occasions. I appreciate the sentiment of wanting others to experience the beauty of his former home and making it a place of learning and art.

Fred Jones is one of my favorite buildings on campus. I remember thinking how strange the sculpture out front is when I first came to OU, but it has grown on me, I think, for exactly that reason. There are some really great works of art in this museum, and the building itself is very enjoyable to be in. I like how they used several small buildings that are interconnected with hallways that allow natural light in, and the large window on the North end that allows you to see the revolving exhibits from the street view. I also like how they have designed some rooms in the era that reflects the showcase of that particular art. I also even prefer the lecture halls in this building more so than others because of the intimate feeling they give while attending. They are not as steep as some other larger lecture halls, but they also do slant in a way that allows for ease of viewing for the listener.

In 1926, Edward Buehler Delk was hired by Waite Phillips to construct an Italian style villa after recently visiting Italy. Herbert Hare was hired as the landscape architect. The building has 72 rooms and the garden was originally built on 23 acres. The furnishings of the villa alone cost $1.2 million, and this was back in the 1920’s. Phillips was able to commission the extravagant home due to the success of his oil business.

Here we have a resort and spa in the desert of Canyon Point, UT. From the begging it looks as if Rick Joy, the architect, designed the building around the location’s surroundings. I think the “adobe” feel works well because the color of the building practically blends into the mountain in the background. Also from looking at the pictures of the inside, Joy captured the true meaning of a resort/spa.

The intended purpose is to be able to completely relax and forget about all that’s going on in the world. What better way to execute this purpose than to be excluded all alone in a dessert with nothing around you?

https://studiorickjoy.com/work/amangiri-resort-and-spa/ https://www.contemporist.com/the-amangiri-resort-and-spa/

I really love the Norman Central Library. When I initially saw it being constructed I didn’t know what it was, and I was always curious what such a large structure in that particular spot would come to be. When they were finished, and the signs were put up I took notice and made a note to come back and visit. I went to study there later that week and it was very new so there weren’t a lot of people there. It was really easy to find a comfortable spot to study (unlike the Biz, at times), and they really went the extra mile to ensure that there was comfortable seating around the whole building. I love that there are private individual study rooms available to work in, and my favorite spot is a part in the top floor that has a very mid-century feel. That room in particular was designed with a lot of wood and long tables and feels very nice. I also really like the stairs in the main part of the building as they are very interesting to look at, and serve more than just being plain stairs. It seems like they put a lot of effort into the aesthetic design of the building, and it is easily one of my favorite buildings in Norman and I am grateful to have been able to spend time studying there.

The Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s Battersea Power Station was refurbished by WilkinsonEyre. They were able to preserve the main design features of the power station while also creating a state-of-the-art events space. The notion of respecting the history of the building while also increasing functionality is amazing.

WilkinsonEyre truly created a perfect blend of a building that is modern and healthy, while also including the character that only time can give to a building. The way that they found a balance within the design goals is remarkable and puts into perspective the quality of Wilkinson Eyre.