John F. Kennedy Presidential

 Library and Museum

Architect: I.M. Pei

I.M. Pei is a Chinese born, American architect who was born in 1917 in Guangzhou, but raised in Hong Kong. Pei was not sure what he really wanted to do with his life but decided to give architecture a try. Pei initially enrolled at the university of Pennsylvania but was not happy with the Beaux-Arts style of architecture taught at that time, so he dropped out and enrolled at MIT studying the scientific and engineering side of architecture. Pei, I.M. (2020). Britannica Online Academic Edition, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

After John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, Pei was selected to design a memorial library for the late president. Pei worked closely with John’s wife Jacquelin who would make the final decision on the library’s design. The astonishing building contained two elliptically shaped 230-seat theaters and an 18,000-square-square foot exhibition area. On the upper floors of the tower contain office, research, and document storage facilities. Rigg, F. (1995). The John F. Kennedy library. Government Information Quarterly, 12(1), 71-81.

Gallogly Hall is one of the newest part of campus because it joined in the fall of 2019. The meaning of this building was to encourage group learning through labs and other spacious rooms with lots of tables. I think it is wonderful and also follows the feel of campus with its Gothic style of architecture. When I encountered the building, I loved it. It is one of my favorite buildings on campus. I was in this building when I took a chemistry lab inside. I think it is great for collaboration and has nice new technological tools and large rooms.

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is the worlds tallest arch and the tallest man-made monument in the western hemisphere, and something that means a lot to me. I used to go with my dad on business trips to St. Louis and he would always take me to the arch just to look at it. It always amazed me how tall it was. Those trips are the reason I am a St. Louis Blues fan and any time someone mentions St. Louis I immediately think of the arch. Fun fact, it is officially dedicated to “the American people.”

Mike Pullin

This building is the Blavatnik School of Government located at the University of Oxford in England. The design was done to enhance open space and collaboration. I really like the interesting different sizes of curved levels sitting atop a more linear level. It makes what could be a simple and boring structure very interesting and quickly draws your eye in and sparks curiosity. I think it’s a very interesting building that adds a uniqueness to Oxford’s campus.

I really love the US Capitol building. From its architecture to the fact that inside is where decisions that impact the whole world are made, I really love the building. I enjoy politics and to me it represents a place where the idea of America could be made possible, plus I enjoy neoclassical architecture from that period so I think the building is very beautiful. I feel like government buildings from around the world can kind of look intimidating, but the US Capitol looks majestic and inviting, from the large steps out front to the huge dome in the middle.

    Jean Nouvel who was a French architect, had many designs all over Europe, Asia, and Australia. One of his He design that I liked is The Seven-Colored Tower! This beautiful skyscraper has a reflective and nature feel to it. The one thing that I realized about this building was the way Jean was able to façade a building. The way he was able to reflect and regulate light is what makes the design of The Seven Colored Tower so aesthetic. This building taller than the others allows more light in a smaller town to show its true colors. This is a geometrically designed building is to allow for facade to display more light reflecting different colors off different facade. This is what allows The Seven Colored Tower to get its name!

Mike Pullin

This is the Elbphilharmonie, a concert hall in Germany. The hall was opened in 2017 and is said to have some of the very best acoustics in existence. The whole structure is fascinating, with the interesting lines of the glass forming a unique flow that you can’t help but be intrigued by. The entire structure is designed for an acoustic effect. From over 1,000 curved windows to every inside detail meticulously accounted for, it’s a considerable feat of design.

Definitely the most influential building to me has been Gould Hall. When school is in session, it is where I spend most of my time and do almost all of my learning. I really like the huge arch that separates the library from the classrooms, and I also like the long hallways where the teacher’s offices are. Plus, since it is located right next to the stadium finding parking is easy. I also think the architecture studio that covers almost all of the third floor is impressive and adds good variety to the building. Plus, the exposed components of the building allows for easy hands on examples of building design, and the construction classroom has components color coded. Feels like you are in a BIM model. Not counting the really bad sinks, I think that Gould is a very convenient building that serves its purpose very well. I do find it ironic that Gould, which is the architecture building, is right next to the much more beautiful Gaylord Hall, the journalism building.