In 1940, Walter Gropius designed the Alan I W Frank House, which is a private residence in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Gropius also created all the furnishings and landscaping so the home was a total work of art. The home is four-stories, has nine bedrooms, and 13 bathrooms for a total of 12,000 square feet just in the interior. If you included the five terraces and rooftop dance floor, it would be 17,00 square feet.  One side of the exterior is a curved glass façade and the rest consists of travertine and stone. To date, this home has remained the same, never being renovated or refurnished.

Aesthetically, it’s not really my preference but I do like how the curves were repeated throughout the home to tie it all in together. I also like how the landscaping was built up to give the ground floor some privacy and provide a good-looking backdrop for those inside. The biggest drawback for me would be that this building looks more like a commercial building than a private residence. I think you could pull off the glass façade for a residential building if it wasn’t for the massive size of this home.  My favorite aspect of this home is that the roof surfaces support living lawns which help with thermal efficiency and energy management. I have always been fascinated with living roofs and hope to build a home that incorporates this one day.

Walter Gropius designed the embassy that was completed 1961 and is now a protected architectural landmark. According to Nikos Pegioudis, the designs “were supposed to propose a version of an Americanised Modernism that would balance the principles of the so-called International Style with a regionalist sensitivity.” It is a three-story building with a glass façade and central atrium. The roof extends to protect the interior from the sun.

The design was inspired by the Parthenon and it’s very clear when you see the concrete colonnade covered with marble. The Atrium is also a nod to Greek architecture. I like how it is modern building but incorporates features of ancient Greek architecture. Having an open-air courtyard within the building is a good idea, in my opinion. It provides a sort of escape from the office for breaks while remaining on the site. Pegioudis, Nikos. “AN AMERICAN ‘PARTHENON’ Walter Gropius’s Athens US Embassy Building between Regionalism,  International Style and National Identities.” Repositorio Comum, 25 Oct. 2018, comum.rcaap.pt/bitstream/10400.26/24598/1/28%20-%20PEGIOUDIS.pdf.

Michael Reynolds is an American architect from New Mexico. He is specialized in building sustainable living homes. Michael takes all human necessities into consideration when designing a building, which is, shelter, food, clean water, garbage management, sewage treatment, and energy. This mission that Michael has set out on is to provide the world with a pollution-free life alternative and with global warming increasing this mission is more critical now than ever before. The houses look very similar to a clay house but tend to be decorated with stones, jewels, and marbles. These structures are almost completely built out of natural material and assembled in a way to last for decades while still providing clients with the visually pleasing house.

This design looks similar to St. Pauls Church built later from 1915 to 1919. With its large steeple and smaller buildings adjacent to it. The appearance of the building reflects Finland’s medieval castles. The architecture speaks of romanticism and the interior mainly to art nouveau. The museum was built from 1905 to 1910 and opened to the public in 1916. The museum was named the Finnish National Museum after Finland’s independence from Russia in 1917. After the last thorough renovation, the Museum was re-opened in July 2000.

The different stone and brick sets used gave it a unique look. The top and bottom design of the bricks looks like they would intersect like teeth. The top is protruding out, while the bottom is sunken in. The bottom set of stone look irregular, but still organized. They white stone is a great contrast to the vibrant red brick.

Jeanne Gang is a famous american architect and founder of the Studio Gang which has locations in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Her work is very diverse and very unique. The Vista Tower is a 1.9 million square foot, 101 story building located in Chicago and towers over the Chicago River providing the tenants with an amazing view. The design of the building causes it to almost appear like is is swaying back and forth due to the in even glass facade that was used. Designs like this show the real innovation that can be accomplished when engineers and architect both work together to create buildings that will forever be unique.

The center is more of a complex as it houses multiple different things such as a massive library and opera house. The projects total cost is an estimated $831 million. It is landed on a 170,000 square meter landscape and is unique as it gradually slopes down. The building was designed to be sed as a public resource so people may come and learn about art, culture, and history. The entire library is encased in glass to allow a full 360 degree view of the land around the building and the sea. The building is green in the sense that it uses natural ventilation and conservative energy processes. The building has earned a platinum LEED rating.

Located in Munich, Germany is one of the most beautiful soccer stadiums in the whole world. The Allianz Arena was built for Bayern Munich, the largest soccer team in Germany. Construction began in 2002 and was open for the public in 2005. The stadium is stunning to see during the day, but the lights that illuminate the structure after sundown take it to a whole new level. Seventy-five thousand fans fill the arena, and the design of the stadium gives it one of the unique sports atmospheres in the world. You can be in the worst seat in the stadium and still feel apart of the game. The stadium was indeed the first of it’s kind, and many other new arenas have adopted the concept. I’ve never been to the stadium, but it’s on my bucket list.

Peter Zumthor is a Swiss Architect that specializes in the minimalist design. Almost all his work is created with simple shapes and designs and has very little color and amenities but, the buildings seem to remain stunning. The Field Chapel was right down his ally with a minimalist approach. The buildings facade is consistent on all sides and takes the appearance of rock extruding out of the ground. On this inside, you get a rustic feeling with metal walls that spiral up into a tightening sunroof.

The Whitney, as locals refer to it, has been moved over the years. It was moved around New York until Renzo Piano designed its final resting place in Manhattan. It is eight stories tall with observation decks on the fifth through eighth floors. It is 200,000 square feet and houses New York’s largest collection of art. The building houses 50,000 square feet of art galleries. It contains a massive theatre and an 8,500 square foot patio on top with a restaurant. The building was designed to be asymmetrical and stand out amongst the other buildings in the meat packing district of manhattan.