This amazing building created and designed by Maya lin and one of her associates really encapsulates the beauty in which architecture has developed into. The modern yet bulky style of this building plus the artwork presented to the public on the outside walls of the buildings cause for it to really catch the eye of a passing pedestrian. This building can very much be one of my favorites that I have encountered while writing these blogs in this class. Maya Lin is a true genius and her creations will not go down without the right amount of appreciation being granted to her work.

This building was introduced and created by Maya Lin in the year 1980. It incorporates and introduces Americans to the life and culture of the Chinese people. As some American people are naive to the fact that things such as this museum I believe that the introduction and creation of such a magnificent place are what is needed for the American culture to better diversify and develop into what it should be.

This castle located in Germany is just one of the many castles that are located in a beautiful country. Like many people in the German countryside, this castle is “wunderschon” or wonderful. Being in a relationship with someone who is from Germany and getting an “inn” on the culture that they come from. The language and the culture and the architecture in Germany is one that is very intriguing and beautiful. This castle alone really emulates what it the German people as a whole represent with its glory. I believe that a castle is the most emasculate and astounding architecture that there is to date. although there will be other opinions that disagree I believe that to create something of this magnitude takes a skill that it is uncanny to any other.

The Fuller Dome is the one and only geodesic dome Fuller ever lived in. He was a resident from 1960-1971 as he taught at Southern Illinois University. This building was a direct dedication to Fullers legacy on the future of architecture. The dome kept to the prolific dome design that Fuller was most famous for and used similar dynamics that were used in his much larger builds. In my opinion this dome is much more inhabitable. It has a much sturdier build and the glass frames are nice as well

I love the idea that Fuller himself lived in a dome house due to his popular architecture style of dome-like builds. My favorite part is their understanding of the simplicity of the design much like how they have the dome right in front of the building in the second picture I have.

Alex High School is a project that is a small public school that is located in southern Oklahoma. I had the privilege of being apart of the project team that completed this project. This building is one of the very few buildings that have impacted me in a negative way. The project did not go as planned, had numerous delays, changes, and unforeseen issues. The buildings on the campus are very nice and aesthetically pleasing but, the number of headaches I was forced to go through to wrap these projects up caused me to hate them. At the same time it does give me a better appreciation for other buildings I enjoy spending time in because, it makes you realize how much struggle someone had to of gone through to create a nice and comfortable space for you to use.

The Devon Tower is the tallest building in OKC and has a complete glass facade. As you drive by the building stands out almost like a massive crystal because of the way `light reflects off the glass. I have always admired this building but, I gained a larger interest in this building when I had the opportunity to study the construction process of high rise buildings. The things about these types of building that interest me more than anything is the foundations. When I discovered that these buildings have mat slabs that can be up to 7 feet deep in addition to the piers underneath. It was hard for me to wrap my mind around a building using 6,500 cubic yards in a time span of 18 hours.

Finlandia Hall, completed in 1971, is like many other of Aalto’s works in the sense that he designed many government and governmental affairs buildings. This building doubles as an event venue with individual spaces that can be rented out. Since he knew that there would be performances there, he wanted to ensure that the acoustics were up to par, creating the tall white towers. This gave the individual experiencing the building the feeling that they were still in an intimate space but with the tall towers, the sound carried like church towers.

The interesting fact about this building is that Aalto designed everything, including the interiors. Not many architects design both the building and the interior spaces within. He had a hand in choosing everything from the types of walls, to the fabric on a seat cushion. He wanted to make sure that everything flowed nicely together and created a seamless experience.

The Osaka Maritime Museum was designed by Paul Andreu and opened to the public in 2000. It is a steel dome structure, built on reclaimed land in the Bay of Osaka. It houses a maritime museum and is centered around a replica of an Edo period trading ship. Osaka City supported the design and built the museum as a way of reflecting the city’s maritime history.

The museum is 15 meters from shore and is accessed by a submerged tunnel. Its offices and entrance are located nearby in a semicircular building located on the land.

One of the most impressive aspects of the building is its comprehensive structural resistance to wind, water, and seismic forces. For this design it won a Structural Special Award in 2002 from the UK Institution of Structural Engineers.

The Nordic House, designed by Alvar Aalto, was opened in 1968 and is the workplace for the Nordic Council of Ministers. The purpose for the building is the create and support cultural connections between Iceland and other Nordic countries. In this space they hold cultural events and exhibitions through a program that was developed by the Council of Ministers. It also houses one of the more unique and important libraries in Iceland, it has over 30,000 books, some in all seven different Nordic languages.

This being one of Aalto’s later works of architecture, it still holds his signature mark of organic shaped design. The blue roof has a unique shape to it that draws the eye up the building. He also used materials that make the structure feel more natural and not so industrial.

The Empire State Building one of the most famous buildings in the entire world. This building has always been extremely interesting to me due to the insane speed the building was built in. The 102 story building was built in just one year and to this day no other building has every been constructed at this speed. It has positively impacted me because, it has grown my love for the concept of lean construction. I have spent several hours researching this building trying to understand why people have not been able to replicate the production levels of this building. It is my belief that increased safety and environmental regulations along with the increased complexity in electrical systems in modern buildings prevents contractors from matching this production level.