Designed in 1978  by Beverly Willis, the Aliamanu Valley Community was built for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The design within the community consists of housing, an education system, local parks, and an area for the residents to subside and gather together. There were a total of around 11,000-12,000 people within the community. An interesting fact is that it was building inside an inactive volcano. Within the community, there were four towns split into 2 or 3 neighborhoods that had a recreation center, single/multi family homes, and it was all designed to have an army feel to accommodate to the army corps and their families. Willis managed to finish the project in just 9 months which is impressive for an entire community.

Located in San Francisco, California, the Union Street Stores is a popular shopping complex designed by Beverly Willis in 1963. Prior to the 5 block stretch shopping complex being established, the area was deteriorating, which is what makes this building so significant. This project was one of the first to renovate a poor and unused area into an attractive and popular one. Willis was granted with an award for her achievement since she inspired many with the concept of adaptive re-use of construction in lacking areas.

The River Run Residence is interesting as it is Beverly Willis’ residence. This building was created on a hundred-acre site and was conducted by Beverly and her team. They established this residence in a matter of fifteen days.  They considered many articles during that time over the lost of lives because of mudslides and flash floods. The analysis of topography was essential in knowing where to place items in the best area of the land. This concept helped lead to the realization that minimizing the cutting and filling became efficient as it helped make things safer along with saving more money. This project was projected to take six months if Willis hadn’t found an alternative and more efficient way to speed up the process.

The San Francisco Ballet Building was designed to meet the standard needs of a dancer.  The building consists of eight studio rooms with 15 feet high ceilings in order for the dancers to perform lifts and jumps without injuring themselves. On top of the studios, there were also conference rooms, film rooms, libraries, physical therapy rooms, workout rooms, locker rooms, and even a computer room. It is interesting that this building accommodates all of a dancer’s needs in one entire setting. Willis took time to construct the building and conducted many interviews with different dancers to see their input on the building design and what would work out best for them.

Designed in 1993 by Beverly Willis, the Manhattan Village Academy was known for having the feel of a private liberal arts school. The designs of the building made by Willis helped define the school and showed what it represented on an academic level. Certain classroom clusters were established and classified by grades, which would help with organization. The academy’s roots and and philosophies came from the architecture of the building. There was also an open space surrounded by the three clusters of classrooms that could fit up to nearly 100 students. The building also provided a library, cafeteria,  and an auditorium. Glass walls are were suggested as a way to carefully monitor student activity along common areas of the academy.

Throughout my many trips and stays Texas, the Omni Hotel in Dallas was hands down my favorite experience in a hotel. When I first found out we were staying there, I had no idea what the Omni was. After seeing it for the first time, I was amazed by the appearance and design of the building. The lights that they would display at night could catch anyone’s attention. It really caught me off guard because I just thought it was a huge casino at first. I got to experience this trip with only my friends, so it turned into an unforgettable weekend. Now every time I see the Omni Hotel in Dallas, I think about those moments and wish I could just go back and relive it.

For the majority of my life, I’ve had aunts and uncles who work for Devon Energy so I am quite familiar with the Devon Tower. When I first saw this tower, I was overwhelmed because of its height and special light features. It is hands down the tallest building I’ve ever witnessed, and it looks like it took a good amount of work to get done. Seeing well-assembled buildings like this one is what kept me interested in construction when I was younger. Now that I am in construction I recognize even more detail on buildings than I would have when I was just a kid. Seeing the Devon Tower up close was a big part of my decision to follow my dad’s footsteps in performing construction and architecture. It also made me wonder what other types of buildings are out there to explore in the word.

Growing up a huge Lakers fan, I had always dreamed of being in the presence of their home stadium. That day finally came, and it is still to this day, one of my more memorable moments. I was never able to attend a game, but I did get to see the Staples Center building right in front of me. I remember staring and admiring the building that I had always seen on TV and just started thinking about the history of it all. I thought about how many times a championship was won there and wondered what the atmosphere was like. I also payed attention to the structure of the building because it was huge and is considered a big landmark in Los Angeles. It was a great experience and I plan to visit again sometime in the future, but actually go inside this time around.

There have been two times where I’ve travelled to a country outside the United States. Both of those times were in Vietnam when I was in the 5^th and 8^th grade. The first time I went, my family and I stayed in Ho Chi Minh City, and I got to visit the Nha Rong Wharf building, located off the Saigon River. This cultural site fascinated me, not only because of the appearance of the building, but as well as the history behind it. I learned that this is the location of former President Ho Chi Minh’s memorial. It was interesting seeing the design and how different buildings were in other cultures. After witnessing this building and learning about my family’s culture, I became more appreciative of where my family origin began.