This A2A project really shows the focus of uniqueness and community that is put forth by the agency.  With the brightly colored balconies, to the large concrete shapes that protrude from the side, it brings together a functional structure that offers housing space, but also offers a structure that is appealing to the eye.

Additionally, the multipurpose building that is located just beside the housing structure offers the ability to have events for individuals living there which really offers a more appealing community feel of living in the facility.

I chose this A2A project because of the focus that was put forward in the energy efficiency and environmentally safe category.  Obviously the group put a major focus on conserving space, and using all extra space to contribute to the greenness of the project.  From using the roofs for planting grass and space for solar panels, to building the garages under the living spaces it is clear that the environment was taken into account when in the designing process.

Along with the environment being a key factor in design, it also seems that the agency had a focus on creating a community like atmosphere between the people living in the buildings by keeping them somewhat close together.  And also by creating spaces with benches and other areas close by for people to socialize and do other activities.

This A2A project consisted of restoring the St. André church of this town which has been standing since the 1600s.  The project also included a redesign of the area surrounding the church which provided a much more appealing appearance for the center of town.  I chose this project because it really shows the wide variety of tasks that my assigned architect has taken part in completing.

This large multi-sports center designed by A2A Architecture agency offers areas for shooting, archery, bowling, along with a large multipurpose room accompanied by locker rooms.  I chose this facility because it somewhat reminded me of a facility from my hometown, even though the activities offered varies it still was purposefully designed to provide a sufficient area for all of the activities to be done.

I chose this building designed by A2A architecture agency because of it’s unique shaped roof, and it’s efficient use of space that was available to be used.  Obviously, the agency was forced to use space wisely in the situation because of the small portion available in the tightly packed neighborhood.  Additionally, I like that the workers inside were taken into consideration by providing large windows to allow sufficient light to enter,  and also the deck area which could allow for them have easy access to the outside.

I chose this housing structure designed by the French architecture group A2A because of it’s unique outside appearance, use of roof space, and also it’s energy efficiency along with being environmentally friendly in other ways.

As can be seen the architects made special use of what is usually unused space on the roof of the building by providing pools, and small garden areas in order to add to the environmental friendliness of the structure.  By doing this they have reduced the space of ground area needed which allows for more grass and trees to surround the area, and also reduced the use of materials such as concrete for the building of the pool that would have been needed if it was built separately.

For my final post, I chose the Oklahoma City National Memorial.  It is located at the former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown OKC.  This memorial honors the victims, and all affected by the bombing that took place on April 19, 1995 that destroyed the Murrah Building.  The memorial includes two bronze gates at each end in which one gate shows the time 9:01 representing the time of the bombing, and the other gate shows 9:03 representing the time of recovery.  It also includes 168 empty chairs which represent each person that died that day, a reflection pool, and the Survivors’ Wall.

At the time of the bombing I was not old enough to remember it, but I do remember my first time visiting the site before the memorial was built and seeing a fence covered in different things left in remembrance.  I think my first visit made my visit to the memorial after it’s construction much more meaningful.  It definitely had a lasting impact on my life seeing the chairs that represent each person that died and imagining that there was once a building standing on the location.

I have been looking forward to next weekend since last year at this time, and it has been the same way for the past decade.  The reason for this is of course the OU vs. TX football game held in Dallas, Tx.  The stadium that the game is held in is called the Cotton Bowl, and it is located in Fair Park where the State Fair of Texas occurs during the same time.  The stadium has seen many different teams, from different sports play there, and has been expanded multiple times to hold the now current capacity of 92,100 people.   I feel like this stadium not only affects me, but many of past and present students at our school.

A building that has not only had an effect on my life, but a large effect on my hometown is a facility called The Simmons Center.  It appears as a large, rather plain or boring red brick building on the outside, but what is offered on the inside is what makes it unique.  Under one roof it houses an olympic swimming pool, two full size basketball courts, a full gym, a running track, a theatre that seats 750 people, and over 10,000 sq. feet of open space for events.  Also included next to it is a public park.  This is a building that I and many other people have spent many hours in and has given the community something it could be proud of.

For my third post I chose to do one of the new seven wonders of the world “El Castillo”.   I have visited this location 6 different times now in the past decade, and every time I see it I attempt to picture people from a civilization that had almost no technology building it.  The planning and man power needed to complete such a grand project is just not even imaginable for me.  My favorite thing about this structure is the carvings that are seen in various areas of the pyramid, and also that during certain times of the year the stepped sides cast a shadow that resembles a serpent.  I definitely recommend this location to anyone that is either interested in architecture or ancient civilizations.