Along with Carson Center, Felgar Hall, and the EPF, Devon Energy Hall is one of the four buildings which comprise OU’s Engineering Quad. Of these, Devon is the newest and the most impressive, especially from an architectural standpoint. Designed with the goal of facilitating learning in every way, this building includes labs, casual study areas, collaborative team rooms, and professors’ offices as well as classrooms. Thus, an engineering student such as myself could go to class, meet with a professor, do research, meet with a team, or do personal work all in one building. This is accomplished by a unique building design. The southern wall is made entirely of glass, causing much of the ground floor to act as an atrium; this area is filled with couches and tables as well as closed-in team rooms. Each higher floor has similar features on a smaller scale. Professors’ offices are located directly adjacent to the study areas, but also connect to research labs. Classrooms are just down the hall on each floor. On the south side of the fifth floor is a lovely balcony overlooking the stadium and other buildings – perhaps my favorite place on campus.

Devon Hall’s open, sunlight-focused design makes it a very inviting place, and the constant buzz of student activity is testament to the learning it prospers. As an engineering student myself, each time I walk through the double doors on either end, finding myself in a place filled with students and professors alike who are seeking education and the progress of human knowledge, I am filled with excitement to be a part of it. When I first toured Devon as a high school student, I could immediately see the potential for my own success at OU; I now live that out every day.

Plano Bible Chapel is neither as impressive or well-known as many of the other buildings on this site, but it means a lot to me personally. Located in Plano, TX, a suburb on the northeast side of Dallas, this church is just a few miles from the home where I grew up, in Richardson. I attended Plano Bible Chapel for 15 years, amounting to over 700 visits, and in that time explored nearly every inch of the building, often through long games of hide-and-seek with other kids.

The church has three distinct sections, each built separately as the church expanded. The oldest, constructed in the 1970s, contains a temporary tile-floor sanctuary and a number of classrooms. A winding hallway leads to the permanent sanctuary, completed in 1985. The new sanctuary is a huge room with large arched wooden beams supporting the room. The ceiling rises highest behind the stage at the back of room; the room radiates out in a half-circle from this focal point. At the far edges, an upper-level balcony runs the length of the sanctuary and contains additional seating, classrooms, and mysterious closets. Continuing through the church, steps lead down to the newest section – the preschool wing, built in 1992. This area is home to the nursery and various other classrooms for the children’s ministry.

In my time at Plano Bible Chapel I was always in awe of the size of the building – tiny compared to skyscrapers or cathedrals, but to 10-year-old me, it was the largest building I had ever experienced. And as it was a church, I always held a hushed reverence for it, which made my explorations all the more exciting, even dangerous. The building also felt older than it really was, and many of its back hallways and closets were locked or unlit. I often found myself daydreaming during the sunday sermons about what secrets might be hidden or lost somewhere in the building. I have many memories tied up in that church, from life-changing teaching to old friendships to the wonder of experiencing a marvelous building. I hope to return someday.