This residential college is located at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and was completed in 1992. The massive 150 thousand square foot facility houses 525 students and has its own dining facility, computer lab and faculty housing. In 1995 it was awarded the AIANY Architecture Honor Award.

This very modern looking building was also designed with the influence and symbolism of Thomas Jefferson’s “lawn” in mind. It is situated on a hilly and wooded ten acre site. The dining facility seating 625 is situated at the bottom of the hill while the higher rising residential building moves up the hill.

There are a lot of long straight lines in the design of this building but also lots of large windows and skylights, giving much needed real sunlight to students trying to study. There is a grand staircase next to the residences creates an amphitheater where students gather to enjoy the mountain scenery surrounding them.

Naturally a building this size has many different themes for the different rooms and their functions, as apparent in the pictures. Overall it is a building designed to be contemporary and traditional at the same time, while also complementing and showcasing its beautiful surroundings.

This 40,000 square foot museum addition was completed in 2006 in Phoenix, AZ. It is surrounded by a sand blasted concrete wall to shield it from the sandy high winds of the AZ desert. This addition added a large entryway canopy leading out into the parking lot with a 40 foot cantilever. There is a large granite fountain with a sort of waterfall included which adds some needed water to this extremely dry environment.

I really like this sculptural concrete staircase centered in the 26 foot high that gives passage to the older part of the museum. The dramatic staircase also encloses the elevator with sand blasted concrete. There are also 15 foot glass panels connecting this space to the outside world.

The new gallery has a 45 foot high skylight allowing for natural lighting and the upper floor gives a magnificent view toward the mountains. The gallery is constructed with locally made concrete panels for structure and cosmetic appeal at the same time. The building is careful to give a great art experience while every once in a while giving you a connection with the outside landscape.

Located in the heart of the University of Chicago is this very pretty looking building named the Logan Center for the Arts. Completed in 2012, this 184,000 square foot structure achieved LEED Gold certification and won several awards such as the 2015 AIANY Architecture Merit Award and the 2014 AL Light and Architecture Award. The designers Tod Williams and Billie Tsien won a design competition for the contract to build the structure.

It features a two story building attached to an eight story tower. Included are three theaters to accommodate a variety of performances: a Formal Proscenium theater, an Apron Stage theater and a Black Box space. The tower offers views of both Lake Michigan and Downtown Chicago, while its spires also compliment the neo-Gothic theme of the campus.

The interior includes classrooms throughout the inner part of the building as well as large elevators and dramatic staircases. The construction inside is designed to increase  vertical circulation for more efficient heating and cooling. This is accomplished with custom tiles set into concrete walls. Custom felt panels point out double-height connections between floors. The building intentionally has not only communal places for interacting with others, but also designed, quiet places to be alone to create or just think.

The exterior is clad with multi-hued Missouri Limestone. The limestone is cut into 4 foot sections and laid like brick. This is to contribute to the neo-Gothic style of the campus. The over-all facility is designed to be versatile and facilitate all types of art individually and in collaboration.

Source:

http://twbta.com/work/reva-and-david-logan-center-for-creative-and-performing-arts

In the middle of the University of Pennsylvania lies Skirkanich Hall. Completed in 2006 this 60 thousand square foot structure houses the Bio Engineering department. It was built between and connecting two historic buildings built by Paul Cret and Cope & Stewardson, creating a main entrance and central courtyard for the entire School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. It is LEED 2.0 Credit System Compliant and has received the 2010 AIA Institute Honor Award for Architecture, as well as the 2008 AIANY Architecture Merit Award.

The exterior features hand glazed ceramic brick with a green tint to compliment the campus Ivory foundation. The windows on the North side are angled in order to provide diffused light to the laboratories and classrooms inside. It also has a large courtyard serving as a passageway and common area between engineering buildings and a small quieter garden area for studying and relaxing lunches.

The interior has connecting hallways allowing students to walk to adjacent structures without going all the way to the ground floor, outside and then back up the stairs. The ground level entrance features a 5 story high atrium with lots of natural light. The bright interior colors along with the many windows and lots of light are very inviting. The laboratories are strategically positioned in the exterior upper floors for good natural lighting as well as ventilation needs.

The colors and cosmetic designs of this structure are warm and inviting as well as complementing campus themes and the natural vegetation surrounding it. The new aged building technology applied dramatically reduces its environmental footprint while connecting to older and historic buildings into one large and efficient Engineering and Applied Sciences complex.

This privately owned home is located in Shelter Island, New York. Situated right next to the bay atop a steep bluff in a slightly sloping hill, its look is complimentary of its surroundings. But, this house is more than just looks. Being so far North and so close to the water, it is designed to withstand the extreme and variable weather conditions in the area.

The house is made out of two main structures including the house and the garage. They are connected in the middle by a lower level internal room and an upper level external room. The main structures are built out of concrete that was cast in place and large slabs of Brazilian Granite. Most of the structure is very square looking and is more of a simplistic look, although the landscape and conditions make it more complex than it seems.

The outdoor room between the garage and the house leads through a corridor into a courtyard area overlooking the bay. Additionally, large exterior windows all around the water side of the house feature incredible views of the bay from inside as well. A small terrace at the corner of the living room reaches out toward the water like the bow of a ship.

The interior is contrasted by light colored exposed concrete and tile next to cherrywood trim and paneling along with matching furniture. The interior continues the simple appearance of the exterior and features much of the surrounding scenery. The entire house is very uniquely designed around the owners own personality and the unique environment in which it sits.

LeFrak Center at Lakeside is a free public park center in Brooklyn, New York. It was designed by the husband and wife architecture partnership of Tod Williams and Billie Tsien.

Williams and Tsien have been working together since 1977. They created there firm in 1986 and have many projects such as the LeFrak Center in their history. Completed in 2013, this 75,000 square foot parks and recreation complex has re-invigorated the park experience in Brooklyn. In addition to the many awards won by this complex and its designers, its design is built into the landscape with vegetation all around the structure. This gives the building an appearance of a few retaining walls in a jungle, rather than just another building in a huge metropolis. This approach to the design has achieved a LEED Gold Certification for the LeFrak Center.

One of the main features of this complex is  a large regulation sized Ice rink, that can be used as a regular roller skating rink in the warm months. It is covered by a large canopy with a ceiling design inspired by the curves made in the ice by figure skaters. The rink is used for hockey practices and games for local leagues as well as just recreational ice skating for local and visiting families in the Brooklyn Area,

Adjacent and connected to the main ice skating rink is a smaller elliptical shaped rink. This area is more designed for simple recreational skating for children and families, especially when the main rink is in use by hockey or figure skating competitions. Just like the main rink, this one changes in the summer months, with large water jets and fountains built in, it becomes a large splash pad or miniature water park for local children to enjoy in the hot summers. These amazing design features as well as the environmental efficiency in which it was designed and operates makes this park a center for community activity in Brooklyn year round.

The last building I have chosen to post about is one I am sure none of you have ever heard of. But to me, this structure was was a landmark throughout my entire youth.

I grew up in a small city near Chattanooga, TN named Cleveland. I attended Cleveland High School where my older brother went and my younger sister goes today. But, the high school I knew 10 years ago has very little in common with the one that remains today. One of the most significant changes is a significant missing piece, the Dome.

The dome was actually the main Gym but facing the mains street, its size and unique structure made it the recognizing feature of my high school. Built in the 1960’s it was mostly just a large basketball gym on the inside with classrooms and weight rooms in the basement, built into the side of a slight hill, with that significant dome shaped roof.

Over the last school year, do to structural concerns, the school brought down this iconic structure and has recently completed construction on a new larger gym building in its place. Though less iconic, this new building will accommodate a high school who’s student body has more than doubled in size since the dome was built in the 60’s. Still, this place will always be the school that I remember and where so many memories are held.

Sources:

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/29783175/cleveland-high-schools-new-11-million-gym-on-schedule-to-open-in-february

http://images.google.com

In 2013, I had to honor of doing something I had never done before, I was asked by my older brother to be the Best Man at his wedding. This incredible experience was a long a difficult one, but very rewarding in the end. A large part of this particular wedding was the venue, the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN.

Opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1977 it is a part of the Grand Ole Opry which is a staple in Country Music. Its original design resembled an old southern mansion. Over the years it has added and added and added non stop. Today it has 2,881 rooms, up from the original 480. But the amazing thing about this hotel is the 9 acre indoor garden, using the term “garden” very loosely. This interior jungle has over 750 atrium sweets high above overlooking this spectacle, which my Brother and his Bride had the privilege of staying in on their wedding night.

Asside from all of the amenities expected in a High Class hotel, there are waterfalls, creeks, large trees and everything you would see in a tropical rain forest. The massive size of it makes it very easy to get lost, which was a bit of a problem for us, as the wedding was just in one small corner of this giant facility. In one of the corners of this interior jungle was a small gazebo and an arrangement of chairs where the ceremony took place. To add to the awe of the building itself, a trumpet quartet preceded the entrance of the bride placed strategically around the atrium creating a large stereo acoustic effect which gave you chills.

It is hard to put into words how incredible this hotel really is, but I would recommend anyone who has the chance to visit Nashville at least stop by and see this modern marvel.

Sources:

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/history-opryland-hotel-53488.html

http://images.google.com

One of my favorite cities that I visited as a child was Chicago. I went there a number of times and always had a good time. Only a few times did we actually go downtown and see that sites. One of these times, I finally got to see something my young eyes had wanted for some time, the view from atop the Sears Tower.

This iconic skyscraper climbs to 1,454 feet and has 110 floors and 4.5 million square feet. It was designed by Bruce Graham or Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and built between between 1970 and 1974 by Engineer Fazlur Khan of the same firm, for the original owner Sears Roebuck and Company.  For 20 years after construction, it was the tallest building in the world and to this day remains the largest.

When I visited the tower I was around 12 years old and with my Father and old Brother. I really wanted to go to the top but they didn’t, and it was a bit pricey. So, my father reluctantly let me go up by myself, waiting at the bottom for me to come back down. We had walkie talkies that we wanted to test and see how high up they would work. Once at the top, they would only work if we were on the same side of the building and I was right next to the window.

The view from the top was amazing. The observation deck is designed in a way that gives you views on all sides of the build, you just have to walk from one side of the room to the other. On one side is an awesome view of the vast Lake Michigan and on the other, the vastness of the Chicago metro area. The sun was starting to go down while I was up there and I got to see it at night and day. The lights of the city slowly flickered on in long straight lines as far as the eye could see.

Eventually I took the express elevator back down and continued on site seeing, but this was definitely the highlight of all of my trips to Chicago.

Sources:

http://skyscraper.org/TALLEST_TOWERS/t_sears.htm

http://images.gooogle.com

I lived in Germany for a little over 2 years and visited many places in that time. One of the oldest was a short ride down the autobahn in Worms, Germany. The Worms Cathedral is almost a thousand years old and somehow feels that way when you step inside.

This Romanesque structure was completed in its current form in the 12th century, but its origins stretch all of the way back to 614 AD and the first Bishop of Worms Berthulf. Many additions have been made over the years, mostly Gothic but the majority of the Romanesque structure has been preserved in one way or another.

The most memorable part of this Cathedral for me was the crypt beneath it. You can still visit this crypt which is still the final resting place for 5 generations of the Salian dynasty. It is a very dark and creepy place at the bottom of a narrow stairwell. It is the only part of the building which forbids photography. The crazy thing about my trip there was that even though I didn’t take any pictures in the very dark crypt, the pictures I took anywhere else in the Cathedral I later discovered were black. All of the pictures of the outside looked normal, yet the ones just right inside the door were completely black.

Sources:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/worms-cathedral