In 1958, Charles Correa was asked to design a memorial for Mahatma Gandhi. Correa designed the memorial to mirror the simplicity of Gandhi’s life; he did this by making the building use basic materials such as stone, brick, wood, and glass. Correa also made the building asymmetric to mimic the pathways of rural Indian villages. Correa’s original design consisted of 51 units, each of which measured 6 by 6 meters. The units enclosed a water court, which sat at the center of the building. The architect wanted the placement of the units to be seemingly random. Correa wanted the space to encourage relaxation and meditation as well so the building’s units were designed to flow into one another, extending onward. The memorial houses tens of thousands of letters written to and by Gandhi. The memorial also houses an array of photographs and books.

Charles Correa designed numerous buildings pertaining to governmental use in India. He designed the British Council located in Dehli. The building served as the Headquarters for the British Council while in India. Included in the design is a library, an auditorium, as well as the offices used by the Council for their work. Correa used this building’s design to tell a story of Britain and India’s relationship throughout history. Correa placed several Hindu images in the building as well. For example, he placed Bindu—who symbolizes the energy of the Cosmos—in a spiral at the far end of the building. At its center, in the courtyard, is the Islamic Char Bagh, a Garden of Paradise. Lastly, moving along the same axis as the spiral and the Garden is the final symbol Correa put into the building. He placed a European icon to represent the Age of Reason by the icon being made of marble and granite. The British Council is yet another example of Correa transcending the boundaries between reality and philosophy and history, turning this boundary into a physical space.

During the 1970s, India wanted to build a space to celebrate arts and creativity in each of its state capitals. This feat was not accomplished to its entirety, but Charles Correa did design one of the shining jewels that came from the initiation: the Bharat Bhaven, which means “Indian House”. The building is located in Bhopal. Correa’s goal with the building was to tie in modern architecture and materials into Indian places, giving modern tastes a lace in India’s history. The building was completed in 1982 and is still used to this day. The building is used for cultural and artistic events. Like other works of Correa, this piece featured outdoor as well as indoor spaces. When first entering the property, visitors have the opportunity to walk down to a path around a lake or to a courtyard walkway. The plot consists of arts galleries, a tribal art museum, an auditorium, a library, a print shop, and a studio. This design is another example of Correa using both natural aspects like the lake and his designs to thread one idea.

Located in Lisbon, Charles Correa designed the three unit project titled Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown. The Centre is a diagnostic as well as research facility, and Correa designed the Centre to have a public use factor. The Centre is actually three buildings: one for doctors/scientists, one for a theatre and exhibition hall, and the final third one is an open-air amphitheater. The area also has indoor gardens. All the ‘pods’ of the Centre are connected to oe another; this was the architect’s way to promote discussion and collaboration amongst all the different types of people using this Centre. At the highest point in the Centre, it overlooks the River Tejo’s junction where it flows into the Atlantic. The highest point makes it look like the water is endless, ongoing. Correa designed the Centre to be on the cutting-edge of modern, upcoming architecture.

One of Correa’s most noteworthy works was one of his most recent. Completed the year prior to Charles Correa’s death was the Ismaili Centre in Toronto, Canada. Correa’s goal for the building was to fuse traditional Islamic architecture with modern materials and design. The Ismaili Centre is most stunning for its prayer hall; it is a glass dome with steel trusses webbing its exterior. Correa wanted the Centre to be inviting and a mark of the lasting presence of the Ismaili community in Canada. Correa designed the Centre to be surrounded by terraces, gardens, and reflection pools to make the grounds feel inviting and timeless. To enter the prayer hall, visitors wall through an anteroom decorated with Muqarnas. Correa continued a geometric design pattern throughout the building, which can be seen in the steel trussing and the flooring designs. The Centre also includes a library and several classrooms as well as offices and a boardroom.

One of Correa’s most famous works is the Kanchanjunga Apartments. These apartments are located in Mumbai, India’s largest city. The Kanchanjunga Apartments are an epitome of upper-echelon living in Mumbai. The buildings consist of 32 apartment units. The apartments were elevated for high society to include verandas that opened to city-wide views of Mumbai. The verandas were nestled deep into the building’s design to shield tenants from the hot sun and high winds. Correa designed the building’s units to fit together like puzzle pieces, ranging for 3 to 6 bedroom units. The building’s core was put into place before the main structure; this Correa building was the first of that construction kind in India.

For my final building blog, I chose Kylemore Abbey in Ireland. The Abbey  is tucked back, away from the road leading to its grounds. You have to circumvent a very large pond so you initially see the Abbey and the chapel from a distance. This helps make the initial encounter more significant because it makes the Abbey’s size more impressive. The history of the Abbey is unique and has a touching past. The personal history of the Abbey makes it more personable and warming. It is an austere exterior, but the interior is lavish and inviting. It made me want to stay and explore the house because it made visitors feel so welcome. The chapel was built by a Lord who once lived in the Abbey for his late wife. To get to the chapel, you have to pass by the immediate front of the Abbey and walk further back onto the grounds. This helped make the chapel seem more meaningful because it was so secluded from initial view.

One of the reasons Italy is so fascinating to many tourists is because of its history; its past is rich with many anecdotes, and it is easy to see those anecdotes when in the country because its history has been well-preserved. The Galleria Borghese is now an art gallery in the former home of Cardinal Scipione Borghese in 1660. The gallery is filled with the works of many famous sculptors and painters. The grandeur of the Galleria is impressive because the house could have no other works of art and its walls/ceilings would be enough to still fill tours (entryway ceiling pictured below). It is difficult to fathom people living in a place so luxurious on a daily basis so normally while, today, it is a very popular attraction for Roman tourists. Upon first encounter, the exterior is impressive and sophisticated, which is a norm for opulent Roman locations. However, compared to the interior, the outside is lackluster because the house itself is so beautiful. Overall, the Borghese is the epitome of classic Roman artwork and architecture.

When studying abroad in Ireland, I was able to go see many different sites and buildings that all came from different periods of the country’s history. Each site symbolized a different group of people and was representative of a different historical aspect. One of my favorite places we got to visit was Blarney Castle. The grounds belonging to the current heirs are much more expansive and encompass a lot more than I thought before visiting. I assumed it was the castle with the Stone and a little land, but the grounds consist of the heirs current summer home (pictured below), stables, the castle ruins, several gardens, a lake, and much more. Seeing the castle was the best part of our time because it was so different than the other castles we saw. Most of the castles we got to see were well-maintained and clean, but Blarney was not. It, surprisingly, was mildly treacherous and unfurnished. It was interesting to see the castle in its purest form because how we saw it is how it would look regardless if hundreds of people visited every day. The family’s summer home was decorated with many original furnishing and paintings with modern touches (e.g. their family ski trip photos on desks besides 300 year old paintings). It was a fascinating juxtaposition of two time periods. It was a warming and enduring places we saw.

Dovetailing off freshman year, I was hired as a campus tour guide. Jacobson Hall, the visitors’ center, is the homebase for admissions and recruitment operations. Jacobson Hall has come to mean a lot because of the opportunities and experiences I had there. The building itself is focused on welcoming potential Sooners to campus and inviting them to join the Sooner family. I remember having those feelings when I came to tour OU as a high school senior. The building, over time, has evolved to hold much more meaningful and long-lasting memories and experiences than my initial campus tour experience.