The Melville Vaults was originally just a garage residing in Melville, Johannesburg then turned house way before Sarah Calburn redesigned it. Before Peter Botha bought the house, previous owners had built vaulted brick rooms to the building. Sarah’s vision for this house was to look like a glass box which later became a bedroom. The glass box opens up to a view of the forest. The glass box contrasts from the brick vaults in color and structure. The stairs were designed to lead to the back wall of the house and the reason for it was to make it habitable. Skylights were installed to make the rooms look more spacious.

I really liked how the glass box and brick vaults contrasted each other in color. With the transparent box up at such a height, it looks like a really exciting place to live. It’s a space where you can peacefully watch the sky and surrounding areas.

Another work by Sarah Calburn that has won her an award is Little Cliff House located in Craighall Park, Johannesburg. The design of this house is very unique in which it features a long glass bridge that connects the two off shutter concrete boxes together. Steel columns are used throughout the house for support and design. The ground level consists of a painter studio and the living area can be seen up in the trees. Little Cliff House includes glass walls that slide open and becomes almost like an open balcony during the summer.  As many of Sarah Calburn’s work, she incorporates the landscape when designing.

I picked this project because it really brings out the essence of nature. We can see that wild life still lives where the building stands. The trees and plants that surround Little Cliff House adds elegance to it.

Inspired by Shigeru Ban’s Naked House, Sarah Calburn turned an ordinary house into what is known today as the Togu’na in 2007. The Togu’na is an office building located in Parktown North, Johannesburg.   It is made of two light buildings created by using contemporary techniques and materials. Some features are its 9 x 35 parallel structure,  its various garage-style tip-up doors and decks. The tip-up door allows for the doors to flip up and down. The Togu’na also uses transparent plastic materials, poly-carbonate to cover its walls and windows. This allows the building to be able to allow sunlight to enter inside.

I really like this building because in my opinion, from first glance it’s very simple looking but once you go inside, it’s a different story. From every corner, there is a view of the natural environment and plants that surround the building. It gives it a very calm and relaxing feel to the office.

It’s no wonder the Fynbos House has been featured in 15 magazines. Its fine location between the great grey mountains and sea of Betty’s Bay, Western Cape sets it apart from others. The Fynbos house is almost purely surrounded by a fynboss garden that reaches all the way to the building’s decks. It also features a meandering boardwalk that gives access to the beach, an outdoors shower deck and grass mounds. Majority of the walls are made of glass giving a clear view of both the sea and the mountains.

What I found interesting about this building is that it doesn’t overpower the natural beauty around it. Instead there is a harmonious balance between the natural landscape and the building itself.

When we hear or think of private residential homes, one could immediately imagine something like the Sea House in Betty’s Bay, South Africa. This striking residential home gives a clear view of the sea from every corner. Some features on the Sea House are its planted roof and protective terraced courtyard. Not to mention its vertiginous curve. The way the house is curved and shaped changes your perspective view outside. If you tour inside, you get more and more of sea views as you walk. But when you step outside of the building, there is more of a wild space viewpoint.

The reason I chose this building is because it gives off a very relaxing feeling. From its planted roof to its garden terraces to the calm sea view, this private house is nothing but spectacular.

The first building I’m writing about is House on Fire designed by Sarah Calburn. It began with the Thorne brothers, Jiggs and Sholto’s vision of a space that would exhibit various types of art. Sarah Calburn turned it into reality in 1999. House on Fire is located in Malkerns, Swaziland and is one of Swaziland’s leading performance arts space. Many of the venues are held outdoors where people can see the walls made of tiles. Today there is an average of about 500 people who visit bi-weekly.

I chose the House on Fire for my first building because of its sculptures and mosaic tile walls. When I look at this space, it has a very artistic feel to it. Every corner you turn, you can see carved wood decorations and walls filled with different colored mosaic tiles.

Out of the small handful of field trip destinations I remember from elementary school, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Little House Wayside Cabin was a very memorable place. Wayside Cabin is located in Pepin, Wisconsin and is the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilders. Wayside Cabin is a log cabin that replicated what Laura’s birthplace looked like based on the books she wrote.

I remember our class just finishing Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book Little House on the Prairie, before we went to visit her home. We were asked to wear prairie clothes and pack our lunch in a little pail like how they did in the novel. As a kid, that was pretty exciting news. I got to wear a white dress similar to that style, a bonnet and even got to pack my lunch in a pail. It was the first and last time for me to eat lunch from a pail, pretty cool. It was a neat experience to sit in the wooden tables and study inside.

The most fascinating building for me at OU is the Bizzell Memorial Library. The one thing that I was drawn to was the height, style and color of the main entrance. The building was designed by architects Layton Hicks and Forsyth and had to be rebuilt in 1904 after a fire the year before.

It gives off a very ancient and medieval vibe that I love. In a way, it reminded me of castle and the elegance it gave off makes it even more stunning. Not only is the exterior beautiful but the Great Reading Room on the second floor is just as sophisticated and elegant. The rich bright color scheme of the whole room and the windows that let light into the room during bright days is nothing but a perfect sight.

The Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin is the next building I’ve picked because it’s the capitol of my hometown.  I remember visiting the capitol in elementary school. It was a very exciting place to be at that time, partially because I was little and everything was fun during that time. The architect of this amazing capitol was George B. Post and some of the styles put into this building were the Beaux-Arts architecture and Classical Revival architecture. With a total of 13 acres in area, it houses both legislation chambers. One unique fact is that the Madison Capitol is the only capital to be built on an isthmus. Another thing that I find interesting is the Resources of Wisconsin Mural that is painted on the top of Capitol Dome. The painting centered in the middle of the rotunda surrounded by glass windows is a wonderful sight to see. Some countries that influenced the building were the Doge’s Palace in Venice and French furniture. With the capitol’s diversity, it is a to go destination, the next time you visit Wisconsin.

Every time I visit Minnesota, I always look forward to going to Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Every time I visit this mall, it never fails to surprise me. The massive size and the various activities hidden in this mall could leave one speechless.

Mall of America first opened in 1992 with 330 stores. When it opened, it became the largest mall in the United States. To give an image of how big this mall’s interior was, picture fitting 7 Yankee Stadiums inside. About 70% of the entire mall has natural light coming in through the 8 acres of skylights its design.  As of today, the mall has over 530 stores and 14 attractions that’ll draw people in, from Nickelodeon Universe to the Amazing Maze Mirror.

One reason I love visiting Mall of America is because it isn’t just a mall but a destination attraction. The walkways and all the bright colors of the amusement rides will always memorable.