I think that there is something beautiful about taking something ordinary and boring and making it spectacular and unique, that is what Santiago Calatrava has done in the Barcelona Olympic Park with this Communication tower. Apart from the graceful lines and beautiful angles, this tower has some hidden subtleties that just take it to the next level of incredible design. The most thoughtful of these is the fact that the towers angle matches that of the sun during a solar eclipse. These are the type of subtleties and details that make Santiago Calatrava one of the world’s best architects.

The United States came together after the September 11 attacks that left lower Manhattan scarred and broken. Along with the two world trade center towers, the terrorist attacks destroyed the transportation hub for lower Manhattan. As the new World trade center towers go up there is another building that is gracing the ‘Wedge of Light’ plaza. This building will house the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, a junction of the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) commuter trains and the New York City subway trains. The building designed by Santiago Calatrava, is meant to emulate the look of a child throwing a dove into the air. This symbol of peace is a beautiful sign that even though great harm was done to the nation, we will rise above the hatred and violence.

For these blogs I have focused a lot on bridges that have been designed by Santiago Calatrava mostly because his first work I saw was the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas. I have also focused on North American works because I live there. However, Calatravas work spans far beyond North American bridges, as seen by the Tower at the Dubai Creek Harbour. This building stands out in a city and a region filled with amazing architecture. Its graceful cables spread downward and create an aura that is breathtaking. The building is packed with observation decks, some even recreating the hanging gardens of Babylon. This building truly showcases how flexible and far reaching of an architect Calatrava is.

Calgary is the Canadian city that is closest to my heart, as my uncle lived there for many years. We visited twice, once in the summer and once in the winter. It was beautiful during the summer, the temperature never really got above 80 and the Canadian plains are breathtakingly beautiful. During the winter however, it never got above -20 Celsius, and it was still breathtaking. In this changing and beautiful landscape is where Santiago Calatravra, the renowned Spanish Architect has set his Peace Bridge. Its intricate and leaf inspired curves spanning the bow river, should feel right at home amongst the foliage of the Canadian prairies.

In Elementary School I did a science fair project to test to see what type of bridge was the strongest. Looking back, I realize just how poorly I carried out the experiment and I have come to see why cable stayed bridges are less common than I predicted they should be. However, my love of cable stayed bridges has continued to this day. When the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge first opened in Dallas, I was so excited to be able to see an actual cable stayed bridge of the type that I have loved for so long.  This bridge was the first of two Calatrava bridges to be constructed over the trinity river, and begin to revitalize the downtown areas of Dallas.

The Dallas Area is home to me. When I was growing up there was a distinct lack of beautiful buildings and bridges. The lack of beautiful bridges always pained me as there were a lot of bridges, and the city was a growing and thriving metropolis. I always felt that the city should replace the boring and ugly bridges with works of art. The Margaret McDermott Bridges are changing that, they are the second bridge built over the trinity river by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, and they are truly a work of art.

The Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building is the headquarters of the Federal Reserve, that secretive agent of the federal government tasked with maintaining the value of the US Dollar while striving at the same time to maintain full employment. The Fed has been called a temple by William Grieder in his book “Secrets of the Temple” where he describes a pagan religion consisting of priests in the form of the Federal Reserve Board members who lead the nation in its endless worship of money.

I like this building because from the outside it looks perfectly normal and extraordinary; yet within this building there lies more power over the nation than anywhere else in the nation.  I added this building to my six inspiring buildings because I feel that most people in this nation don’t comprehend the complexity of the federal reserve and they would benefit from a reason to do more research on the Fed, and the reasons that it operates as it does.

My hometown of Carrollton TX does not have many notable buildings or landmarks. It is a perfectly ordinary suburb of Dallas surrounded by endless miles of equally ordinary cities. However, it does have one claim to fame, I say fame but it’s more like one notable landmark. The old water tower in old downtown Carrollton can be seen from I-35 and has always been the marker that I am almost home when I have been on road trips. At various points throughout its history it has been a rock climbing gym, a warehouse, and of course a water tower. This building has been considered by some to be a huge eyesore and a piece of art by others. I think it’s a great way to orient where you are on the endless miles of Dallas’s Highway system.

The Radar Innovation Lab houses the Advanced Radar Research Center on OU’s South Campus. In the few years since its construction it has become the world’s leading location for academic radar research. This building means much more for me than that; in this building was the first time that my research ambitions were stoked. My research into drones for the purpose of studying the lower atmospheric boundary layer has really convinced me that I want to pursue a career in aerospace research. For this reason, this building holds a special place in my heart.

I love Scandinavia. As a whole, the Scandinavian Nations have a knack for being cutting edge and modern while still being classy and beautiful. The Oslo Opera House is a beautiful example of this.  The building manages to look as classy as a Bond villain’s home while as modern as a moon base. The waterfront structure allows for the Building to be used as a beach when the building is not in use for opera

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