The Jawahar Kala Kendra Arts Center is located in Jaipur. Charles Correa built the center in 1986. It was originally commissioned by the government to keep up the arts of the area. The design is based around the city plan of Jaipur. The project took about five years to complete and is built on about 9.5 acres. I think this project is important and is inspired by the people that it will serve. The construction is personal to the city and allows visitors to experience the original intent of the city.

The Tube House was designed and built as an entry for a competition based on low-cost housing. This home in particular was in response to the extremely high temperatures in the city. The house is small and heavily reduces the need for doors and windows. This home, like many of Correa’s other designs, takes inspiration from traditional Indian architecture. The environment and its factors are considered throughout this design as well. I think this is a smart design. It does exactly what it is asked to do. It is an efficient place to reside and is carefully crafted for the environment it is placed in.

The Handloom Pavilion was the first structure completed by Correa’s office. It was built in six months and finished in 1958. The walls are made out of brick and mud and the roof is made of cloth. This was done to reflect pavilions seen in the region. This building was driven by climate considerations like many of Charles Correa’s designs. I think the design is unique. From the outside it looks like a box, but from the inside it is a maze that designs the experience of the building. The flow of the overall experience is dictated by the design, which allows each person to see the structure the way it was constructed to be.

The Kanchanjunga Apartments were built by Charles Correa in 1983. The structure is located in Mumbai, which is a large city in terms of population and has a diverse culture. I think this apartment building has a unique look to it that blends several styles of architecture. Besides the aesthetics of the building, there was environmental reasoning for constructing the way it was. There are subtle shifts that help defend against the extreme weather patterns that occur in the region. I think this building shows a modernized version on some traditional Indian features.

The Pantheon is the best preserved building from ancient Rome. Stepping into this structure, you can feel the history and how incredible this construction is today, let alone when it was originally built. The original structure burned down and then a second was built on the same plot of land. The second was struck by lightning and burned again. The third building was built on the same plot of land, which still stands today.

My family goes skiing for Christmas, and this is the airport that we usually fly into on Christmas day. I think the way that the building has been camouflaged into the mountains makes it really unique. By creating the fabric roof, it saved the airport thousands of tons of steel. It also lowered the time that it would have taken to complete the project. This sparked a movement for environmentally responsible airport design.

This house is an example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s “usonian” design. This style of architecture included one story homes with natural elements and a simple design. This was meant to connect the structure to the earth. This is the first and only Frank Lloyd home I have visited, but it solidified my love for architecture and interior design. The spaces feel truly custom and perfectly tailored to the original users.

This is a German castle that directly translates to “New Swan Stone”. It was built in 1868 and was never fully completed. The castle was only lived in for about 6 months and then opened to the public as a museum. This castle holds an intense sense of grandeur. Standing in front of it you can truly tell how large it is. It is something out of a fairytale and many have modeled their stories after this structure.