The Unterhus Houses are vacation homes built by Peter Zumthor in Switzerland. They are made wood and are rather plain looking. To me they look like a shed that someone would have in their backyard. The front of the houses have glass walls allowing for natural light to fill the house. They also give you a great view of the landscape. The houses are built on the side of a hill. Even though these are modern summer homes they are built in a similar style to the other homes in the village. This seems to be what Peter likes to do. He will make some modern building but make it fit in with its surroundings, whether that’s the alps or a small village. These are nice homes, I just like darker wood so I wouldn’t live in one. 

https://divisare.com/projects/313232-peter-zumthor-ralph-feiner-the-unterhus-leis-ob-vals-switzerland

Kolumba is a building in Cologne, Germany by Peter Zumthor that was built in 2003. It is an art museum that was founded in the 1800’s. The interesting thing about this building is that it is on the site of an old Gothic Church and a chapel from the 1950’s. The Gothic church was destroyed in World War 2 and the newer chapel built on its the ruins. It is called the Kolumba building for the Kolumba stones, which are the light grey stones that you see in the picture. There are a bunch of holes in the walls that allow different levels of light into the museum throughout different times of the day. The interior is very open and sometimes even roofless like a courtyard. The big grey walls make it seem more like a fort holding some treasure than an art museum. At first glance I thought it was ugly, but I grow to appreciate its simplicity the more that I look at it. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolumba

https://www.inessabinenbaum.com/kolumba

My favorite work by Peter Zumthor is the Saint Benedict Chapel in Sumvitg Switzerland, which was built in 1988. This chapel looks like a Viking longhouse. The building is made from wood. It’s a very thin building and the interior is pretty small. The building is built into the side of a hill along in the Swiss Alps. There is nothing fancy about this chapel, it’s quaint yet elegant. At first glance, the outside walls look like they’re made out of bricks but it’s actually shingles. This is apparently a traditional thing in some Swiss villages, so Zumthor did that to allow the building to fit in with its village. It’s not a grand cathedral, there’s only room for a few people inside. But that is fitting because it’s for a small village not a huge urban area. I just like the simplicity and elegance of this building quite a bit. 

https://www.archdaily.com/418996/ad-classics-saint-benedict-chapel-peter-zumthor

https://www.archdaily.com/418996/ad-classics-saint-benedict-chapel-peter-zumthor

The 7132 Hotel, designed by Peter Zumthor, is in Vals, Switzerland. This hotel looks like something straight out of a James Bond movie. The building is in a gorgeous valley in the Alps, right by a little village. There’s a green roof made of the grass that grows naturally in the valley. This gives the building the effect of blending into its surroundings. The darker-greyish wood used in the building makes it looks sleek and modern but not too cold or uninviting. This building does a great job of blending in with the landscape. I wouldn’t want to stay at this hotel though. I’m not really into the modern type of design, so this building isn’t my favorite. I can see how many people think it’s awesome and would want to spend some time there. I like the way that the hotel incorporates with the landscape, but that’s pretty much the only thing I like about it. 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g954021-d582835-Reviews-7132_Hotel-Vals_Canton_of_Graubunden_Swiss_Alps.html

Mount Vernon is the home and grave of President George Washington. As I’ve mentioned in my other posts, I am a big fan of the colonial style, and this house really fits the bill for me. The home itself is situated on a hill overlooking the Potomac, a very picturesque location. Mount Vernon used to be much smaller, but Washington made it a goal to continuously improve on the original design. The central house is a large building with a red roof, white wooden walls, and a little tower at the top. It’s connected by verandas to two other buildings. On the Potomac side of the house there is a giant porch with huge columns supporting a roof for shade. The interior is still mostly the same as the original.

            Going into Washington’s house was neat, especially since some of the flooring is still original. It’s a cool feeling to be walking on the same floor that the first President walked on. I was quite impressed by the house but what took the cake for me was the location. The view of the Potomac is beautiful from the back porch. The steep hill that the house is situated on allows for a fantastic view of the river and woods around. If you enjoy seeing Presidents’ houses this one is a must. 

Photo from: https://www.fabricut.com/licensed-collections/mount-vernon

The United States Supreme Court building was absolutely my favorite building in Washington D.C. The plaza out in front of it looks tremendous and feels amazing to walk on. It feels almost like with every step you’re going to make the tile dirty or worse in some way. The building with its awe-inspiring neoclassical design looks straight out of Rome or Greece. The symmetry of the whole thing is the epitome of perfection. The steps at the front, which are flanked by two huge statues, make it look like you’re about to transcend into some aethereal place that’s more important than everywhere else. The Supreme Court building can communicate to the viewer that it is a hall where the fate of a nation is determined. Something that I really like is the relief at the top of the building, it reminds me of the Parthenon. The columns really tie the whole thing together for me. They give it an ancient feeling and put you into your place. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time observing the building when I was in D.C., but it certainly left a good impression on me. 

Photo from: https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/what-happens-inside-the-u-s-supreme-court/

I saw the Massachusetts State House while walking the Freedom Trail in Boston. The giant golden dome draws your attention as you’re coming up on it. But the building itself is impressive as well. It’s built in that Romanesque style like so many other Capitols in the United States. The front looks like a temple that you might find in Rome or Greece. While it is built in the ancient style it still has a charming hint of Colonial America with its red bricks all around. The State House was completed in 1798 and designed by American architect Charles Bulfinch. The interior is just as impressive as the exterior. There is certainly no shortage of marble inside, and there are many ornate paintings of scenes from American History. 

            The State House greatly exceeded my expectations. I had been to the Texas and Oklahoma State Capitols before, and I was sure that the State House would be just the same… it wasn’t. There was just something different about this building, but I still can’t put my finger on what it was. Maybe it was the pieces of history that were kept on display, like old canons, or the fact that it’s one of the oldest state capitols. Either way I really recommend checking this one out if you get the chance. 

Photo from: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2018/tour-the-massachusetts-state-house/

When I was first told that we were going on a tour of the House of the Seven Gables in Salem, MA my first thought was “big whoop.” My feelings soon changed after laying my eyes on the structure. The house was built in the 1600’s, which is super cool since America wasn’t even a country when this place was first inhabited. The garden on the premises of the house is also very beautiful, it’s subtle and old in style which adds to the charm. It’s also the inspiration for the novel The House of the Seven Gables, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The house is situated right next to the Salem Harbor, making it easy to imagine yourself back in time watching the ships roll in with goods from around the world while sitting on your back porch. One of the reasons I was so impressed by this house is because out here in Oklahoma we don’t get structures this old. As a result, it can be more difficult to connect with and visualize America’s early history. Being able to walk through a house from before our nations birth made me feel very patriotic and proud to be from America. While there are more extravagant buildings from that time, this one just feels comfortable and more of an accurate depiction of life in Colonial America. 

Photo from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:House_of_the_Seven_Gables_(front_angle)_-_Salem,_Massachusetts.jpg