The Gothenburg Courthouse was built in 1672 in Gothenburg, Sweden. In 1912 the city court of Gothenburg decided that the courthouse need an expansion added onto it. The city held a design competition that Erik Gunnar Asplund would win. It would not be until 1934 that the city would decide to fully go through with the addition to the courthouse. One unique part of this design is that Asplund had full control over the addition. He had full control over the inter stairs, the chairs in the court, and even the transparent sinks in the bathroom.

One of the things that make this building so unique is that because it was fully designed by Asplund, you can see his style everywhere. Asplund tried his very best to take the corners out of everything, he enjoyed designing buildings that were rounded out. The design of the Gothenburg courthouse might be Asplund’s most personal work. Strictly because he got to design the building in his own way. This design has Erik Gunnar Asplund’s signature written everywhere on it.

Sources: https://www.higab.se/wp-content/uploads/Courthouse_Eng_8maj2017_LOW.pdf https://thearchitecturalsite.tumblr.com/post/158623831114

The Stockholm public library was first designed in 1922 and construction to build the library began in 1924. Erik Gunnar Asplund, an architect from Sweden was in charge of designing the building. Asplund’s first design of the building included a dome in the plans. However, the design was forsaken in place of a rotunda. This was also the first public library to institute open shelves. This meant that those who came to the library no longer needed assistance to find the books. Open shelves would later become a commonality among the rest of the world.

Asplund’s design of the building was very unique. His style of architecture always used space well. The proportional ratios of this building, along with the symmetry make for an equally proportional building that has a relaxing feel to it.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Public_Library

Erik Gunnar Asplund was an architect in a changing society and world. Because of this, Asplund was responsible for the design of a department store in Uppsala, Sweden during the 1930s. He decided to take a much more modern approach to this building than architects before him. Asplund decided to hide all of the columns in this building so that they were not shown from the street for people to see. This is one of his lesser-known buildings. There is not much that is can be found about the history of this building. While many of his buildings would be used as inspiration for architects after him, very few would ever look into the Bredenberg Department Store.

To the modern eye, the building may not look all too impressive, but to the average Swedish citizen, it was very unique. The lack of columns, combined with the minimal vertical movement in this building caused this building to stand out among those next to it. Erik Gunnar Asplund was an architect in a changing society and because of that, Asplund decided to change with it.

The woodland chapel in Stockholm, Sweden is one of the first projects that Gunnar Asplund would design. The chapel is located inside the skogskyrkogården cemetery. Shortly before designing the Woodland Chapel, Asplund had been to a wedding in Denmark. The wedding venue was very fascinating to Asplund, so he decided that he would design the chapel similarly. The design from Denmark that Asplund would borrow was a very simple tree line behind the chapel.

The building design is a very simple one, with nothing extreme to cause it to stand out, but yet it does to me. I think I understand Asplund’s odd fascination with the design. Nothing about this building should be intriguing or fascinating, but the simplicity of the design combined with the treeline is a great design. While the design was simple, each and every aspect of this building was thought out in detail. One of the most interesting facts about this building is that the keyhole to the front door is in the shape of the eye of a skull. This was a very simple, but still a very appealing design that I think is fantastic.

One of my favorite buildings in Norman in the Llyod Noble Center. My dad had season tickets for OU basketball games from 2006-2013 for him, my brother, and I. We would all go to the basketball games together, when my brother and I were younger. There was a span of 3 years straight that we didn’t miss a home game at Lloyd Noble. I have so many good memories of this building. This was the first building that I saw my first sporting event at. I got to watch Blake Griffin play here and now I get to attend the same university as a student. I still get reminded of the memories of watching basketball games with my brother and dad every time I walk in there or drive past it.

As a student now, getting to go to basketball games is a great reminder of the fun memories I had as a kid. The exterior of the building isn’t the most attractive, with a very boring exterior. The inside of the arena was very well designed and is a fun atmosphere and environment for fans and students.

The First Baptist Church in Purcell, Oklahoma is a place that means a lot to me. It is a place that I spent a lot time when I was growing up. This is a church that not only did I grow up in, but my dad grew up in and his dad grew up in. The new church building was added onto in 2012. It is a very nice and new building that I love to go back and visit. When I go home for holidays, I go back to that church every Sunday. It is a building that I not only love for the memories that it holds, but for the beauty of the building itself. Baptist churches are known for being very traditional, but because this church is new it took the design in a different direction. The building has a traditional feel, but with modern attributes. The front room when you first walk into the building has all glass walls, that gives the building a very modern feel. The main sanctuary however, has stained glass along the back wall. The stained glass gives the building a very traditional feeling. This is one of the most important buildings that I have been to, because it holds memories and feeling of the thing that means the most to me, in my faith.

This is a building that I hope to one day take my family to every week. I love my church in my hometown and hope that it is something I will get to share with my children. The building is a beautiful design that combines traditional churches with modern buildings.

The Space Needle is very unique and easy to spot. It is located in Seattle Washington and serves as an observation deck that looks over the city of Seattle. It stands at over 605 feet tall, with a glass floor that allows you to look all the way to the ground below you. As a kid, in 2012, I got to go to Seattle and I got to go all the way to the top of the Space Needle. As I looked from the bottom up, I was in awe. I believed it at the time, to be the largest building that I had ever seen. I stood in awe as I stared up the 605 feet of material above me and was astonished. As we began our way to the top I was very excited, until we actually got to the top of the needle. Once we got to the top, I was terrified of the floor beneath me. I was too young to understand the design of the building and that I was safe, but the clear floor below me did not give me any assurances that I wouldn’t fall to the ground. When I think of this building, I don’t think of good memories, but of being terrified. This is something that I hate, because it is a gorgeous piece of architecture that I can appreciate, but can’t enjoy.

Fenway Park is home to the Boston Red Sox, who are a Major League Baseball team. Fenway was built in 1912 and is the oldest Major League Baseball Park in the country. It was designed by James McLaughlin and is still his most notable design. I have had the privilege of visiting Boston a couple of years ago. While I was there, I got to watch the Boston Red Sox Championship team play against the Seattle Mariners in 2018. I grew up a Red Sox fan and had always dreamed of sitting in Fenway and watching David Ortiz hit a home run over the Green Monster. While I didn’t see David Ortiz or a home run hit over the Green Monster, I still got to enjoy the beautiful architecture that Fenway had to offer. As a lifelong Red Sox fan, it is something that I had always dreamed of and will never forget.

I am hoping that one day I am able to take my son or daughter to Fenway and get to have that same memory that I have with my father. The happiness and joy that I experienced with my father is something that I will cherish forever. It felt as though I was standing in the middle of a history textbook. It is one of our favorite memories that we got to share together and I look forward to the day that I get to share the same thing.

Goldberg, Jeff. “MLB Ballparks, from Oldest to Newest.” Ballpark Digest, 29 Apr. 2021, https://ballparkdigest.com/2017/03/31/mlb-ballparks-from-oldest-to-newest/.