This may be one of my favorite projects by Lake|Flato Architects. The Holdsworth Center in Austin, Texas is almost like a small little community. It was designed to be a retreat center and to promote reflection, thought and dialogue. Just by looking through the images of this center, I can definitely say that if I myself would go on a retreat there, it would absolutely promote these things. This large center is built in the middle of a wooded area with great views. I feel like you would definitely feel like one with nature and wildlife here. Like many of Lake|Flato’s projects there is a large use of heavy timber. The use of the wood ties in all the buildings to the trees and surrounding landscape.

This is another residential build by Lake|Flato Architects. The Courtyard House in El Paso, Texas stood out to me because of the large use of exposed concrete. The concrete walls give the home an extremely modern look. From the front exterior, the house seems rather closed off and private with its towering concrete walls. However, around the back side of the house, it is a completely different atmosphere. The back yard has a much more open concept with large windows seeing into the interior of the house and large courtyard. This is where you can clearly see how the home got its name. The courtyard is very inviting and yet it has a calm feeling to it. I think this is because the large use of concrete still, however, there is also the use of other materials and also a grass area which is what I think gives it that “homey” feel.

This is another heavy timber project by Lake|Flato Architects in Ocean Springs, MS. The Marine Education Center was a new build after the previous center was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The owners wanted something that was sustainable and also fit in with the surrounding environment. I think the design shows exactly that. The building has an award for sustainability and with the extensive use of wood and heavy timbers it absolutely fits in with the environment.

Lake|Flato Architects have done a lot of really neat projects. But as I was looking through some of their features projects, I noticed they have done quite a bit of ranches. One of the many ranches that stood out to me the most, was the Verde Creek Ranch in Texas. This family style home sits in a secluded wooded area near a pond surrounded by a plethora of Cypress trees. The building itself it majority heavy timber, that is actually Cypress as well, with lots of large glass windows and a little bit of concrete and stone thrown in here and there. Personally I love the look of this home. It has elements of a “log cabin” type home, but with a modern twist. There is a lot of open space in this house with tall vaulted ceilings showing the wood trusses and metal connections. With all the windows in this house there is so much natural lighting, which I feel like makes the space so inviting and probably why I myself was drawn to the images of this home.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think Walt Disney is the classic image of the Castle. The Walt Disney Castle is an image that every child or adult has seen if they have ever seen a Disney movie. The real life castle is located in the most magical place on earth, Walt Disney World. Going to Walt Disney World is the dream of any kid, or lets be honest, it is the dream of any adult too. Walt Disney World truly is a magical place though. It is where all these castles and buildings seen in our favorite Disney movies are actually brought to life out of the cartoon for us to see and experience. I grew up watching many, many hours worth of Disney movies and still love watching them today. So getting to experience Walt Disney World was an amazing experience for me. It took me back to my childhood; you know the time before we had to worry about college, getting a job or making an income. I am majoring in architectural engineering, so I really enjoy the architectural sides of buildings but also enjoy knowing how a building comes together and is built. Thanks to Disney Plus, I was able to watch a documentary about the design and construction process of Walt Disney World. That for me is the best of both worlds. From seeing the Disney Castle in movies as a kid, to seeing the Castle in real life, and then learning about the construction and architecture of this childhood image of mine, this truly is truly one of my all time favorite architectural works.

The Von Trapp Family is probably most well known from the classic movie, The Sound of Music. The Von Trapp’s lived in a large villa located in Salzburg, Austria up until 1938, when they had to quickly flee their home to escape the Germans who had invaded Austria. The Sound of Music is one my personal favorite movies, especially since its based on a true story. It was the movie and history that drew me into the architecture of the Villa. The actual Von Trapp Villa is not the same as the one shown in the movie. However, both houses are located in Salzburg and both have the same yellow/gold exterior color which I think is what makes the structures so neat. Though I have never personally seen the Von Trapp house, I have done a fair bit of research on the family’s home. I had plans to see this movie famous home during a study abroad trip, until the trip got canceled from the pandemic. My trip thankfully has been rescheduled for next year where I plan to visit Austria to see the Villa Von Trapp along with other famous film locations.

On my trip to Washington D.C. I saw many amazing architectural works, but out of them all Mount Vernon was by far my favorite. I love architecture and I love history, so when both architecture and history go together I get very excited and intrigued. George Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon, is not just a house. It is almost 500 acres of a mansion, farmland, gardens, burial sites, mills and many other outbuildings. The entire grounds is just amazing to see, but focusing on the main house the architecture is a very classic style. George Washington himself designed and planned most of Mount Vernon. The exterior of the house is cream with a bright red colored roof along with many of the outbuildings having this same design. On the back side, the house is lined with eight large columns which is one of my favorite aspects of Mount Vernon. Something I find very interesting is that there are constantly new preservation projects going on at Mount Vernon to preserve its history.

The Basilica in Washington D.C. is an architectural work I’ll never forget. The first time I got to visit this Roman Catholic Church, I was only 12 years old. At the time I thought it was pretty amazing because of it’s size and artwork. Now as an adult I can appreciate the architecture even more and realize it is a structure that has had a major influence on me. The Basilica was built in the 1920s and is the largest Roman Catholic Church in all of North America. Besides it’s one large sanctuary, the Basilica contains a total of 80 chapels. The mere size of the church is what first sticks out me to me. While walking around inside the church, I felt as though every corner I turned led to a new room or hallway which made the church seem even larger than it appeared from the outside. Besides the size, it was the artwork that was so amazing to see. From the outside the church is a very neutral stone except for the bright blue tiled covered dome that immediately catches your eye. Inside the church, everywhere you turn there are incredible bright colored mosaics and paintings covering the walls and ceilings.