I chose this project of Beverly Willis because I really like the location, and how she utilized the apartments to take in the view that they offered.

As you can see above the location of these apartments is both beautiful and complex. They overlook water on a raised area. This makes the project that much more complicated, due to factors such as the stability of the soil and ground and also possible erosion that will take place during the years that those apartments sit there. The major challenges in this project were keeping the apartments affordable, making sure that they were structurally sound, and that they maximized the views of the ocean. I think this was one of the more logistically difficult projects she was involved with. As just figuring out how to lay these apartments out was a struggle in its self, so much of a struggle that the first owner of this land couldn’t figure it out.

By looking at the apartments you see just how many windows are incorporated. I really like this because she did a great job at accessing the view provided as much as possible, and tried to give each unit a view of it. She also included a tennis court, children’s play area, and other amenities on this property to make it as enjoyable as possible. You can also see that the style of the apartments matches the overall vibe of the area. And also that the style is in touch with the prominent housing style during the ’70s. I like the colors and materials used in the design of the exterior because it makes the age of the apartment better than some of the other materials that were used in the ’70s. All though you can tell when it was built the apartments still look good now almost 50 years later. And given their location and the land, they’re beneath it is pretty impressive they’ve held up so well.

This building was a part of a redesign of an existing office building to create a high school for over 300 students. I think the most interesting part about her work on this building is that it wasn’t a building from scratch, the building was already there and she had to transform it into a school. I think this school really speaks to her talents. It’s hard to take something that was used as an office building and transform it into a building that fosters learning and can also be appropriately used. Especially in New York City where spaces are already small, this is no easy feat. A characteristic that the building was lucky enough to have large windows, this makes it easier to layout classrooms and can also make the classrooms appear bigger than they actually are. I think overall Beverly did a great job at redesigning this building. She was able to create open and unobstructed spaces. She also smartly divided which rooms need windows and which ones can do without. On the interior of the building, you will see that she decided classrooms should have windows and the space in the middle can be devoted to break rooms and a cafeteria. I think this was really smart because you spend 30 minutes in the cafeteria and 7 hours in classrooms.

As you can see above she utilized all the space that she was given. Some of the spaces that didn’t have windows could’ve been seen as wasted space. However, Beverly took those spaces and made them useful. Like above she creates space without windows into a study/common area. An area that students can enjoy when they aren’t in classes.

As you can see in the picture above the use of natural light in classrooms was well executed. The classrooms offer a view of the city that sits outside with pretty large windows and decently high ceilings. She also created a well-spaced cafeteria that can hold a large number of students at once.

I found this project of Beverly Willis particularly interesting. This project was a huge project as it included housing, schools, parks, etc. This is also a very important project as it was meant to be a complete community for military families stationed in Hawaii. Beverly won the bid for this project for 115 million in 1974. This project was no easy feat as she would have to create a community that encompassed apartments meant for families. The plan for this community was to feature 2600 family-sized apartments. Everything about this project was impressive, especially the budget and timeline. She managed to design over 500 buildings in less than 9 months, and the construction was amazingly fast and efficient.

As you can see in the designs and actual picture of the building that these apartment units encompassed a lot. The architectural style of housing is spot on with the time period these were designed and constructed. As you can see by the shape of the roof, they had just enough slope for rain but not a steep slope as snow isn’t an issue in Hawaii. I think it’s also important to note the number of windows each unit processes. As these are meant for families there are multiple rooms in each unit, and from the looks of it I think Beverly did a pretty good job of trying to incorporate as much light as possible, but during this time natural lighting wasn’t as prized as it is today.

Another thing I really like about these apartments is how much greenery outside of each building they offer. There are large grass/lawn areas outside each building. This community also has lots of playgrounds and vegetation, something that I was excited to see. As they are trying to house as many people as possible I am happy to see that they didn’t sacrifice the importance of the environment they were building on and the need for open space in general.

One of the works of Beverly Willis that I really wanted to discuss was this ballet building that she designed. Right of the bat before even looking at the interior of this building you know it is going to encompass a lot of open rooms. For me structurally this is interesting because you can’t have supporting beams everywhere as the purpose of this building is for dance.

I really like the overall outward appearance of the building. To me especially for its time, it is appealing to the eye. I like the use of pillars and that it also incorporates three outdoor spaces. The columns make the building appear larger than it is. I also like the use of windows. I think especially for dance spaces that large windows are important and dancing within a space that encompasses large windows is much more enjoyable considering you have a view and access to natural light. The building when lit up at night has a blue tent to it, from the use of windows and the lighting used.

This building was completed in 1984. Beverly Willis took a lot of time visiting other studios and talking with dancers. She did this so she could truly understand the needs of the space so she could make a space that was adaptable and that could be used for years to come. She talked with the people that would be using this space and took what they said to create a building that fostered and promoted dance, while also creating a building that had fun features. This is also the first building that was constructed solely for the purpose and use of just dance. I think it is important to note the dedication and research that she put into this building and just how much she traveled to gain an understanding of what was needed from this building.

As you can see in the photo above the studio spaces that were built came with high ceilings and large windows. I think the use of and access of natural light and high ceilings really opened up the space, and the addition of the mirror makes the space feel bigger and also allows for better ventilation.

Overall, I find the interior and exterior of this building really cool. The fact that this was the first building constructed solely for a ballet company is really interesting, and I like the features such as metal paneling, large windows, glass doors, and columns on the outside.

I visited Versailles in March of 2019 and it is a place I hope to go back to one day. The tour I got to go on was amazing and learning about the history of the Palace and about the royalty that lived there was something that will always be fascinating to me. Seeing the view of the back of the Palace from the grounds/gardens behind it was breathtaking. Seeing how each bedroom and room was created for a specific purpose was really fascinating to see. To learn about why each room was how it was and why some elements were included was very interested. The building is so beautiful on the inside and the design and artwork on the inside are breathtaking. My favorite room in the Palace is the Hall of Mirrors. Everything from the molding, the chandeliers, and the arches that are included in the Hall of Mirrors makes it so breathtaking to see. I loved how the room had gold accents and how perfectly the artwork on the ceilings flowed together with each other.

The image above is of the back of the Palace taken from the massive and luxurious gardens that are at the back of the Palace. Something also that is important to note about the architectural design of the palace is the utilization of space. When the palace was used as a residence the rulers would have visitors always meaning they needed many rooms. They constructed the palace with multiple courtyards in order to allow for more rooms and still offer the rooms with grand windows to allow light in, this allowed for more rooms and less wasted space. Everything from the grounds to the rooms in the Palace was beautifully constructed and designed. The architects managed to create a timeless symbol of beauty in all aspects of the palace. If you ever have the chance to go visit it is one of the most beautiful things I have seen, learning about the history of the Palace and learning about the people who help residence at the Palace is something that was so interesting to hear about and to see exactly where they stayed.

I visited the Sydney Opera House in July of 2015 on a trip to Australia and New Zealand. I remember being able to see it from my hotel room and from the Sydney bridge and it probably was the first building that I actually thought in detail about and was in awe of. I was fortunate enough to be able to take a tour of the Opera House and got to see the inside of it as well. Walking up the steps that surround the Opera House was breathtaking in itself. The shape of the building is something that I’ve never seen since. The construction of it is vastly unique and offers elegance and excitement to the city. It is amazing how crazy yet elegant the building looks and how captivating it is to look at. Usually, it’s things like sunsets and views of the ocean that captivate your eye but in this case, this is genuinely a building that is easy and exciting to look at. I remember going to a restaurant on the boardwalk that surrounds the opera house and looking at the Sydney Opera House the entire dinner and talking with my family about how cool it was to get to see. The inside of the building you can tell how it was specifically constructed and designed for acoustics, yet they still were able to create an amazing building with all those qualities. One design element also worth noting is how it is positioned in the harbor so there is water surrounding all but one side of the building that leads back to the harbor. Not one part of the building is dull and it was something truly breathtaking to see.

Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most impactful buildings I’ve seen in my life thus far. I remember seeing pictures of it before I visited in March of 2019 and already was amazed. But nothing compared to standing at the bottom of the steps and looking up at it in person. The beauty and history of the cathedral speaks for itself and learning in depth about the cathedral made me appreciate it that much more. Learning about the renovations and improvements that have taken place in its lifetime shows just how far the building had to come to stand with the beauty it has today. I remember walking up the steps to the bell tower and being amazed that all of this was created all that time ago. The building is massive on the inside and the high ceilings in the center of the building help accentuate how big the first floor feels.

In the picture above you can see all the details they have incorporated that make the interior of this building so beautiful. I remember looking at all the details on the pillars and looking at all of the arches they have incorporated. The one thing that really stuck with me and that I remember vividly looking at the stained glass windows behind the alter.

The outside of the building is also something of beauty. I remember looking at it from two different vantage points on my trip to France. The first time I saw it was when I went into the cathedral. Seeing the front entrance of the building and seeing how the arches on the outside are carried on throughout the interior of the building as well. Even though it looks massive on the outside you don’t really notice how big it is until you see it from the side. I remember being on a boat on the river seine and passing by Notre Dame and seeing how massive it actually is. The day that I went and visited and the day I rode by it are days and images that I will never forget.

The physical science center here at OU is a building on campus that immediately caught my attention freshman year (Fall 2019). The building that stands twelve stories and 182,963squar feet and is nicknamed “the blender” by students across the campus for its odd shape and characteristics. The building does not have windows on the first 5 floors and is deemed to be riot-proof. It was constructed in 1969 and has been something of a talking point in every sense. In my opinion, the building has affected me negatively. Most classrooms don’t have windows, and it isn’t appealing to the eye on the outside or on the inside. The layout of rooms is very confusing and hard to navigate. It just overall is not a well thought out building. The outside of the building is a brown color and very displeasing to the eye in every way. The overall shape of the building is very peculiar. It is also my opinion that it is the most unappealing building on campus. This building is located next to the beautiful bizell library, a building that was beautifully crafted and features a sophisticated interior as well. The contrast between these buildings is astronomical and makes the flaws in the physical science center stand out more because it is placed next to such a building as the bizell library. I think the physical science center disrupts the beauty of the OU campus, although I know it isn’t feasible for it to be knocked down I still do wish they could do something to make it more appealing to the eye.

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