Headington Hall, the first place that made me feel like I was home freshman year. I lived here my freshman year and it was a place where I was always happy. Going home after class and hanging out with my roomates and going downstairs to the study rooms was amazing. I miss these days and I wish I could live here again. Something interesting is that Rick Skaggs, my interior design professor freshman year, was actually one of the designers on this project. This was the one place on campus where I felt at home no matter the situation. It’s hard to come in as a freshman and live in a new place, but the way headington was designed made it so easy. The rooms were designed so each person had their own rooms, but shared bathrooms and living spaces. One thing I loved about the architecture of the building was the front entrance. It was so elegant and grande. Walking through the hallways felt like a dorm, but the exterior never did.

This stadium, Minute Maid Park, has a special place in my heart. Not only is it an amazing structure, but it is like home to me. I began going to baseball games at the age of five with my family, and have been going ever since. Walking into the stadium, breathing the fresh air and the smell of hot dogs and popcorn is the best feeling on earth. My favorite thing was to go all the way to the top and look down at all the corners of the stadium to see what cool features I could see. The best part about this stadium is the train that moves every time there is a homerun. The. exterior of the stadium is just as amazing as the interior. I remember one of the first games I went to during covid. Seeing all these people still coming together in a space shows how much buildings and their functions have on people. It’s a second home for all of Houston. The architecture of this building is so great that Dallas Rangers literally copied it for their new stadium… but oh well. Minute Maid park is actually built in honor of the railroads. A tie between Houston’s past and its ballpark is a physical line to Union Station. The building is a symbol of the important role the railroad has played in the city’s upbringing. The once Union Station is now an area within the stadium. A buildings architecture comes from a lot of a places history, adding meaning to it.

As most people know, Chicago is a massive city with an even bigger airport. Today, Chicago O’Hare International airport is the sixth busiest airport in the United States. This airport is also about to do a complete remodel making the space modern ands fresh. When I was 16 i was traveling from Houston, Texas to North Carolina with a layover in Chicago. This was truly one of the most terrifying times in my life. The first flight went smoothly from Houston to Chicago, but once I landed I had found out my flight to North Carolina had been cancelled due to weather. I get off the plane crying not knowing where I am or how to even get around this airport. I live in Houston, so i was used to big and busy airports, but nothing like this. The paths were confusing, the signs made no sense, and the way you had to take trains to other terminals was a whole other issue. I had never felt so alone in a place filled with people. Everything was so big to me I felt like an ant. The architecture of this airport is old, which is why there is a remodel on the way! Something interesting to me is that we really only look at the exterior from above in the plane. Most of the time we are in the airports interior, and even when driving to the airport it is usually in a parking garage with transportation.

Dale Hall, the building that makes our campus look a little less beautiful. For this building being the first one you see driving into campus off Lindsey, it should be a little more breathtaking. Dale Hall opened in 1967, and Dale Hall Tower was built two years later. These two buildings were named for the University of Oklahoma historian, Edward Everett Dale. I remember my first day of freshman year walking into Dale, marking the worst day of college in the past three years here. I had a class right before in Sarkeys Energy Center which is a 15 minute walk, but I only had a 10 minute gap. I was speed walking across the south oval in 95 degree heat sweating on every inch of my body. As I was walking up the stairs in the entry, I slipped and fell down the stairs. I was horrified. As I get into class on the first day I started walking all the way to the top, trying not to look at everyone as I was nearly 15 minutes late. As I sit in the seat I slip out and fall. One again, horrified. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the entire semester, something always seemed to go wrong in that building. As an interior design/ architecture major I have always hated Dale. Not only is the architecture off, but there is not a single ounce of natural light within any of the classrooms. Everybody loves windows. While the architecture and design is unique, it is not functional for life these days. I always felt so far away from the professor which allowed for me to not pay attention to anything. I will forever have a hate for Dale, hoping I never have a class in there again.