Another one of Jeanne Gang’s buildings has a lot to do with the sun. The structure is called the “Solstice on the Park” and is in Chicago, IL. Construction was completed in 2018 and it is a residential building. With 26 floors, 400,000 square feet, and 250 units, the building can house many residents. The structure is green globe certified.

The tower is “shaped by the angles of the sun and one of the first Studio Gang projects to explore the idea of solar carving for environmental advantages”. This project paved the way for the Solar Carve building in New York (which was discussed in a previous blog). The windows are angled at 72 degrees. This creates the optimum angle for Chicago winters and summers. In the winter the angles allow maximum sunlight for passive solar warming. In the summers the angle helps reduce light and heat gain, which decreases air-conditioning usage. Another way the structure is sustainable is the structure has a green roof. This structure has many innovative features that make it unique. Gang’s innovations not only make an interesting looking apartment building but a building that saves money and has environmental benefits.

Before being assigned Jeanne Gang I had never heard of her or her work. I now know so much more about a truly inspiring architect. She has paved the way in the profession for other ambitious women to be as successful as she has been. Finally, Jeanne Gang was not just successful but environmentally conscious.

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The next building of Jeanne Gang’s work that inspired me is the Solar Carve in New York, NY. The construction of this building finished in 2019 and the building type is an office. The structure is 145,000 square feet and 12 floors high. This building also prompts Gang’s idea of keeping architecture sustainable because it is LEED gold certified.

The building is called “Solar Carve” for a reason. The structure “explores how shaping architecture in response to solar access and other site-specific criteria can expand its potential to have a positive impact on its environment”. The building benefits the surrounding community and local parks. While the building has benefits it is also an iconic building in the New York skyline. Through Jeanne Gang’s architecture firms, Studio Gang, research has stated that the structure “involves using incident angles of the sun’s rays to sculpt a building’s form”.

The structures unique siding not only has an interesting aesthetic but a positive impact on the built environment. Gang’s unique and innovative ways to make her building environmentally friendly are fascinating. She continues to amaze me with her creativity and revolutionary ideas.

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References: https://studiogang.com/project/40-tenth-ave

The next structure of Jeanne Gang’s I found fascinating is the Aqua Tower. The tower is in Chicago, IL and was built in 2010. Being about 1.9 million square feet, the structure is enormous in size. With 82 floors the building reaches the height of 876 feet. “Combining a hotel, offices, rental apartments, condominiums, and parking, along with one of Chicago’s largest green roofs, Aqua facilitates strong connections between people and to the city.”

One of the most fascinating and groundbreaking elements of this structure is that it is the tallest building in the world designed by a woman. For me this is very inspiring because I plan on going into the field of architecture/interior design post-graduation. I know that for many years the profession was predominantly males. Therefore, having a woman architect achieve such a high remark is inspiring.

Each floor of the apartment building is a different shape. “The “waves” of the balconies that provide Aqua’s rippling effect extend out as much as 12 feet from the glass curtain wall”. This building has a lot of rhythm and curves. Gang has created a structure that is so large and stately yet refined.

Overall, this building is a big step for woman architects. It is beautiful, functional, and sustainable.

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References: https://studiogang.com/project/aqua-tower https://www.archute.com/aqua-tower-chicago-studio-gang/

The architect I received to research about is Jeanne Gang. Gang was born in 1964 in Illinois. Jeanne Gang is notable for her innovation in sustainable architecture. A few ways Jeanne Gang created these innovations are using recycled materials to conserve resources, decrease urban sprawl, and increase biodiversity. Gang earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture at the University of Illinois and received her master’s degree at Harvard. With a distinguished education, Gang continued in her career to create many award-winning structures and has helped pave the way for women architects across the country.

One structure that caught my eye is the Writers Theatre in Glencoe, Illinois. The theatre was built in 2016 and is about 36,000 square feet. The space is a cultural center, encouraging gathering and performance of diverse groups of people. Importantly noted the structure is LEED gold certified, supporting Gangs efforts to keep architecture as sustainable as possible.

The theatre contains two different performance spaces and a lobby that can open to a near by park. This connection allows “the energy and interaction generated within the theatre to extend outward in the community beyond”. Overall, this theatre is not only beautiful to look at but has positive effects on the surrounding community.

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References: https://studiogang.com/project/writers-theatre https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jeanne-Gang

I have had a positive experience at the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas. I have been to Vegas three times and two of of those three I stayed here. I returned to the hotel for a second time because of how well the hotel is design and its amenities.

The first time I came to this hotel I was mesmerized by the vibrant and unique design. The hotel I stayed at a time before this trip was nothing exciting. It almost looked like any other hotel I had stayed in before (apart from the shot machines everywhere). As an interior design major I definitely love to analyze the design of the space and the Cosmopolitan did it very well.

One of my favorite architectural features in the hotel was the Chandelier Bar. The large beaded strings drape down to create a beautiful feature. This is the focal point in the space as it spans two levels of the hotel. The lighting design in this space is also exception creating a purple toned glow over all the crystals.

I especially enjoyed staying at this hotel the second time because I had discovered by that time I would be doing a hotel for my Capstone project. Knowing this for the second time I began to pick out the details in the hotel. The signage, wayfinding, back of house, elevator systems, room layouts, etc. This made my experience very information while still having fun!

Overall I have loved my time staying at the Cosmopolitan and I would recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere to stay in Las Vegas soon!

Gould Hall has had both positive and negative effects on me as a student. Being an interior design major I have spent plenty of time in this building. I pretty much know my way around this building like the back of my hand.

From the first day of classes freshman year I have had a class in Gould Hall. My first every class was studio in the Gallery. The gallery in Gould Hall is a large linear space with a barrel ceiling. We were in this space because the basement (where we were supposed to be) had flooded. Therefore we had to spend three and a half hours in the gallery for studio. This was not the most ideal space for a few reasons. One of the reasons being we did not have any space to put our supplies. In the usual studio classrooms we have our own cubby space and our own oversized desk. The second reason being the gallery echo’s terribly. I now know that this is because the space does not have enough acoustic support. All the surfaces in the space are hard therefore the sound has nothing to absorb into.

After finally getting out of the gallery and the flooding was controlled we got to move into the basement. The basement had its own unique set of problems. The biggest problem for me was the lack of natural light received in the basement. I did not realize how much I appreciated natural light until the next year when our studio class was on the third floor. The third floor studio had much more natural light and resulted in a more positive learning environment. After moving out of the basement I have turned my negative feelings about Gould Hall into positive ones because of the experiences I have had in the building.

Overall I have spent a lot of time in Gould Hall. I have spent very late nights and very early mornings there. I am happy to never have to take another class in the basement, although I believe it gave me a new appreciation for having natural light in the classroom.

I had the opportunity of visiting the White House when I was 10 years old. My family and I took a trip to Washington D.C. and this was by far one of my favorite stops. My experience was definitely positive.

For me the experience has changed in meaning over time. When I went to the White House as a 10 year old the meaning to me was very significant (at least in my head). I thought the White House was the coolest place ever and the president was the biggest celebrity in the world. I thought it was the most amazing thing that I was walking on the same floors that the president does everyday. Although I did not run into the president while I was there (like I thought I might) I still was fascinated by the beautiful design of the structure. I vividly remember the three rooms in the White House that were all one color. There was a red room, a green room, and a blue room. Each of these rooms has such ornate and historic décor. I believe seeing the history and beautiful design of the White House will be stuck with me forever. I even believe my fascination with the interior design of the White House has influenced me to become an interior designer. I do not think I fully understood the significance of being in the White House at the time, but know I do.

Reflecting back on my experiences now I still feel so lucky to have been able to experience such a unique opportunity. I now have a far better understanding of the history behind the White House and why it is such a symbolic piece of architecture to our country. I do not know if I will have get to experience getting a tour of the White House again and so I am very thankful that I got to go once!

Overall I had a very positive experience at the White House. I feel very fortunate I got to tour such a significant (if not the most significant) piece of architecture in US history.

Midland High School was the high school I attended in my hometown. This building had both positive and negative effects on me. The negative being the design of the building. The positive being the memories I have from my experiences at Midland High.

This building has had such a strong influence on me. From a young age I looked forward to finally getting to attend high school. I was in love with the idea of being a high schooler and all of the fun things that came with it. For example, getting my drivers license, playing sports, and growing up in general. Therefore as a little girl I always associated Midland High School with excitement about the future.

When I finally attended Midland High my attitude about the building slightly shifted. The building looked very different from the inside than the magical places I had in my head as a child. Hallways were dark and narrow, rooms had very few windows, and many of the spaces needed major updates (it was founded in 1926 and it still looked like it in most places). The lighting could give anyone a headache and each hallway had a different color of lockers. This made spending 8 hours in school not the most joyful learning experience. The narrow hallways cause congestion in-between classes and kids often got hit by classroom doors opening due to having such little space. Although the building itself was not the most ideal learning environment, I still associate Midland High with some of my favorite memories. Some of my favorite memories include meeting my best friends, playing sports, and attending football games. Overall I think if the building were designed more thoughtfully my high school learning experience could have been far more enriching but I am still very grateful for the memories I made.