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/.

A beautiful building which positively influenced me is das Schloss Schönnbrunn, or the Schönbrunn Palace, which is located in Vienna, Austria. I had the pleasure of touring the palace a couple years ago. The massive palace and surrounding complex served as a summer home for the Habsburgs from the 17th century and on until the early 20th century. Despite not knowing too much about the Habsburgs, touring the complex gave me a feel for the level of power and wealth they possessed. I suppose it’s a little tricky to say what the building meant to me, other than it demonstrated to me the level of luxury and opulence enjoyed by the royal class in Europe in centuries past. The grand display of wealth that is the palace, I believe, likely served as a reminder to everyone living under Habsburg rule who ruled the empire. The palace itself is massive, containing upwards of 1400 rooms, many constructed of the finest building materials, many aspects likely gilded in gold. I can only imagine the level of wealth needed to construct and maintain such a building. My favorite part of Schönbrunn was actually the massive ornamental gardens surrounding the palace, which are separated into gardens of differing color schemes. The palace, gardens, hedge maze and parks surrounding the complex make for a great day of exploring. I certainly enjoyed my time touring the palace, and would definitely recommend visiting here to anyone looking for something to do in Vienna.

In the summer of 2021 I encountered this building with great pleasure. When I first saw it on a tour around the city, I thought it resembled a hardened man with concrete still stuck in his fingers from the previous day of work.

The bulk of the building drew me to like it at first glance, and the more I looked at it, the more it reminded me of a building out of a batman movie. There has been some controversy with this building. Some say it is too bulky, others have been kind enough to give it four stars.. out of ten. However, I do not care what other people think of this beautiful piece of architecture. I believe there is an honesty to the building that not many other buildings have. It is not hidden from other buildings, it sticks out like a Mormon in a bar. Not that it is a bad thing, but that is what makes it unique.

Thinking back to my tour of Boston, I am glad I got to see this building and the power it emitted. In my opinion, it is the perfect building for a city hall. Power and grit are the two words I would use to describe and they are the two words that construction worker would use to describe himself.

One building which positively influenced me is the Stephansdom, or St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the most prominent Catholic church in Vienna, Austria, which I had the pleasure of visiting a couple years ago. I am amazed by how a building constructed in AD 1160 can still produce such a visceral sense of awe to anyone who sees this magnificent church in person. Despite not being Catholic myself, the feeling this building gave me when I visited has stuck with me ever since. Initially, I thought the outside of the church, while certainly impressive, was somewhat unsightly due to the thoroughly blackened walls from soot buildup. However, upon entering the church, I was met with this presence and atmosphere that changed my mind of the building completely. The incredibly high ceilings of the church really do make you feel miniscule, and not in bad way; if you’re religious, you might describe it as feeling closer to God. Another way of describing the atmosphere of the church is the absolute calm and serenity one experiences in nature, and yet this building is situated in central Vienna. The tall ceilings, the stained glass windows which pour in beautifully tinted sunlight, the stunning gothic architecture, the multicolored roof, and the historic crypts, which house thousands of bones and skulls of the victims of the Black Death, all combine to create this one-of-a-kind atmosphere to this incredibly old, historically rich, and yet still functioning and currently in-use church. Due to my experiences, I can only imagine how many more magnitudes impressive and integral this church was to people when it was first built. If I ever find myself in Vienna in the future, I will certainly visit Stephansdom.

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!

In my freshman year of college, I was able to get out of my contract in the dorms and move into an apartment. In the fall of 2017 I moved into the newly opened Callaway House Apartment; located on the corner of Brooks and Trout, just west of the stadium. The building looked nice at first glance especially compared to the dorms. But this giant apartment complex was built in about 3 months and had major flaws that came to light during my time living there.

The building is huge and made nearly entirely of concrete, with a little brick, solely to break up the copious amount of concrete- very similar to many apartment complexes built nowadays. Anyone who has entered Callaway has gotten lost at least once, the place is a maze. Walking down the hallways of this complex: everything looks the same, there are dead ends, and having few doors to access outside directly. Throughout my time living there, the maze-like aspects of the building made me feel like I was living in a simulation. The feelings I have towards this building shows me that even though the architecture is becoming more mundane in aspects as I described, it is still able to elicit feelings from people.

Image Retrieved From: https://www.apartments.com/callaway-house-norman-ok/6ks3s1r/

Coors Field in Denver, Colorado home of the Colorado Rockies is, in my opinion, the prettiest major league sports stadium there is. The best part about the stadium is when the sun sets the stadium is facing in the perfect direction so that you can see the beautiful Colorado sunset. Coors is located right in the middle of the downtown Denver area so you can easily walk to restaurants or bars from the park. The stadium has a classic Denver look and fits so well in the city. I also just love this stadium because I’ve been going there for games since I was a little kid and I have such great memories associated with the park.

Casa Batlló in Barcelona, Spain is one of the most unique buildings I have ever seen. One of Antoni Gaudí’s most famous works, Casa Batlló is also called The House of Bones. The House of Bones was given this name because of the skeleton structure that is throughout the inside and outside of the building. The outside is also covered in beautiful colors that, I think, makes it look like a dragon. This is truly one of the most special buildings I have ever seen and was amazed at how smooth the interior and exterior were where they curved. It all flows so nicely and looks smooth and cohesive in every area. I also like that the curves are not only vertical but they have depth to them and the windows curve with the rest of the building.