The JP Morgan Chase Headquarters in Plano was very recently finished and has incorporated many elements into wellness and healthcare for the employees. JP Morgan created their own campus surrounding the building consisting of a day care, gaming center, park/lake and much more. All of these items really go into making the campus appear much more friendly and less like a harsh work environment. The company invested over $2 billion dollars to make this campus a reality, and they did an astonishing job all the way through and really put employee health and satisfaction above all else.

I was lucky enough to get to visit this campus during my internship last summer. The idea of being in an office after working from home for so long was not the best. I assumed the work conditions were going to be in cubicles under florescent lights, and that I would be extremely lucky if I could look at a window. However, the headquarters made it so just about every workspace could get some natural light and a great view of their man-made lake, or the rest of their campus.

I’m very excited to hopefully work in this office full time in the future. It has left a very positive made on me and made work more barrable. I hope that more office incorporate their employees receiving natural light and being able to see nature because that is my ideal situation to work in.

Source: https://officesnapshots.com/2018/12/03/jpmorgan-chase-regional-headquarters-plano/

After watching “Eloise at the Plaza” as a young child, I dreamed of walking through the Plaza Hotel in New York City. When I finally pushed through the elegant revolving doors at age 13, my expectations were far exceeded.

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Designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, the Plaza Hotel is a French Renaissance chateau-style building that was opened in 1907. Covered in white brick and copper accents, this building stands proudly at 18-stories tall. It is said that this hotel brought a sophisticated air to Fifth Avenue. In fact, the hotel achieved National Historic Landmark status in 1988. Originally costing around $12 million, the property has surely appreciated in value. Although inflation has occurred over the years, the most recent sale of The Plaza was to the El Ad Group for $675 million!

Not only was The Plaza Hotel the backdrop of “Eloise at the Plaza”, but it has also made an appearance on hit TV show “Sex and the City” and “The Sopranos.” Many famous guests have made themselves comfortable here, such as the Beatles and Donald Trump.

The elegance of The Plaza extends to every detail of its interior. After walking up the red carpet stairs and pushing through the revolving doors, you come upon the lobby. Colored with gold and red accents, the lobby makes a statement with ornate archways, pillars, and marble floors. These details give the hotel a lavish feel while maintaining tastefulness.

The Plaza Hotel left such a strong impression on me because of its grandiose, timeless design. My eye is typically drawn to buildings that are neutral in color and modern in style. The Plaza Hotel, however, made me appreciate the elegance of French Renaissance design. The marble staircases, larger-than-life chandeliers, and vaulted ceilings transported me to another world – much like “Eloise at the Plaza!”

Gallery

https://nyc-architecture.com/MID/MID056.htm

As far as destination spots go, I believe the Cyclades have not only the most astonishing views, but also the most beautiful architecture. My personal experience was with Santorini, Greece.

My family stayed in the village of Oia, which is located on a mountain. The car service was only able to take us so far into the town; from there, we lugged our suitcases through the paved streets to the Dionyssos Cave House. In order to reach this house, our family weaved through the narrow streets of Oia with the homeowner, passing houses on both sides. Because these houses were carved out of the mountain’s volcanic rock, the houses are not spaced with any rhyme or reason. It felt like a fairytale neighborhood.

To provide you with a mental picture of the layout of our cave house, you walked through double doors into a small courtyard with a table and stairs. The stairs were steep and narrow, with the steps measuring about two feet wide and two feet tall. These stairs led to the upstairs room and the lounging deck on the roof. We would spend our evenings here looking out at the town lights and the ocean. My grandma, who was born in Greece, would teach us the language and tell us stories of her childhood. Inside the house, there were stone floors and curved ceilings in nearly all rooms. My bathroom in particular was a deep shade of blue and felt particularly cave-like. The builder of this home seamlessly incorporated natural elements such as raw stone and the mountain’s curvature while creating a clean, modern space.

Cycladic architecture is characterized by the blue and white colors that give a nod to the Greek flag and create a harmony with the sea. The white color of the buildings reflected the sunlight during the day, making Oia feel even more like heaven on earth. The elegant domes atop chapels are covered in the deepest blue. To pull everything together, the doors were predominantly painted shades of blue, and adorned with small pink flowers. The beauty of the Cyclades will live on in both my memory and my camera roll!

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The Beijing National Stadium is the stadium that the Chinese built for the 2008 Olympics. I didn’t visit the building when the Olympics were happening, but instead visited it with my relatives in China a few years later. As it was on my most recent trip to China, despite being years ago, it is one of the things I remember the most. I was amazed at the sheer size of the stadium, and it was really awe inspiring. It really helps you realize just how big an event like the Olympics is. When I went it was just cool to walk around and see all the facilities and spend time with my family. The building is really beautiful, and everyone should go take a look if they have the chance.

The Perot Museum of Natural History was built in 2006 and has been a significant tourist attraction for people of all ages ever since. The Architecture of this building makes it stand out from the surrounding buildings. The two most noticeable are the escalator that protrudes from the building’s second and third floor and the miniature elevated park.

The first and only time I’ve ever been in and even seen this building was back in elementary school for a field trip. Pulling up to the building was an incredible experience because it looked nothing like any of the other buildings I’ve ever seen. The way it created its own scene with its elevated park and the protrusions were enchanting to me at that age. Once inside, I remember walking straight to the escalator and hanging outside the building, and looking all around as I went up. At the top of the escalator, I looked into the museum and could see every floor from top to bottom.

This building has left such a positive experience on me because I love creativity and innovation. Seeing and experiencing the same thing, again and again, gets boring, so experiences or buildings like the Perot Natural History Museum spark my imagination. I love to create and draw, and seeing buildings like that in my childhood helped inspire me and push me down a path of creativity that I hope never to veer from.

Source: https://www.perotmuseum.org/about-us/index.html

Over the summer the $260 million soccer stadium finished construction and hosted its first game which was the US Women’s National Team against Nigeria. My sister and I got tickets to the game and experienced the stadium on opening day. The stadium seats 20,500 that are open-air and have no netting between the field and the stands. This creates what one sources calls “intimate viewing experience and an unequaled event atmosphere”.  My sister and I sat front row behind the goal, and we had such a fun time that we bought tickets to the first Austin FC game. There are so many unique features like fog machines and a 100% field lighting system that can change colors which make the experience so much more thrilling.

The stadium not only has unique design that incorporates a lot of green because of the team color, but it is also going green by designing sustainable features. It is on track to become LEEDv4 certified. They used an energy-efficient HVAC system, enhanced recycling and wase management, and even free bike valet on site to encourage active transportation. The stadium is meant to create a lively and thrilling experience for the Austin FC team as well as the fans to get more and more people out to the games. I would say that it succeeded in its mission, and I can’t wait to go to another game.

Source: Austin FC & Q2 Stadium: What You Need to Know | Visit Austin, TX (austintexas.org)

The Reunion Tower is one building that sticks out above the rest anytime I go through Dallas. I lived in Dallas for basically my entire life and always looked up in awe at the tower. However, it took me a long 15 years before I managed to get to the top. For my 15^th birthday I had an amazing opportunity to make it to the very top. The view over the city in the night sky was amazing. However, one of the most amazing things about being at the one of the top floors is that the floor rotates in a circle. This allowed me to see full 360-degree view of Dallas without even needing to move! It might not be the tallest building in Dallas, but to me its by far the grandest!

The building has always filled me with excitement and wonder. It represented success and achievement in my eyes. The Tower was originally built as an event center and radio station. However, it has evolved and changed into one of the most popular tourist destinations in Dallas, as well as attracting many locals. Approximately 1 million visitors come to the The Reunion Tower better knowns as “The Ball” each year, and with an amazing view from that vantage point, I don’t see that level of tourist attraction changing anytime soon.

Source: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/texas/articles/most-impressive-buildings-in-dallas/

My soccer team traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah about two years ago to play BYU and the University of Utah. While we were there, we had some extra days to tour around the city. We set up a tour of the State Capitol and it was the first building that came to mind when we were told to write about a structure that was impactful to us.

 The building sits 300 feet above the rest of Salt Lake, so it can be seen from miles away and has the prettiest views of mountains around. It is designed in the Neo-Classical style like most capitals, but the interior is what impacted me the most. The main material in the interior is marble, both a Georgian and Utah marble. The walls and staircase on the main floor have a marble finish that shines when natural light from the windows in the main dome enter the space. I felt powerful when entering the building, which I assume would be the goal a government building.

Everything designed and placed inside has meaning to the state of Utah. For example, there are four niche statues under the main dome and each of them are dedicated to the four main beliefs of the people of Utah. Immigration and settlement, land and community, science and technology, and arts and education are the four main beliefs that the statues are dedicated to. I really enjoyed getting to visit this building, it was beautiful and had amazing views of the city. This building not only influenced me because of the aesthetically pleasing interior, but also because it reminds me of the fun times I had traveling with my soccer team.

Source: Utah’s Capitols | History to Go

The Star is located in Frisco, Texas and was spearheaded by Jerry Jones, Owner of the Dallas Cowboys. The intent behind this 91-acre complex was to establish an even stronger community using brick and mortar. Ever since its grand opening, I have been in awe of The Star’s beauty.

All of the buildings within the complex are decked out with floor to ceiling windows, a sleek design, and luxurious touches to give patrons the feel of a country club. The addition of large trees and beautifully curated landscaping are the cherry on top of the project in my opinion. Because very few homes in Frisco have much greenery, the hint of natural features allows visitors to feel connected with the earth while enjoying the luxury of a $1.5 billion project!

This past summer, I had the opportunity to shadow a commercial real estate broker that offices out of The Star’s office complex. As I walked through glass double doors that were larger than life, I was greeted with the most beautiful chandelier. As you may observe in the photo above, this is no ordinary lighting fixture. Constructed 160 mirrored rods adorned with 20,000 gleaming LED lights, the fixture could remind the guest of stars, diamonds, or fireflies. In my case, it was a symbol of where I could be working in the future.

If you were able to take your gaze off the chandelier, your eyes may travel down to the floors of Italian Bianco Perla marble. As a 20-year-old with no experience in the commercial real estate field, I felt unworthy to be in this entryway which felt like a palace. I have turned this negative feeling into motivation. As I reminisce over my time in this unique office building, I continue to increase my work ethic because I want to walk into work everyday through an entryway like the offices at The Star.

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/dallas-cowboys-star-headquarters

https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/architecture/2018/07/20/with-the-star-in-frisco-the-dallas-cowboys-build-a-football-oz/

Have you ever heard of the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois? This skyscraper stands proudly as the second tallest building in North America, climbing 110 stories tall! Completed in 1973, the original purpose of the monstrous tower was to office 350,000 Sears employees. Willis Group Holdings now occupies the tower, hence the name “Willis Tower.”

The Willis Tower is adorned with 16,100 bronze-tinted windows, 145,000 lighting fixtures, and 76,000 tons of steel. Although these elements add to the beauty of the building, they weren’t what left an impression on me.

The unique, stand-out element that the Willis Tower provides in my opinion is the Skydeck. The Skydeck is an observation deck on the 103rd floor that provides a beautiful view to the city of Chicago. Not only is this the highest observation deck in the United States, but there is an opportunity for visitors to step out above the city…

The Ledge is clear box that visitors can stand on and “float” above the city. It is constructed of three layers of half-inch thick glass. It is allegedly capable of holding up to 10,000 pounds! As a 15-year-old, I was extremely excited to get Instagram-worthy photos on The Ledge. I did not account for the fact that I was fairly scared of heights. Despite my nerves, I stepped out on The Ledge and snapped a couple fun photos with my mother and my aunt. For a moment in time, I felt like I was on top of the world… at least on top of Chicago.

That is why this building holds a special place in my memory. The unique Skydeck and Ledge transforms the building from a large office space to an experience of bravery and adrenaline for tourists. It does attract 1.7 million tourists annually, so I can imagine many feel the same as I do!

https://www.willistower.com/history-and-facts

Facts About the Ledge