When visiting Spain, I saw many buildings that stood out to me and made me realize the true beauty that can be architecture. On my first day in Barcelona, I was exhausted and it was a blur. I truly just wanted to be in bed, sleeping off my jetlag; but of course, my mother drug me out to explore the city.

I was brought out of the funk I was in when I got to the heart of Barcelona and saw La Sagrada Familia- one of the buildings that Gaudì helped to design. This building was unlike anything I had ever seen. Being more than one hundred years old, and still not complete, it had more detail than any building I had ever seen in The United States.

La Sagrada Familia is a building that attracts people from all over the world. When visiting Barcelona, I only was able to see this piece of architecture from the outside; the lines for a glimpse of the inside were hours long. Though I was just able to view this building from the outside, it had clear gothic architecture styles present.

On my first day in England I met one of my coworkers at the airport. It was early in the morning, and I couldn’t sleep the entire plane ride. We drove from Heathrow airport to our office in the center of London. On the car ride he invited me to attend church. I had no idea we would be attending Westminster Abbey to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury deliver the sermon.

The church was one of most awe inspiring designs I have ever seen. This is the cemetery for hundreds of Britain’s most influential people. This is the cite of royal weddings, and every Royal coronation since that of William the Conqueror in 1066. The gothic revival architecture is breath taking both inside and out. One can see these spires that reach towards the heavens. The ornate glass is priceless, and the spires of gold inside the theatre reflect the magnitude of the building.

As we came into join the service it was remarkably empty. For an occasion such as this I was surprised. The service began with the choir of Canterbury singing (something that was on the bucket-list of my entire family). I had no idea who they were at the time, nor did I truly understand the importance of who was speaking. I felt engulfed by the warmth of the sound and light that tenderly reflected around the architecture. I was so taken aback. I can’t remember if it was the singing, or the fact that I was so jet-lagged, but I promptly fell asleep. I always find this story so funny because of the reaction my brother had when he heard it. He would have killed to sit there and listen, and I could’t stay awake.

After the service ended we continued our walk down the grand hallway. I loved the silence only interrupted by the steps of our hard souls on the marble. As we walked out I saw the resting place of some of the greatest minds of history. These include Newton, Darwin, and most recently Steven Hawking I will never forget the spires that reached towards the heavens, and the crypts in the ground that housed our history.

http://www.kfwarchitects.com/hunter-strain-engineering-lab/8i4gjdpf8l82mptbtyts87igju2pib

The Hunter Strain Engineering Lab was where I had one class every week when I attended Angelo State University. The class I had in this building encouraged me to pursue a degree in construction instead of engineering. The things I learned in this building pertained to the design of structures, as well as the execution of how they are tested. I enjoyed this class, however, I came to find out that I was enjoying the building of the structures more than I was the actual testing and designing. I enjoyed the building phase of construction, rather than the testing and inspecting phase. That is the whole reason I transferred to the University of Oklahoma, Angelo State doesn’t offer a construction degree and I wanted to be closer to home, so I moved schools.

The building itself was very interesting to me. They had multiple lab rooms for testing equipment and projects, as well as a very large shop room for the construction of structures and projects. I spent a lot of time in this building during my class and I really enjoyed all that it had to offer. I utilized its amenities daily and this proved to be vital for my project’s success.

Shuri Castle is in Naha, Okinawa, Japan and is considered one of the most famous examples of Okinawan architecture. Shuri Castle was a Ryukyuan stronghold in Okinawa and represented the Ryukyu Kingdom’s Royal Palace. I was stationed in Okinawa while I was serving in the United States Marine Corps. I lived about 1 hour from Shuri Castle and would visit frequently to enjoy the extravagant courtyard plaza or have a Grand Tea Ceremony in the Royal Gardens. During my chaotic run in the U.S.’s hardest and most intense branch, Shuri Castle was a stark contrast which allowed me to find my tranquil center and enjoy life.

Buildings, such as this, were built to extort our feelings of awe and majesty. It was a royal palace used to host Kings and Emperors during times of old. Yet, I found myself revealing not in the awe of beauty, even though there was much beauty to be enjoyed, but admiring the silence and tranquility within it. Shuri Castle felt almost haunted when I visited it. The locals reveled in the silence and almost nobody spoke aloud. The movements and pace through the area was slow and not rushed. The world itself seemed to slow down in this oasis of time.  

The Okinawans clearly honored this castle as a home of their once great ancestors, and they treated it as such. To speak out loud felt like an insult. To move erratically or rush ahead was seen as uncouth. One was always expected to be a better version of themselves for it felt as if the ancestors were watching you in this house of haunted pasts. Overall, it was an experience of understanding and solemn tranquility. To be at home with the past, in order to understand who we are to be in the future.

Gallogly Hall tries to fit in the aspect of OU’s Cherokee Gothic architecture, coined by Frank Llyod Wright, yet it manages to separate itself from the pact via ingenuity and modernism. The Gothic aspect of the building was diminished with the abolition of grotesques from the façade. In their place, is a steel-reinforced concrete building with a brick façade focusing on angularity and tight lines. The brick façade helped to allow the building to fit into its surroundings on the outside, but a look on the inside will reveal the true inspiration and reason for why I chose this building.

 At first I was not impressed with Gallogly Hall as a structure aesthetically, its just more of the same design with a facelift. After attending OU for a couple years and learning about LEED, I finally began to understand what a brilliant and marvelous building we had here on OU’s campus. I grew up under the social stigma of climate change and how’s its all “fake”, so this eye-opening experience ended up changing both my way of thinking and my way of designing.

Gallogly Hall is the first Gold-Certified LEED Building on OU’s Campus. With that title, Gallogly Hall stands high over the other buildings on campus, not in architectural design, but in forethought and implementation. Sustainability and green building are the way to our future, and Gallogly Hall gives me hope. A hope that the energy and environmental conscious minds of Oklahoma can prevail in an area where climate change is more myth than reality.

Upon entering the Oklahoma City National Memorial, I am often filled with dread and sorrow. These feeling should not be admonished but embraced for the understanding of what occurred and what should never occur again. I was old enough to remember the original Murrah Federal Building, and my grandpa worked at a Lincoln/Ford card dealership nearby to the building. As a kid, my family would visit the area to see my grandpa, and we would always stop off to have food and explore the area.

The OKC National Memorial itself was the headquarters of the Law Journal Record Publishing Company. It remained after the bombing and stands as the only remaining structure in that plaza square. After the incident, my family and I would visit the outdoor memorial repeatedly, yet I had never entered the actual OKC Memorial building until a few months ago.

Upon entering, I was immediately apprehensive of the “get a ticket and get in line” scheme that was occurring. I thought it was going to be a tour-based guide and didn’t feel like being touted around. I realized soon that this was not the case and proceeded to read and learn about all the exhibits. I was blown away by how much detail, information, actual rubble, survivors’ stories, and much more.  Every fact and tale pushed me further into the narrative, and I was fully immersed into finding out how the Murrah Building held in some areas and collapsed in others.

The true purpose of this memorial building was to be dedicated to another building. It was built for one building to honor another. The architectural style was not discussed. The color of the façade was not discussed. What was discussed? The structural supports that held after the bombing. The strength of the foundation that survived and managed to keep the entire building from imploding. The outer beams that held up the floor above a nursery to prevent catastrophic failure. This helped to bring into perspective not only what we are putting on the outside of our buildings to look pretty, but also how we build the inner parts to ensure that “pretty” can stand up long enough for people to get out.

The Cusco Cathedral was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. My brother and I decided to take a trip to Cusco, Peru to hike Machu Picchu. A couple friends joined us, and we took a 10-day trip through this beautiful landscape. We began in Cusco, Peru then worked our way past Salcantay Peak, and finished all the way at Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu was beyond description in terms of spiritual and visual extravagance, yet I normally find myself remembering this cathedral more often than not.

During our stay in Cusco, I may have visited this basilica about 6-7 times. I was drawn to it by the unique Spanish architecture. If I remember right, it is a Gothic-Renaissance style Basilica resembling Spain’s dominant architecture style at the time, especially for Catholic Churches. The fine carvings and filigree, covering the building, always took my breath away; not to mention, the gold inlay paintings and murals on the inside of the structure. It was a glowing beacon in the center of Cusco’s sprawling urban center that seemed to bring a certain level of elegance to the relatively run-down areas surrounding it.         

While there, you could tell the level of importance and significance the Peruvian locals placed on this building. For example, there was no talking allowed during service or when there is a congregation. Also, you were not allowed to take pictures of anything inside the building. Finally, there was a no lingering policy, especially if you were not there to pray and show respects. The level of reverence bestowed upon this National Landmark really drives home how integral the church was to their everyday lives.

During my senior year of high school, my senior class got to take a trip to Oklahoma City to tour the Oklahoma State Capitol. I remember exiting off of I-235 and seeing the extravagant building that we were heading to. Walking up to the building made me feel as if I was in Washington D.C. about to walk in their Capitol building. I was amazed at the detailed architecture inside the building as well as the fantastic artwork throughout the State Capitol.

Like most State Capitol buildings, the architecture style is a mixture of neoclassical and renaissance architecture. Perhaps the best feature within the building is the dome that contains the Great Seal of the State of Oklahoma at the top of it. On the outside, there is a figure of an American Indian man that stands on the top of the dome. I found the dome to be a unique, excellent addition to the building.

There is impressive artwork in every room throughout the entire building. Coming from someone that does not invest time looking at art, I was thoroughly impressed with the paintings that were portrayed. Each painting and sculpture had a special meaning and truly represented our great state.

My experience at the Oklahoma State Capitol was definitely a highlight of my senior year of high school. I was thrilled to have gotten to share that experience with my friends and fellow classmates. I hope that I will get to return to the State Capitol someday and have the feeling that I felt my senior year once again.

State Capitol image retrieved from https://www.arts.ok.gov/p/capitol_collection/building/Capitol_day.jpg

A newly built hotel in my hometown Dallas that has sparked a new side to me creatively. As an interior design student I have focused my endeavors to be in pursuit of designing residentially after college. Although this hasn’t changed my once monotoned decor appeal has shifted because of this hotel. I have visited this hotel many times now for pleasure and been around it when working in the design district this past summer.

The architectural detail and ergonomics is incredible to me. The structure, play with curve, lines and form has altered my style dramatically. I am now leaning out of my comfort zone especially when it comes to shape and color. The interior of this space is just as overwhelming as the outside. The energy is lively from the color and pattern that has taken over every square inch of the hotel.

The feeling the this hotel brings me is entertainment and happiness. I now strive to make my designs feel this way. The building was built by 5G Studios in collaboration with the Virgin hotels franchise.

Now a statement experience and building in Dallas that is shifting cities in a more creative direction. This creativity is what I find so inspiring.

This place is a new building that has impacted me. The summer that everything went south for the world our family lake-house was finished! This place got me through tough times but ultimately is my place of peace.

The builder of this home is Bannister Homes, but my mother and I designed the interior. This was real experience for me to get to be creative and put my working degree to the test. Every encounter with this home gives me a feeling of relief. After experiencing this feeling, it has come clear to me the importance of all people having places like this. Everyones space will look different and feel different but never the less I believe it is important.

The style of this home is modern. The inside is crispy but still soft because of texture and the furniture that fills the space. I love this lake-house and am thankful I will continue to get to enjoy it for years to come.