Matt Callan Blog 2

One of the best looking buildings I had the chance to see would have been the Palace of Westminister. Over spring break last year I had the opportunity to travel to London to visit my sister who was currently getting her masters there. As my friend and I made our first stop on the tube at Westminister we looked up and saw Big Ben. It was a remarkable feeling to actually get to see something like this in another country that I have seen multiple times throughout my childhood in books and movies. We traveled around much of London and I will be posting more throughout this semester. However getting to see Big Ben at night was a great experience and the structure is very unique.

Leah Parker - Post #3 (Week of 9-1 to 9-5)

St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia.

I initially chose this building due to my personal love of Russian culture - I am a Russian minor here at OU, and am wildly impressed by their beautiful cathedrals and buildings. I have never been to Russia myself, but my professor tells me many interesting stories about Russia.  One of these fun facts about Russia, is that not one building in their normal squares look alike; every building is an architect's attempt to "one-up" the building next door, or across the street. Because of this, Russia is filled with tons of different architectural styles in their buildings. However, the most iconic and significant is this onion/bulb-shaped tower top that St. Basil's Cathedral has. I personally love this style, and the building is often described as "shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky".  The neatest thing about a building with an iconic architectural style, is that anyone that looks at this photo can probably guess it's place of origin - Russia. This source also concludes that this cathedral foreshadowed the climax of Russian natural architecture in the 17th century.

James Curtin - Sarkeys Energy Center - Post 2

Sarkeys Energy Center is the home of the Mewbourne College of Earth & Energy, and where I take all of my Petroleum Engineering classes. It is the tallest building on campus and has a preposterous lay out. The first floor is entirely underground, and the second floor is partially underground. The rooms on these two floors are laid out in an alpha-numeric system that no one understands. There is a third floor completely above ground in the smaller southern end of the center and where a third floor should be in the tower section there is a "Plaza Level." Above the plaza level the floors go up, starting with the fourth floor, up until the 15th floor. The first time I visited the building I got lost trying to find the student services center.

This building is important to me because it represents my future as a petroleum engineer.

Week 2 - Grant Sayers

This is the Perot Museum in Dallas, Tx. I was fortunate enough to see all the exhibits and explore it after hours during a company party that was held there. Not only were there awesome exhibits, but they had a bar set up on every floor! My favorite exhibit had to be the wooden mirror. The mirror was comprised of wooden panels that tracked your movement and mirrored what you did by flipping in various directions. There was also a station where you could build your own building with Lincoln logs and then put it on an earthquake simulator to see if your design was stable.

Matthew Lockwood week 2

This is at Lackland AFB and is where I did my Basic Training. This building is where I studied, slept, made friends, and learned how to deal with just about anything life could throw at me. It was one of the most stressful and rewarding times in my life. The building was very plain, and very clean. Everything had a place, and everything had to be perfect. From the outside the building is just a big two story brown brick building. It is one of the most unspectacular looking buildings, but it had one of the most spectacular impacts on my life.

Thanks for listening!

Matthew Lockwood

Hayden Smiley - Week 2 Blog Post

The Oklahoma State Capitol
(Architect: Solomon Andrew Layton)

The Oklahoma State capitol represents the future progression of Oklahoma citizens as well as the history and ideals of past generations. In this building laws are passed and implemented into our daily lives. We as citizens can influence our futures through this system by voting in officials we believe represent our values and beliefs. To me this building represents freedom, the freedom to not only express new ideas, but even place those ideas into action for the benefit of other people. The capitol essentially represents the people of Oklahoma and what Oklahoma stands for. When I encountered this building for the first time, I was captivated its powerful stature. The exterior of the building gives a sense of enduring stability, while the interior of the building is much richer in color and denotes the rich history of the state through paintings and murals.

In 2010 I was a page for a state senator for a week at the state capitol. I spent everyday of that week rushing through the capital corridors, running errands for the senators on the senate floor, and learning about the democratic system. It was interesting to experience, first hand, how the capitol operated, but a midst all the hustle and bustle I still was able to appreciate the history and beauty of this building. From the worn marble steps to the modern restroom facilities, the mix of modern technology and antique design was merged effortlessly to create a beautiful combination of art and architecture. The experience of being in the capital makes one feel connected to generations past and present. Experiencing the capitol's mesh of traditional beauty and modern functionality and was an overall an enriching and educational experience.  

Hayden Smiley 

chenxiao hu

The highest building after 911, it is like a mirror which reflict the sky and cloud. The best building during my NY trip. 

Justin Jackson #2

The huge building with the chase sign is the Wilshire Condominiums in downtown Los Angeles, California. This building is located in the center of downtown Los Angeles where it partakes with the other buildings in the LA skyline. The Wilshire building holds many great memories. I took this picture over Spring Break 2014. I lived there for a 10 days with a few other friends. The brown area is the parking garage where we parked next to a black Lamborghini every day. On top of the parking garage is a relaxing pool and hot tub with a view of the Los Angeles skyline. We walked everywhere including the Staple center right down the street. After the pool, about 10 more floors up, was the studio we lived in for a week. Los Angeles was fun and eventful and it all started with this amazing condominium with the Chase logo at the top.

Physical Science Center

William Adams

This ugly building is the Physical Science Center on OU's campus.  Deep in the heart of this unholy building demonic rituals are performed in the name of Numerical Methods.  Goats are sacrificed to the gods of Derivatives and Integrals. 

The windowless bowels are designed to confuse and warp the minds of those mortal fools that dare to think that they can stand against the demonic trickery of Sine and Cosine.  Back and forth, back and forth, these cyclical functions toy with the lives of their initiates.  All while the overseers of the math department laugh from their tower of machination. 

Eric Hebert

The Oklahoma Planetarium\The Science Museum of Oklahoma. This building holds many fond memories for me because I frequented the planetarium with my class as a child. The doors to the planetarium lead straight into the main room which is 3 levels high and completely open. The room has a very large open floor plan that is accompanied by a multitude of interactive scientific experiments and interactive learning booths. The main floor ceiling stretches onward to the top of the building allowing you to see every floor above you and creates a feeling of being truly immersed in the science and history that the museum offers. This place is special to me because it is where I first found my love for science as a child and it remains one of my favorite places to this day.

Tyler Hewett post #2

For this post I  have chosen the historic Skirvin Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. I have been to the Skirvin multiple times for various events and get togethers and each time I visit I am always fascinated by the unique architecture of this building. The Skirvin holds many great memories for my friends and I and that is why I decided to choose it for this assignment. This is one of my favorite buildings in bricktown and I urge everyone to at least check it out while they are in oklahoma.

St. Mary's Cathedral - Nicholas Von Busch - Blog 1

     This is St. Mary's Cathedral in Grand Island, Nebraska. It's final design was completed in 1928 using the Gothic Revival style for the design. This is the Catholic church that I've attended as long as I can remember whenever I went to visit my grandparents. As a little boy this church has always stood out in the community with it's sheer size and design. Although not that old, the look of the church both in the interior and exterior always struck me as old world and ancient. I hope one day to be married in this church and just like this church has withstood the test of time, I too should hope my marriage inside it someday will too.

This is a church located on the grounds of Ft. El Reno, which is west of Oklahoma City.  The church was constructed by German POW's (prisoners of war) after they were captured during World War II.  It is a Lutheran Church so its' facade is fairly nondescript, keeping with Protestant tradition of not adorning churches too heavily, if at all.  Its' meaning as a place of worship comes across fairly clearly, possibly due to the tower, double doors, and gold-frosted windows.  At first the building had very little affect on me but when we spoke to a guide/museum curator she told us how it was constructed by the German soldiers as a gift to their captors for the hospitality shown to them.  After hearing that I was astounded that any soldier, especially members of the army of the Third Reich, would be so happy to captured but it was towards the end of the war and being imprisoned in Oklahoma must have been much better than fighting on either of two losing fronts.

We were in the El Reno area to attend a Cheech & Chong concert at a local casino and after leaving our motel rooms the next morning the couple we were traveling with wanted to go see Ft. El Reno.  At first I was reluctant but after we arrived I walked the grounds, checking out the small barracks, museum, and other buildings from the forts past.  I have not had a chance to visit many of Western Oklahoma's tourist sites, even though I have lived in the OKC Metro Area for years, so I was happy to have seen the fort grounds.  It wasn't until we entered the church and saw the interior that my underwhelmed impression of the church changed.  

Again, the muted tones and colors of the church stand out in contrast to the handcrafted woodworking.  All of it, the pews, the rafters, the floor, and everything else you see were done by the German POW's.  Some even stayed on after the war and as a courtesy for having given the fort a gift like the church they were allowed to be buried in the fort's cemetery. 

post by Sherman Brennan
 

     As cheesy as making this a building that has affected my life, it is invariably true. Since some of my first memories of football, I have watched the greatest college football teams of all time play at this stadium. I have cried and cheered over games played on this field.  I have stood shoulder to shoulder underneath the bleachers for hours to wait out a thunderstorm only to lose to Texas Tech. I have also lost my voice as we spanked Oklahoma State at this very stadium. It is even one of the loudest stadiums in college football, a attribute accredited to only the greatest fans of all time! The stadium in which I speak, as you guessed, is our very own Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium.. Just like The University of Oklahoma, there is only one Memorial Stadium!
-Justin Walton

Jonathan De Aquino

       This is the Chinese theatre in Los Angeles California. It is located on Hollywood Blvd.  I went here a few years ago to visit and the place is amazing. I want to be an actor and do film and movies so this building really inspires me. Someday I hope to go back and actually go inside to watch a movie. Many premiers take place in the theatre. I know this building doesn't have the exact chinese principles as real buildings in China do, but it is fairly close and resembles the Chinese culture.

Daniel Gutmann - American Airlines Center

Pictured above is the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. It is home to the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars. It also houses many concerts and is a pretty memorable building in the Dallas area. Being from Dallas I have been to a lot of games and events in this arena and have many memories. It was built in 2001 and cost about $420 million to build. It's always a fun time when you're attending an event in here, especially when the Mavericks are winning championships. I look forward to returning here in the near future as the NBA season returns.
-Daniel Gutmann

Sam Melman - Chesapeake Energy Arena (#1)

Chesapeake Energy Arena is located in Oklahoma City and is the location for concerts, sporting events, and other activities. Breaking ground in 1999, the building was finally completed in 2002 and has supplied over 1 million guests a year for events in the Arena. The arena is most notably known for housing the Oklahoma City Thunder. I've been to the Arena many times and is always a great experience. Going to Thunder games is an unbeatable experience with the atmosphere of the arena and the loudness inside and concerts are on the same caliber for great performances and great experiences.

Trevin Gallaway - Space Needle (Seattle, WA)

The Space Needle is located in Seattle, Washington. It was at one time the tallest structure this side of the Mississippi River. It is an architectural feat as it was built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude. I visited the space needle when I was in the 8th grade and  it still stands today as the coolest building I have ever seen in person.

Tyler Martin - The Opera House

Silver Cliff Ranch is a retreat camp in Colorado that I have been to every summer and winter for the past 3 years. The Opera House is a large cabin building were our group meets every morning and evening to hang out and unwind. It has a small stage, projector and piano on one side and a game room with pool and ping pong on the other. We have had a lot of fond memories at Silver Cliff and many of them are centered in this building. The camp is up in the mountains and view of the cliffs from the steps of The Opera House is fantastic. Our trips to Colorado are the highlights of my year and this building is key to a wonderful time. I look forward to December every day in anticipation of returning to the mountains.

James Curtin - Mount Vernon - Post 1

I grew up in northern Virginia, and as I young child I visited Mount Vernon several times. As a local historic site I went there on school field trips and whenever my mother's family visited from out west and wanted to see the landmarks. The house is build in the Georgian style, as were many of the other important building in Northern Virginia. I must have thought all important homes looked something like this, and so to this day I prefer the Georgian and Federalist style homes.

Kevin Price - Week 2 - Price College of Business

Price College of Business is where I have spent most of my time here as a student at the University of Oklahoma. All of my business classes have been in this building with all the stresses and success in those classes. Many late hours studying I have done there, as well as the early mornings that I have been there working on assignments or studying for exams. Most of my time has been spent in the Business Communication computer lab. This is where I will run into most of my classmates and acts as a great place for collaboration in group projects.

-Kevin Price

The Classen Tower - Mark Nakmali Post 1

I have known this building all my life even though I have never set foot inside it. Located right around Classen and 22nd street, it is the tallest building in the direct area, which clearly makes it stand out. The gold color of the building gives it a very high class feeling, which is appropriate since it is a luxury apartment building. Now that I bring it up, maybe sometime I will take a step inside and have a look-around...

Week one. Yan Tan

The Grand Lucayan is a resort built on the beach of the Grand Bahamas Island. It is where I spent my vacation this past summer and had the most amazing experience of my life there. The building is shaped like a ship, and the rooms facing the ocean all were equipped with balconies. The building was truly extravagant. I had never seen a curvy building before, and it is one of its kind. 

Mariam Edwar - Almutamaizat High school ( #1)

I know these are not the best pictures of the building but this is all I could find. This is my high school back home (Baghdad Iraq) before coming to study at OU. It is a distinguished students school, one of the best schools in Iraq. While attending it I received high quality education which prepared me very well for the path that I have taken in my life. I spent most of my days inside this building. I was able to make strong friendships there. I am for ever grateful to this place. The architect for this high school is unknown. The Architect is unknown

Heather Reynolds Toys R Us Time Square

This is Toys R Us in Times Square NYC.  This Toys R Us is one of my favorite buildings of all time.  One of the coolest things about the exterior of this building is the sign is actually a giant screen that changes through out the year, one time I went and it was a giant spider man.  I am young at heart so giant Candy Land and GI Joe figurines inside of this store kind of excite me.  Another cool thing about this building is not only is it a 3 story toy store but it also has a ferris wheel inside.  I would have to say that other than Saks Fifth Avenue (I love shopping) this is my favorite building in New York City and a building that you're never too old to visit.

-Heather Reynolds

Davis Dillingham Blog Post 1

Davis Dillingham

      These are the CityPlex towers of Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Growing up in Tulsa, I have always been in awe of these towers.  Living in south Tulsa, these towers are the only building taller than twenties stories outside of downtown.  This caused me to be absolutely fascinated as a child.  Not only were they gigantic, but they were also structured unlike any other building in Oklahoma.  As I grew older, I learned more about them and what they were used for.  When I went to Norman for college, I would take occasional trips back home for the weekend.  Driving to Tulsa, there is a hill you come over and some of Tulsa is visible as you get over the hill.  The buildings that immediately stand out are the CityPlex towers.  These buildings have gone from being a spectacle when I was a child, to a symbol of being home now.

#1 - (8/21) Mercedes Garcia - Price Tower

 

 

The Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956. It was one of the first buildings I remember seeing that led me to think of architecture as a form of art. Though it is not the most physically compelling piece (namely, it is very short for a skyscraper), some of its finer points are in the details. For instance, the visible green on this skyscraper is actually copper. Wright knew that the copper he chose for the long, vertical (and functional) louvers and accents would eventually age into this green so they were washed prior to construction. On the inside there is a heavy emphasis on triangular shapes, so much so that it can be very disorienting. I was lucky enough to spend a night in the Price Tower now that it has been reconstituted as a hotel and it was like no space I had ever experienced. The Price Tower was a great motivator for my interest in studying architecture.

Sao Luiz Gonzaga Catholic Church - Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil - Camila Mariane Ferreira #1

This is a catholic church located in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil and I took this picture a week before I came to the US. Even though I had lived in Brazil my whole life, I had never been to Sao Paulo with my family and this just happened because I had to get my visa in that city. Since that day, around a year and a month ago, my life has changed a lot. I would have never imagined that I would be here in Norman studying and having the opportunity to show people from other countries a little bit about my Brazil.

Madhuri Patel #1 - Taj Mahal

The building that has made an impact on my life is the Taj Mahal in India. Both my parents were born in India and my siblings and I were born here in America. I have been to India 3 times and when I went the second time I got to visit the Taj Mahal. It was the most beautiful thing I had seen. It is made out of all marble and once had many different gems and diamonds that covered the whole area. Shah Jahan made this mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz that had passed away. The detail on the Taj Mahal is beautiful and I miss being in India with my extended family on that vacation when we went. This building shows me that even the wealthiest people experience love, happiness, grief, and sadness. When you enter the gates to the Taj Mahal, everything is in pristine condition, but the moment you walk out you see filth, poverty, and corruption. This experience showed both the good and bad side of life.