Mathew Christian-Week 11

Good old Cafe Plaid. I did not start going here until this semester. I go there about every Tuesday right after my Physical Chemistry Lab with my lab partner. Once again, I dig the whole brick thing having a sense that it belongs with OU. I do like all the wood in this place. Even though it is dark and dingy it is kind of nice, at least I find it cozy. It is interesting that the wood inside and the wood outside does not really match each other. I am not sure if it is just the lighting on the inside versus the natural lighting on the patio, but they look completely different to me. I do enjoy the layout of the building. I think the line for ordering food is great. I do not care for the ordering system of the coffee part, there is just no real structure for a line to order. I love the seating arrangement for customers. My lab partner and I will take over a booth and just work on chemistry together. I like the patio on nice days, and I love the back corner with all the booths. Then there is the giant seating area, which is nice for people who want to grab a bite to eat and chat. I really like this place, and their food is amazing.

Matt Callan Blog 10

My building this week is the National History Museum located in London. I went here during my spring break of 2014 and found it to be an amazing looking building inside and out. The building was established as a museum in 1881 so it is quite old compared to many of our museums here in the United States. Inside there are many different exhibits ranging from Animals to Space. I really found it to be an amazing experience to have had the change to visit such a place. Below is an actual picture of me at the museum standing next to the Charles Darwin statue.

Michael Carroll Blog #8

  

 

Omniplex museum & Omnidome theater is complex Air & Space Museum has a host of attractions, ranging from its air & space exhibits. Science Museum Oklahoma, formerly called the Omniplex, is one of OKC's premiere educational entertainment attractions. I have lot of memories at this place, field trips and science fair. Going on flied trips exploring exhibits

of cultures and air space. Interactive exhibits and unique displays make the museum a truly amazing educational experience. See the new "Tinkering Garage" exhibit, where visitors get to explore the tools and create their own projects. "Destination Space" has one-of-a-kind space artifacts such as the actual Apollo Command Module Mission Simulator and much more. My favorite attraction is the shadow wall, taking a  pics of your shadow. And other one is Omindome, Oklahoma’s first large-format, dome-screen theater surrounds the audience and ensnares the senses. You just might feel like you are in the movie!
(http://okc.about.com/od/museumseducational/p/okcomniplex.htm,
http://www.sciencemuseumok.org/)

 



Kevin Price - Week 11 - Reunion Tower Dallas

Reunion Tower is a observational tower for the Dallas skyline, also known as the dandelion of Dallas because it is so recognizable. This tower was built in combination with the Hyatt Hotel as part of restoring urban development in the Downtown area in 1978. The architect was Welton Becket and Associates. The tower also has a restaurant at the top that slowly rotates giving you a complete 360 view of the Dallas area with a fine dinning experience. I have never been on top of the tower personally but would really like to someday.  

Week 11- Lauren Gillingham- Old Main U of A

  Old Main can be found on the University of Arkansas' main campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was originally known as University Hall, and is the oldest standing building on the campus.
  The building committee sought out the architect from Chicago who designed the main building for the University of Illinois, John Van Osdel. Van Osdel lost his original plans in the great Chicago fire, but he produced new drawings for the university. The difference between the original building at the University of Illinois and Old Main- the towers are flip-flopped. It is said that the Union-supporting builders switched the towers so that the taller bell tower would be on the north side, a symbol of the victory .            
   The building's design is known as Second Empire, and nearly all of the construction materials came from Arkansas, including the sandstone foundation, the bricks fired on the grounds, the limestone window used for the window sills, and wood milled the Ozark forests

Tyler Hewett Post #11

For the blog this week, I have decided to write about a gorgeous home designed by the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. This gorgeous home is called "La Miniatura" Millard House and is on the market in Pasadena, California for $4.5 million. The price is just a little too high for me, but I do love the way this home was designed. I especially love that the design is relatively simple in the sense that all of the lines on the house seem to be either horizontal or vertical. I also really love how the house is primarily made of wood, as seen in the first picture above. This house is classic Frank Lloyd Wright and I'm assuming this fact coupled with its gorgeous Pasadena location is what causes it to be so expensive. I would love to live in this home, but for now I might just have to be content with visiting.

Stonebriar Mall #6 Heather Reynolds

This is the Stonebriar Mall in Frisco, Texas.  This is my favorite mall of all time.  Stonebriar has a lot of great stores but the only reason it is able to do so it because it is big.  In my opinion, big is key to building a mall, small malls don't attract as many people and aren't able to hold enough stores to entertain.  This mall is 3 stories high and is nicely spread out.  I don't like going to malls that are cramped with stores right next to each other because there isn't much space to put beautiful decorations throughout when it is cramped.  Basically, being the right size not only makes this mall functional and entertaining, it also makes it aesthetically pleasing to the eye.  Lastly, my favorite thing about this mall is the natural light that radiates throughout it.  Stonebriar has a huge skylight that lets all of the suns light in and makes for a better and natural feeling while shopping.

-Heather Reynolds

Bizzell Memorial Library Heather Reynolds

This is the Bizzell Memorial Library.  As all of you know this is the library on OU campus.  I absolutely love this building and think it is the most grandiose and beautiful building on campus.  Not only is the outside gorgeous with the red brick and beautiful windows but the inside is pretty nice as well.  My favorite part of the the interior is the The Great Reading Hall and the section of library below it where the walls are beautiful wood and outspoken compared to a plain modern white wall.  I also love how the doors pictured to library are big heavy wood doors.  As you can see, I like wood accents in buildings. I searched for the architect of the building but couldn't find out who it was.  Do you know who the architect is? What is your favorite part of the library?

-Heather Reynolds

#11 Justin Jackson Kauffman Stadium

With the World Series going on right now, I decided to talk about the few trips to Kauffman Stadium home of the Kansas City Royals. The architect firm Kivett and Myers were the leaders of the Kauffman Stadium. The stadium I attended baseball games before the new renovations and after when they were completed in 2009. The stadium is awesome because it sits right next to the Kansas City Chiefs football stadium as well. They are both part of an ultimate sports complex. The ballpark has a huge scoreboard in center field with a crown on top. The place is awesome because they are rivals to my favorite team the St. Louis Cardinals and I can easily attend the games there. Even though rivals, I am rooting for them to win the World Series this year.

#10 Justin Jackson ONEOK FIELD

ONEOK field is a baseball park located in downtown Tulsa. The fairly new stadium was opened on April 8, 2010. The stadium is the proud home of a minor league baseball team called the Tulsa Drillers. The architect for the stadium was HOK Sport from Kansas city. The stadium is special to me because it is where my high school baseball team won the 6A state championship in 2011. The stadium holds many memories for me. The outfield has a beautiful skyline of downtown Tulsa and every seat in the stadium feels like it is right on top of you. I enjoy coming to this place because it holds happy memories whether it’s a drillers game, an OU/OSU baseball game, or any other event.

week 10- Lauren Gillingham- Eastern State Penitentiary

  Being the week of Halloween, I figured I would post a spookier architectural structure. The Eastern State Penitentiary, located in Philadelphia, is rumored to be the world's first true penitentiary. British architect, John Haviland, designed the structure in a gothic revival style. Built in 1829, the revolutionary system of incarceration, known as the separate or "Pennsylvania" system, encouraged separate confinement. Eastern State's radial floor plan, with extending branches, and system of solitary confinement was the model for over hundreds of prisons around the world.
  The inmate's cells were made of concrete with a single glass skylight. Outside of the cells, there was an area for exercise, yet still enclosed by high walls so there was still no communication; Solitary confinement in every aspect.
  The accommodations within the cells included a faucet with running water, a flushing toilet, and curved pipes which served as a heat source during the winter. But the toilets were only flushed twice a week by the guards of the cellblock; gross.

Al Capone is one of the more famous inmates who have inhabited the walls of Eastern State, this is his cell.

Madhuri Patel #10 - Pops

Earlier this year I got to go to Pops in Arcadia, Oklahoma. I had heard a lot of good things about it so I wanted to check it out for myself. When I got to Arcadia I was mesmerized by the huge pops bottle and the building itself. When you walked into the building they had differents pop bottles all across the wall and all the walls were made out of glass windows. The building itself looks very futuristic has a modern look. The huge pop bottle can be seen for miles before arriving to the location and it is better at night because the bottle changes colors.The architect for Pops was Rand Elliott and he is a prestigious architect that has wrote many books and have appeared in many different articles. I love the building because it is very laid back and a great place to hangout. They have a gas station too and insider a small diner for anyone that wants to eat. Overall its a beautiful building and in a good location in Oklahoma.

Paro Taktsang aka Tiger's Nest by Lorraine Stanley #12

Paro Taktsang better known as Tiger’s Nest is a prominent Himalayan Buddhist which is locfated in the Cliffside of Paro vally in Bhutan.   It was first built in 1692, where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have mediated for three years, thre months, three weeks, three days and three hours in the 8^th century. Legend has it that Padmasambhava flew to this place from Tibet on the back of Yeshe Tsogyal, whom he transformed into a flying tigress for the purpose and landed at the cliff, which he "anointed" as the place for building a monastery. 

The monastery buildings consist of four main temples and residential shelters ideally designed by adapting to the rock (granite) ledges, the caves and the rocky terrain. The holy hill is drawn in the backdrop with four faces painted with different colors – the east face is is white, the south face is yellow, the west is in red and the north is green. The courtyard with four enclosures is said to represent four kinds of conduct. The walls are built with bricks, balconies have been bejewelled with religious symbols.

The Berggasthaus aka The Aescher by Lorraine Stanley #11

The Aescher is just open May through October because its very hard to get to its location.–Access is definitely a test. Begin by heading from Appenzell town to Wasserrauen, stop in the Cable Car parking or you can get there by hiking up the mountains.  Ascher Guesthouse is located next to the Wildkirchli caves and below the Ebenalp cliff.  Ebenalp is the northernmost summit of the Appenzell Alps in  Switzerland. This Guesthouse was carefully built into the side of a mountain during the 19th century. The Swiss call it “Berggasthaus” which means a Mountain-Guesthouse.

The Castle of Sammezzano by Lorraine Stanley #10

The Castle of Sammezzano is a “palazzo” in Tuscany.  It is known for its Morrish Architecture style.  Moorish style elements include mugarnas(An architectural ornamentation reminiscent of stalactites), horseshoe arches, keystone, domes, crenellated arches, lancet arches, ogee arches, courtyards, and decorative tile work. The palazzo served as a luxury hotel in the post WWII era, then was vacated and closed. The peacock room is one room out of 365 and it has a breathtaking assortment of patterns and colors and is very unique.

Quinta de Regaleira by Lorraine Stanley #9

Quinta da Regaleira is an estate located near the historic center of Sintra, Portugal and is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The property consists of a romantic palace and chapel, and a luxurious park that features lakes, grottoes, wells, benches, fountains, and a vast array of exquisite constructions.  The wishing well is really extraordinary since it is 27 meters deep and it resembles an inverted tower. Carvalho Monteiro built this place with Italian architect Luigi Manini.  Monteiro wanted a place that would reflect his interests and ideologies.  The architecture Manini designed suggested Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, and Manueline styles. Manueline is a composite Portuguese style of architectural ornamentation of the early 16th century, incorporating maritame elements and representations of the discoveries brought from voyages. The  construction of the current estate commenced in 1904 and much of it was completed by 1910.

30 St Mary Axe aka the Glass Gherkin by Lorraine Stanley #8

This building was completed in December 2003.  Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, was the primary occupant, but they had decided to keep their headquarters in Zurich. The building stands on the former site of the Baltic Exchange, but on April 10, 1992 the Provisional IRA detonated a bomb close to the Exchange, causing extensive damage to the Baltic Exchange and neighboring structures.  The United Kingdom government’s statutory adviser on the historic environment decided to rebuild. 

This building uses energy-saving methods which allows it to use half the power of a similar built tower would typically consume. Gaps within every floor create a natural ventilation system for the entire building. Though the building is curved, there is only one piece of curved glass on the building, which is the cap at the top. The building has become an iconic symbol of London and is one of the city's most widely recognized examples of contemporary architecture

Scott Terry Post 2 Teatro Olimpico

Scott Terry

Post 2

Teatro Olimpico

This building had an impact on me because it was the first time that I had seen anything like it.  I was stationed in Vicenza, Italy and one of the requirements upon arrival was to attend a class called Head Start which taught a little bit about Italy, key words and phrases in Italian and ended with a small tour of the city, where I saw the Olympic Theater.  It was built in the sixteenth century by an architect named Andrea Palladio who also has many other famous buildings around Vicenza.  

Zac Hardina #11

Pictured above is the Marina Bay Sands resort located in Singapore. The building was designed by the architect Moshe Safdie. It is Singapores first integrated resort, containing a hotel, casino, a movie theater, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The building has over 2500 rooms for guest and separated into three similar buildings. The top floor few floors span across the three buildings and house multiple restaurants offering amazing views. One of the biggest attracts to the resort is the infinity pool. The pool measures 150 long and has a vanishing edge, giving the illusion that the pool drops off the edge of the building. This is accomplished by having the edge slightly lower than the water level, allowing it to flow over the edge where it is recirculated back into the pool. Immediately in front of the pool's vanishing edge is a walkway to prevent guest from attempting to lean over the edge. To allow the supporting buildings to flex independently the top level is supported by a set of joints designed to allow movement in certain directions.

Tyler Hewett Post #10

For this blog post, I have decided to write about the beautiful and iconic Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. I chose this building to blog about this week in honor of one of my best friends from high school who will be moving to Sydney next month. Ever since the 2000 Olympic games (Held in Sydney), I have always been fascinated by this building. I love how it was designed to resemble the sails on a boat. Given the scenic ocean front location, this design works exceptionally well. Another very interesting aspect of this building, is depending on the event held within the opera house, the building can project different colors and images onto the external "sails". As you can see in the above picture, the colors and patterns projected on the "sails" is just one more example of using a building as a form of artwork.  

First National Building by Brent Wilkins (Blog Six)

Built by Wiry and Alford in 1931, this work of art deco in Oklahoma City was the pinnacle of architecture of its time. Modeled after the Empire State Building in New York City, no expense was spared in its design. Materials such as polished black granite, Italian marble, Bedford stone, and aluminum adorn the interior and exterior of this building.

This is my favorite structure in downtown Oklahoma City. I have visited the building many times throughout the years, and its architectural beauty never fails to impress me. One interesting fact I’ve heard about this building is that there is a fire escape slide that extends the entire height of the building. If you are feeling adventurous and know the right people, this would surely give a rush. Just don’t wear your Sunday best as you will likely look like a chimney sweep afterwards.

Baum Building by Brent Wilkins (Blog Five)

Modeled after the Doge’s Palace in Venice, Italy (bottom picture), the Baum Building sat at the corner of Robinson and Grand (Sheridan) in downtown Oklahoma City. This was the work of Layton and Smith, the same firm that designed the Oklahoma State Capital building, and was completed in 1910. This structure was demolished in 1973 as part of the urban renewal movement.

Being demolished before ever getting the privilege to enjoy this architecture, I can only image its true grandeur. I have stayed at boutique hotels similar in size to the Baum Building, and think this would have been a great contemporary use for it.

Leah Parker - Post #12 (Week of 11-3 to 11-7)

For my post today I picked one of the more famous pieces of architecture from around the world.  This is also definitely my favorite piece that I have submitted to the blog so far, I saved the best for last.  I chose the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the freestanding bell-tower of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. This building is known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side.  It is also known for being the 3rd oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square.

  I chose this tower because, duh, the tilt is so interesting and strange!  What a tall building, but built so sturdily, that even with a tilt... it still stands!  The tower's tilt happened during the construction of the tower, as a result of inadequate foundation on the ground where the tower stands - the ground was too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight, and overtime, sunk into itself.  The tilt increased gradually before the structure was even completed.  Later because it was so intense a tilt, they had to re-stabilize it (partially correct the tilt) in the late 20th century, early 21st century.  

This tower is also particularly interesting because there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the real identity of the architect who created the tower; for many years the design was attributed to the architects Guglielmo and Bonanno Pisano, who were well known resident artist/architects of the time.  However, more recent studies are indicative of the architect Diotisalvi as the original contributor during the time of creation!  What a mystery.

Leah Parker - Post #11 (Week of 10-27 to 10-31)

This week I decided to take something from one of the most beautiful places we have on our Earth, as far as architecture is concerned (at least in my opinion).  In particular, the building we will be looking at is The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, located in Rome, Italy.  This is a building built from primarily concrete and stone, and the largest amphitheater in all of the Roman Empire.  It is definitely considered one of the greatest works of both engineering and architecture from the Roman culture.  Incredibly, it still stands today in *decent* condition, after the building of it was completed around 80 AD!!!!  It is said that the Colosseum could hold between 50,000-80,000 spectators for various public spectacles like staged sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, dramas and tragedies based on mythology and literature of the time, and etc.  The Colosseum was a building used for entertainment originally, but later used for purposes like housing, workshops, and religious quarters (shrines and such). I imagine not much is known about the original designer/architect who created the structure, as it was so very long ago - but what an incredible feat they accomplished.  I can only imagine their reaction to the structure still standing today in the 20th century, where we have fancy technology like touch-screen phones and computers.

Michael Carroll Blog #7

 

Chesapeake Energy Arena is The Oklahoma City Arena now has a new name as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chesapeake Energy Corporation jointly announced a long-term naming rights partnership Friday renaming the downtown arena the Chesapeake Energy Arena. 

I work at the Chesapeake Energy Arena  every once in while for Thunder Games & Concerts. I work in Gust Relations doing ticket taking or ushering.

Chesapeake Energy Arena has court side grill restaurant and suites that you served during the game with HD TV surround sound. The initial cost of the12-year naming rights agreement is $3 million with a 3.0% annual escalation. The agreement includes Chesapeake branding throughout the building including on the basketball court, prominent premium placement on the high-definition scoreboard and new state-of-the-art interior and exterior digital signage

(http://www.buyinokc.com/okc-arena-to-be-renamed-chesapeake-energy-arena)

 

Week 9-Lauren Gillingham-Bavinger house

 The Bavinger house, located in Norman, Oklahoma, was built over fifty years ago for Eugene and Nancy Bavinger. Eugene and Nancy both worked as faculty in the art department at the University of Oklahoma at one point in time, so the called their friend and world-renowned architect, Bruce Goff. Goff designed the Bavinger home as a place where art, and nature meet.
The Bavinger house was designed as a logarithmic spiral of sandstone and glass, anchored and spiraling around a recycled drill stem pipe in the center. The spiral wall is composed of two-hundred tons of stone native to the area, complete with the Oklahoma state rock, rose rock, and chunks of aqua-colored melted glass scattered throughout.

 All of the rooms in the house are suspended by cables above a living area, with a pond and plants all around. These plants aren't fake plants, they are  the same types of plants that grew just outside of the house, making it unclear where nature ends and architecture begins. The bedrooms, are actually carpeted bowl-shaped pods that are suspended from the ceiling as well at different levels. The bowls are open-air, but curtains can be drawn for privacy. Like everything else about this house, there is nothing traditional about the beds; the mattress and box springs are flush with the floor in each bowl.
Unfortunately, this structure has since been destroyed, but this was definitely a unique architectural structure, way beyond its time.

Mariam Edwar- Carson Energy Center #4

Carson Energy center: As an Architectural Engineering student I spend a great deal of my time in this building. Therefore the Architecture of this building has affected my life greatly for the past five years. I would not say it is my favorite building on campus in terms of aesthetics but it is definitely an important building in my life. Although it is an old building it is very efficient and I like the classroom/ offices layout. the design is very basic and efficient which I admire. I remember when I was going to my first class there I liked how the building looked fro the outside but when I went inside the hollows were very narrow and it was a bit dark. It was constructed in the year of 1966

Week 8- Lauren Gillingham- Philbrook Museum

 The Philbrook Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma is a beautiful art museum, and one of Tulsa's most prized structures. Built to resemble an Italian Renaissance villa, the mansion was designed in 1926 by Kansas City architect Edward Buehler Delk. Construction on the mansion began in 1926 and was completed in 1927. Originally called Villa Philbrook, the home featured 72 rooms on 23 acres of formal and informal gardens. The mansion was initially built as the home of Waite Phillips, Tulsa oil pioneer, and his wife. In 1938, Waite Phillips donated the Villa Philbrook, and it's surrounding gardens, to the city of Tulsa, so that the estate could be used for art and cultural purposes.^[2] With its steel and concrete frame, and the spacious size of its rooms, corridors and great halls, minimal remodeling was required to transform the Villa into an exceptional art museum. In 1939, Villa Philbrook was opened to the public as The Philbrook Museum of Art, and still serves as a historical and artistic gem today.