Situated in the mountains, this house stands out with its angles and stonework. Rick Joy, like usual, features the landscape with the large windows. I love how well this house fits into its surroundings. The stonework itself, according to his website, comes from local areas. I’m a big fan of the wood burning fireplaces. It looks like it would be very cozy during a winter.

Napa Tree House is another great example of Rick Joy’s style. It looks very modern to me with its clean lines and gorgeous outside materials. The house separates into two wings, one social wing, and one more private living wing that’s encased in trees. The amount of light in this house is astounding, and it even includes a pool with glass on two sides that lets you see through. I love this style of building a lot. It’s modern and peaceful.

This building fits very well into its surroundings. From what I’ve noticed so far, Rick Joy excels at creating using local styles and materials. This building almost blends into the local landscape. From within, it appears very peaceful, which is fitting considering it’s a resort and spa. I love the warm walls with some light texture. It looks like a great spot for finding one’s self. I love the clean lines and materials.

Bayhouse looks like a very unique building to me. Its asymmetrical roof sticks out right away. Its angles seem modern, yet the style can be perceived as traditional still. I love the combination of the grays and browns. The views are just stunning throughout, and Rick Joy capitalized on it through the extensive windows and skylights. One of my favorite parts is the chimney, encased between the two skylights. Its colors scream warm and peace, especially when combined with the surrounding nature and ocean views.

King’s Cross is another cafeteria on Epic’s campus. Although it pales in comparison to the actual King’s Cross station in London, I love it. It looks straight out of Harry Potter, which makes it fit perfectly in the Wizard’s Academy campus. It does look strikingly like a train station might, just without the trains.

My favorite part of the building (besides the food) is the amount of natural light. Those windows provide a ton of it! It brightens up the whole place. The rest of the small details are great too, including smaller rooms that are labeled different platforms, and even some tunnels that lead to it (that look straight out of the NYC subway, to me).

This building comes straight out of the Wizard of Oz. It’s situated in Epic’s Storybook Campus in Verona, Wisconsin. All of the buildings on this campus are based on fairy tales, including an Alice in Wonderland themed building, a Willy Wonka themed building, and this Wizard of Oz themed building. It has a yellow brick road leading to it (of course). I have followed it a few times, although the ‘road’ gets a bit jumbled in the interior.

I find this building to be a bit ugly, personally. Although I don’t remember much about buildings in the Wizard of Oz, I remember the Emerald City being a huge city with tall skyscrapers. This building has a relatively small footprint, and it only includes about four stories (two of which are below ground). It does not have the grandiose height or futuristic nature that I associate with the Emerald City.

To make matters worse, the interior continues the extensive use of green. I get what they were trying to go for, but this building seems just too small. It needs something else to really make it shine. I like the idea, but I think the execution is lacking.

This is another building on Epic’s campus: Fortress. As you can see, it is modeled after a castle. The first time I saw this building, I was very surprised. Castles are very uncommon in the United States, and here is one in the middle of a software company’s campus. It looks pretty out of place, but in a whimsical way, which is what they were going for. Inside, the building is decorated in a medieval way. It looks straight out of Harry Potter, complete with a giant time turner in the middle of the feature staircase. The view from the top (see the staircase on the left) shows off the entire campus very well. All in all, this is a strange building, but a fun one. It sparks creativity in the workers.