The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library was another one of my favorite buildings by Helmut Jahn. It serves as the library of the University of Chicago and was named after the alumni Joe and Rika Mansueto. The design of the library allows it to have a capacity of 3.5 million volumes. The building consists of a glass-domed reading room, above high density, closed book stacks that use an Automated Storage and Retrieval System with an average retrieval time of three minutes. This building incorporates solar-control glass overhead, a circular base that supports the foundation walls, and plenty of interior space for studying. The height of the dome at its highest point is 35 feet with a length and width of 240 and  120 feet, respectively. The structural grid-shell of 120 x 240 feet and the insulated glazing satisfies the interior comfort while meditating the exterior conditions. The interior has very clean and modern aesthetics. This building has received numerous awards for its design and unique dome structure.  It is definitely a library I would study in any day!

The ThyssenKrupp Test Tower was probably one of my favorite works by Helmut Jahn. This building was co-designed by Werner Sobek and Helmut Jahn and is located in Rottweil, Germany. This building is 246 meters tall and was completed in 2017. The ThyssenKrupp is the tallest elevator test tower in the world and second-largest elevator chamber.  The magnitude of the building gives anyone at the top magnificent views of both the country and urban sites of Rottweil. This building’s purpose is to test and certify high-speed elevators. Not only does is this building known as the tallest elevator test tower but its unique shape and facade captivates the attention of anyone who sees it. The exterior of the building has a spiral-like from the base to the top of the building.  The facade of the building is the tallest textile- clad building in the world and consist of PTFE-coated glass fiber fabric attached to six-round steel tubes that run around the tower in a helical manner.

Liberty Place is a set of skyscrapers located in Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, United States. The two structures are constructed with a steel structure held up with eight large pillars and a central core where the elevator is located. The exterior of the building is made of aluminum, granite, and glass panels. One of the buildings is called One Liberty place and it is 61 stories and 848-foot skyscraper.  One liberty Place contains 1,200,000 square feet, with an average floor size of 24,000 square feet. The second building is called Two Liberty Place and is 58 stories and 848 feet.  Helmut Jahn is a known fan of American eclecticism and Art Deco and he incorporated these elements in his design. When designing Liberty Place, Helmut Jahn also used New York city’s Chrysler Building as a reference. They are so similar in design that he calls it ” Son of Chrysler” according to Rouse. The most prominent similarity is the spire at the top of the Skyscraper that is 146 feet tall in One Liberty Place and a smaller spire sits on Two Liberty Place.  Like the Chrysler building, the facade of Liberty place buildings mix glass and metal. The height of the tower is accentuated by the horizontal bands of granite and glass and the colors of the facade with its mixture of gray, silver, and metallic blues.

The Sony center

The Sony Center opened in 2000 at the Postdamer Platz in  Berlin, Germany and was designed by Helmut Jahn. This building is sponsored by Sony and serves as the Sony German Headquarters.  The Sony Center consists of eight buildings that are connected by a tent-like roof.  The inspiration for the architectural design behind the Sony building is for it to represent a new innovative technological vision and order. This is truly seen in both the inner and outer design of the building. The main focus of the building seemed to be the lighting manipulating both natural and artificial light to accent the mix of steel and glass material The outer quadrilateral design helps to highlight the main attraction of the building, the circular tented roof.  The roof tallest point measure up 67 meters above the forum with a free span of 102 meters in length on the main axis.  The textile sails have a self-cleaning attribution and Teflon-coated fabric.  The roof consisted of 520 tons of steel for the ring beam, 100 tons of steel for the king post,  and 105 tons of safety glass that is 16 mm thick. The design of the roof was so that the clear and translucent glass amazingly reflects the moon and daylight.  Another special feature of the roof is that it changes colors at night.

My last choice was my old primary school in pauls valley. I grew up here and it holds many great childhood memories. My nephews and nieces go here now and every once in awhile I will go visit them and my old teachers. It was like a whole bunch of nostalgia hit me in the face when I went back. Many of my favorite teachers still teach here and it’s awesome when I get to go back and tell them where I am in my life.

Iglesia De Cristo Berea

Although this building is a very simple one, it holds so many pleasant memories from my childhood.  This was my old church in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. I went to this church from the age of 2 till about the age of 15. I remember when we left it was saddening because I made so many friends here and the people there were my second family. I still keep in touch with many of the people to this day. One of my other best friends I met here and I was the maid of honor at her wedding last summer. I had two weddings to be the maid of honor last summer, It was definitely busy! My best friend and I use to walk endless rounds around the church and just talk about whatever happened that week to us. This building always makes me think of my childhood and brings great memories.

I chose George Lynn Hall as one of my buildings because I had so many classes here when I transferred from OCCC. I also learned met many of my great friends who I value to have in my life. When I think of this building I think of a change that happened in my life when I transferred. My first class at OU was in this building. I was new to norman and it came with along other personal changes in my life. One of the most amazing people in my life, my boyfriend, I met in this building and one year later we’re still very happy.

Oklahoma City Community College

I chose OCCC as one of my buildings because I  learned so much in my college career here and I met the most amazing people. I come from a small town called Pauls valley where I lived my whole life. I was always very shy and never really pushed myself academically or socially. At OCCC, I decided to pursue an associate in chemistry and it showed me what hard work is and how much it pays off.  I learned to be a better student and learned to study more efficiently to which I can proudly say I am using those skills in pursuing my bachelor’s.

I also met the most amazing people in my life here including many friends who to this day we take classes together and I wouldn’t know what I would do without them. I also met people who have taught me to be more patient and have taught me that it’s okay that I am not everyone’s cup of tea.  I met my best friend here, I recently was the maid of honor of her wedding and I am so grateful that I was put in the same class with her that summer. I got the opportunity to have professors who cared, pushed, and showed me I have potential that I didn’t see in myself.

This building also holds some hard memories as well. One summer I was enrolled in a physics 2 class and I wasn’t able to visit my aunt who was very ill in Arkansas. My aunt was someone who was a second mother to me and who I lived with for a year when I was about six. I didn’t have the strength to visit her because it was so heartbreaking to see her like that. I went a couple of times but towards the end, I couldn’t stand to see her in the state she was and how she begged for my siblings and me to stay. I regret this so much to this day because of my selfishness, I lost more time with her. This building reminds me of her because I remember my mom calling me to tell me of her passing when I was there for that summer. I was in a hallway of the building that was semi-secluded and I sat down and just cried. Every time I pass that section of the building it always reminds me of my aunt. It taught me to value the time with your loved ones even if it’s hard, I could have done more for her.

Overall, my experience at OCCC taught me so many things and gave me the opportunity to grow as a person and student. I won’t forget my time there and the people I had the privilege of meeting!