The Galleria Mall in Dallas, TX, is by far one of the best malls I have been to. Its glass ceiling allows for plenty of natural light to penetrate. There are all kinds of plants inside as well. Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum of HOK designed it. There is an ice rink inside, and various events are held there every year. It is in North Dallas, a hub for retail and hotel development.

Gaylord Memorial Stadium was built by Solomon Layton from the Layton and Hicks architecture firm in Oklahoma. It did not undergo any major renovations until 1999. Additional seating has been added for a while though by stacking more sections on top of the east and west sections. A couple of years ago they renovated the south endzone. It is a historical campus building and it brings together thousands of people each year. 

Catlett Music Center is my favorite building on campus. It was designed by firms in Toledo, OH, and Norman, OK: Bauer, Stark, and Lashbrook, & Kaighn Associates, respectively. Through the main entrance is Gothic Hall, wherein lies a pipe organ and stained glass windows. It houses classrooms, office space, and rehearsal halls, as well as the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall.

Stephen Horton and Wendell Locke designed the Murrah building in OKC in 1977. It is infamous for when it was destroyed in a terrorist attack. It housed federal agencies. Everyone in Oklahoma knew the Federal Building. In its place stands a beautiful memorial. Highly recommend a visit there. 

The El Reno High School building dates back to 1911 when it was a college. In the 1910s-1920s it was expanded to its current size. It is much like Nielsen Hall in terms of architectural themes inside and out. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. There is a ton of history packed inside that building, and I feel very fortunate to have gotten to go to high school there.

Boasting more than 225,000 sq ft (yes, you read that correctly) Canadian Valley Tech Center’s El Reno campus is home to educational programs ranging from “how to use your iPhone” to a pre-engineering sequence for HS juniors and seniors. I participated in the latter. In 2013 the original campus was obliterated by a 2.6 mi. wide tornado. The rebuilt structure is mostly safe-room, and one lap around inside the building is roughly two miles. It is definitely worth a visit to see.

Aldi is my favorite store. It originated in Germany and was based on the principle of affordable and available food. It has expanded to include Trader Joes, and Aldi is opening up at least one new location per week. My favorite part about the architecture is that it is efficient rather than “pretty”. The inside is organized to allow for heavy traffic but not congestion. There is only one entrance/exit. (Also they have an aisle where you find stuff you didn’t know you needed.)

The National Weather Center is by far my favorite building. I first walked inside it when I was seven years old, and from then on I knew I would be a meteorology major at OU. The NWC houses state and federal offices as well as the School of Meteorology. There is a spacious atrium which can be used for studying as well as banquets/other events. The very top floor has an observation deck where, if you look out, you can see for miles and miles. There is also a rooftop classroom.