The Durham Bulls Athletic Park was opened in 1995 in Durham, NC. The field was build to bring a minor league baseball team to Durham. The stadium has been renovated over the years to update it internally such as adding more modern concessions and video boards. The stadium now hosts ACC baseball tournaments. I picked this as my fourth and final blog about Philip Freelon as it was the most different from everything that he and his group have designed. I like it due to the field blending into the city around it and not standing out and taking up unnecessary space that other arenas and fields normally take up in the vicinity.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights was built in 2014 in Atlanta, GA. It is a building covered in multi-colored panels that were designed to represent human skin tones. The walls are slanted to give a symbolic evocation of two hands coming together. I like this building because of the symbolization that Freelon tries to make in it by joining all colors of skin together and making two hands coming together.

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture was completed in September of 2016. It is clad in perforated bronze. There are three tiers to the building that are angled outwards towards the sky. One of the key features of this building is the waterfall in a dark room with a skylight above it. This was done as a symbol for it to a be sort of a rocket ship from space as a reflection. I think this building is unique in its design as it stands out from the rest of the mall in the Smithsonian.

The Museum of the African Diaspora was built in 2005 in San Francisco, CA. It is a three level museum that is comprised by a variety of exhibits that range from art, history, and the culture of African migration around the world. The Museum is also part of a 42-story skyscraper in San Francisco. I like how the glass is able to bring in the natural light into the building. It appears to mirror the likes of Apple stores in the same setting around the world.

Whitacre Tower, also known as AT&T HQ, is a tower in Downtown Dallas, TX. I’ve been inside once and the memories are not fond to my mind. A very bland feel where no one wanted to be their. They clock in and can’t wait to clock out to get away. Even as a former employee of a corporate store, those that worked at HQ hated the company even more than us front line retail workers.

The US Capitol Building. The place where it all happens, both good and bad. I have met many members of Congress throughout my summer trips and internships on the Hill. Everyone on the both sides of the aisle are highly encouraging of our youth being highly engaged in government. Because of this I have never developed that awful sentiment that many Americans have more members of Congress that think they don’t do anything positive or productive for America. The wheels are always turning and deals are always being made to better our lives. By far one of the best buildings I’ve ever stepped foot in.

Empower Field at Mile High (formerly known as Sports Authority Field at Mile High). I’ve been in this stadium a lot pre-college years. It’s usually full of great memories for me since we always win home games when I go. As a result my experiences are jubilant, we clinched the AFC twice against the Patriots and a fantastic comeback in 2015 against the same team in the blistering cold with snow.

Mike Loya Academic Services Building is the central hub for admissions and financial aid services at a local university in El Paso, TX.  Like the rest of the university it is themed as Bhutan architecture.  The campus captures the sun rise and sunset really well. It is a unique type of architecture in the heart of the city on a mountain. I live on the Eastside of the city and never saw the types of sunrises or sunsets that I did when I went for tours of the campus.