The Water Temple Hyogo was built in 1991 in Awaji, Hyogo, Japan built by Tadao Ando. The Temple is home of the Ninnaji Shingon which is the oldest sect of Buddhism in Japan. When building the Temple, Ando not only followed his own simplistic style, but incorporated a sensory experience to honor the Buddhism beliefs.

Concrete is the main material used in this structure, having walls 3 meters tall bordered by a white gravel path tat leads to a pond with lotus flowers. When arriving at the heart of the Temple, two symmetric bodies of water are at the top split by a stairway. The stairs face the west to be filled with the western lights, where Buddha originates. This building shows Ando’s dedication to not only nature and architecture, but also the different religions in various regions.

The Benesse House consists of four parts: the Museum, the Oval (pictured above), the Beach, and the Park. The entire piece is meant to capture the coexistence of nature, art, and arichtecture. The museum turned hotel opened in 1992 in Naoshima, Japan and overlooks the Seto Inland Sea.

Not only is the building itself considered art, but contemporary art is displayed through each section of the Benesse House and surrounding areas. These pieces include paintings, sculptures, photography, and installations. However, certain pieces are restricted for only guests of the hotel to see, such as the Oval. The Oval measures 40 metters long and 20 meters deep in the ground with a liquid sculpture at the bottom to reflect the nature above.

The Church of the Light is the main chapel for the United Church of Christ located in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture. It was built in 1989 by Tadao Ando, with extensions added in 1999. Although the building is a church, it is only the size of a small house. The size of the structure was due to problems in the funds of the project, however Ando was still able to create one of his most famous designs.

This building highlights Ando’s style of simplicity by being constructed of three concrete walls with a cross outlined in the center piece allowing natural light. The simple wooden benches and floor boards are made of repurposed materials used during the construction. Between the organic wood and nature light, this building perfectly captures the balance of nature and every day living that Ando tries to capture.

Tadao Ando is a self-taught Japanese architect from Osaka, Japan. He has won many awards for his buildings such as the Pritzker Prize, Alvar Aalto Medal, AIA Gold Medal, and several others. Ando’s style is very simplistic and creates a haiku effect to emphasize the beauty in empty space. This emphasizism is based on the religious term “zen.”

Since Ando’s buildings focus on the sensation you get while in them rather than appearance, most of his pieces are done in concrete and neutral colors. This concept is highlighted in his works Church of the Light, Row House in Sumiyoshi, and the Akita Museum of Art.

Permian High School is a public school  located in Odessa, Texas that was opened in 1959. Permian was also the inspiration for a book turned movie “Friday Night Lights”.

I attended Permian High School from years 2014-2018. In 2015 Permian added an additional wing to the building. It was interesting to see the difference in how the town buildings were built. The newer wing was more modern with much more windows, while the older wing had lower ceilings and less natural light.

There are two Chick Fil A locations in Odessa, Texas. The one I will be focusing on is the one located at 3805 E 42nd St, Odessa, TX 79762. This was the first and only location in Odessa until 2019. The location fo the Chick Fil A is on the busiest road in Odessa, 42nd street, and in a shopping center with very limited parking.

The inside of the building is like an normal Chick Fil A. When you walk in you are directly met by the line to order food, which can be very overwhelming during lunch and dinner time. The main problem with the building is the location. Since it is on the busiest street, traffic makes it very difficult to navigate to the parking lot or drive thru.

Noel Elementary is a public school located in Odessa, Texas. I was not able to find when the building was made, but I found out 609 students are currently enrolled in grades kindergarten through 5th grade.

I personally attended Noel for all the grades available at the time, which included kindergarten through 6th grade. My favorite part of the building was that each grade had their own wing. This separation allowed

The Price College of Business was original formed in 1917 and called the OU School of Public and Private Business. In 1928 the name was changed to Adams Hall, after the college’s first dean, and renovations were made to the building until 1936. After this change, again in 1997 the building was renamed to Michael F. Price College of Business and Price Hall was added.
My first time entering Price I was on a tour the summer before my first semester of college. The first thing I saw were the tour guides and they were all dressed in business professional clothing. Between my nerves and being surrounded by people older than me, the building seemed to be in a better condition than reality.
Although that was my first encounter with the building, I consider my first experience as the first time I went to a class in Price. On my way to the class I got lost in the building and construct was going on on the second floor which made me get even more lost. By the time I found my class I was already ready to leave the building and never come back, but my teacher had other plans. Instead of going over the syllabus on the first day, we went on a scavenger hunt too find rooms within Price. This exercise made me feel more comfortable navigating my way around the building I will be having classes in for the next 4 years.