With many names, 30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Tower, or the Gherkin, this building is an easily recognizable aspect of the London skyline. The circular shape of the building is not only adds to the intrigue of the building, but also increases its functionality. The building has radial geometry and each “radiating finger” links vertically to the surrounding floors. This creates spaces that are often used as social gathering or meeting places, but these open spaces also distribute air that is brought in through openings in the façade. The building’s “lungs” reduces the use of air conditioning and as a result the Gherkin only uses half of the energy as an office building solely cooled by air conditioning units. The circular shape also makes the building more aerodynamic and reduces wind deflection. Completed in 2004, it is 41 stories (180) meters tall and has 46,400 square meters of office space. As with many other buildings designed by Norman Foster and Foster + Partners, the Gherkin was created with both functionality, beauty, and the environment in mind.

This is the Viaduc de Millau, a bridge which completed the A75 autoroute from Clermont-Ferrand to Beziers in France. The bridge spans the 2.46 kilometer gap between one plateau to another over the River Tarn, which is the “geological generator of the landscape.” The bridge itself is not only functional, but eye-catching because of its massive size while retaining the graceful, minimalistic aesthetic it portrays. There is also an emphasis on this structure marring the landscape and environment as little as possible, which allows for the scenery and landscape around the bridge to still be seen. Completed in 2004, the bridge is made of sections 342 meters long. The piers range from 75 to 245 meters and the masts rise to 87 meters above the road deck, breaking the record for the highest pylons in the world and passing the Eiffel Tower as the tallest structure in France.

As I was scrolling though the Foster + Partners website looking at buildings, the Apple Park caught my eye because of its unusual shape and sheer size. The park consists of the Ring Building, Steve Jobs Theatre, Fitness & Wellness Center, Visitor’s Center, and South Parking and covers 175 acres with 4 miles of trails. There are 9000 trees planted in the park along with sports fields and a pond. The park is powered 100% by renewable energy and is the largest LEED Platinum certified office space in North America. While reading about the building, the most interesting thing I read is about the glass façade of the Restaurant, which is described as a town square of the campus. The glass façade north eastern glass façade is made of glass doors that measure 15 meters tall by 55 meters wide that move via tracks beneath the floor. These are absolutely huge and I think it would be very cool to see the doors be opened and closed and learn about what powers the doors and their presumably immense weight. I think that the contrast between the nature-centered park that focuses on beautiful scenery and renewable energy and the fact that it is for Apple Inc, a huge tech company, is very meaningful. The fact that Apple runs a company that is arguably the complete opposite of nature-related yet decided to ensure that their office building is not using more resources than necessary is very admirable and speaks for the company’s values.

This building caught my eye because of its spiritual purpose. This is one of ten chapels, each designed by a different architect and curated by Francesco Dal Co, and this one is located in the woods of San Giorgio Maggiore, a Venetian island. The structure consists of wood slats creating a tent like shape that covers three supports. Each of these supports is in the shape of a cross. This stood out to me because the symbolic meaning of the chapel being supported by crosses enhances the beauty and significance of the structure as a chapel. There is also jasmine that was planted around the chapel so that it will eventually grow to cover the structure and make it seem more combined with the wooded landscape and the scent is said to “enhance the spiritual calm.” The chapel was completed in 2018 and covers an area of 128 square meters and stands 6.8 meters tall.

The Perry YMCA has meant a lot to me growing up because it was where I played volleyball for many years. After 3-4 years playing at the Y, I began to play at my intermediate school and I also played club volleyball for two years. The reason playing at the Y had more of an impact on me is because my team mostly consisted of a group of us that had been friends since pre-K and we always requested to play together. Because of this, playing volleyball allowed me to see my friends and stay close to them even though we no longer went to school together. Even once all of us were playing club and school, we still signed up to play at the Y together every summer so we could see each other, and playing with them are some of the best memories I have from that time.

I went to the same high school all four years, and as with many others, I have a lot of memories here and a sentimental connection. I am very sentimental, and tend to put a lot of emphasis on symbols that remind me of memories. The funny thing though is that my high school’s building itself is not sentimental to me at all. I think a large part of the lack of attachment I have to the building stems from the fact that it was under construction when I began going to the school freshman year. One of the main areas that was under construction was the front of our school so the façade is different. I remember having to go to the assistant principal’s office freshman year, and the entire front office section no longer exists because it was torn down and replaced with a completely different layout that had more space. There were also classrooms that were added onto the back of the second floor on the back of the school and there was also an entire wing added to the back. Because of this construction, the building I went to high school in has changed immensely since I first attended.

As with many people, my home is very special to me. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and moving here was the first time I have been away from my family. Unlike many of my friends, I’ve never moved and have lived in the same house since I was born. For the majority of my life my aunts and uncles have also lived in the Houston metropolitan area, so moving up here to Norman was not just me moving away from my parents, but also out of the only house I’d ever lived in and away from all of my family. While it has been hard and I miss my family and my house, I still love it here. When I think of growing up in my house, I think of one specific doorjamb that leads to the hallway by my bedroom. Ever since I was little my parents have marked my height and age on this doorjamb, and it is very sentimental, especially since I have no siblings. My parents have discussed moving at some point in the future and taking that piece of the doorjamb and keeping it. It’s also pretty cool to see old pictures from when I was a baby or before I was born, sometimes with people that passed and I never knew, and to know exactly where that picture because I know where in my house it was.

For me, this building has good and bad memories. This is the nursing home my grandmother lived in for 2-3 years and were my mom, aunt, and I visited almost every weekend. The good memories include getting to spend so much quality time with my family and getting to meet the friends my grandmother made while she lived there. Sometimes it was like I had 4 or 5 grandmothers willing to give me advice. The majority of people there were super sweet, and I missed seeing them after my grandmother passed. While I’m not looking to go into the medical field, I learned a lot about nurses and their jobs, how nursing homes are run, and how to stand up for yourself or your family member to make sure they are getting the care they need. The bad memories are mostly associated with my grandmother’s health itself. She had dementia, so there were some days that we visited and she didn’t know who I was. She also fell a lot, so it was hard when I saw her in pain, especially when her health was really bad and she had trouble communicating. All of these memories, the good and bad, I remember every time we drive by Solera on the way to my aunt’s house.