The Sancaklar Mosque is located in Buyukcekmece, a suburb of Istanbul, Turkey and was created to be a place of worship.   This Mosque is very different from the topical design of mosques.   Usually, all a mosque needs is a clean room for prayer; this gave architect Emre Arolat a lot of freedom to create the space he wanted.  The mosque is built into the ground and continues with the normal shape of the hillside.   Besides having the walls, this would look very similar to how the hill was before the mosque was built into it.  This structure is also a very green as Turkey can be a very hot country and the green roof provides temperature control and reduces the amount of energy used. The green roof has a natural slope with a walkway like many of his other works. The prayer room is a large open room with one of the most interesting ceilings I have ever seen.  The ceiling is oval-shaped and has many different layers that create an extremely  interesting design.  ArchDaily gave it the Religious Building of the Year Award in 2015.

The Bergama Cultural Center in Bergama-lzmir, Turkey is a structure built for the people.   This city has a rich history, and is also turning into a modern city due to its high rise apartments and intricate technology.   With this in mind, Emre Arolat tried to create a location that would “be one with the city.”   The one-story sounding roof creates the feeling that one is actually part of the surrounding location. As you move to the center, there is a larger building that allows for many more uses – like a large library and a theater.  As with most of his work, Emre Arolat created a central open-air courtyard that connects the development.  There is also a pathway across the top of the complex that allows for a nice view of the green roof and connects over the street making it feel very accessible.  The green roof and the  connecting  sounding nature make for a seamless transition.  The green roof is also about the same level as the trees, making for a clean look

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The Zorlu Center, created by Emre Arolat Architects, is located in Istanbul, Turkey.  The center was built in 2013.   The complex is located in the business district  and is an upscale location for tourists and the upper class of Istanbul.  It is home to the largest performing arts center in the country. It also has a high-class shopping mall that boasted the first Apple Store in the country.  There is also a five-star hotel located within the complex as well as office space. As with most of Emre Arolat’s work, there is an open-air central location tying everything together. This is also an environmentally friendly development with mostly green roofs which allows for more wildlife within the complex.  The Zorlu Center is also centrally located and easy to get to by walking, public transportation, or car. For people who really love the Zorlu Center, there are residences for purchase ranging from 117 to 735 square meters.

The Yalikavak Palmarina is a development in Turkey with shops, restaurants, and  other amenities for tourists built mainly for tourists and Turkey’s middle to upper-class.  The development, built in 2013 by Emre Arolat Architects, is located on a small island off the  southwestern coast of Turkey . The idea is to have a location for people to bring their yachts and relax or shop their cares away. There are many open-air terraces as you walk through the complex. The tan stone color blends in with the surrounding mountains and the pools provide a seamless transition from the ocean to the architecture. A central plaza connects everything from one section to the next. This is a destination to see the architecture alone. Many super-yachts come here to experience this beautiful destination.  Of particular interest is the way that many of the square and vertical columns come together and form a very unique look. This destination won the  WA Award Cycle 23.

O’Connell’s Irish pub or Ocons is my favorite bar on campus.  I have spent a lot of time in this bar.  This is the place where I found out that I am bad a karaoke after watching a video of me the next day.   I love the setup of this bar.   When you walk in you have the stage and right in the middle, they have a nice and big bar.  The bar has a granite top and is big enuff to fit all your friends.  The corners of the bar are 45-degree angels making it much more natural to create conversation with others at the bar.  The inside feels kinda cold and dark but in a good way, it feels welcoming.  The photo I have posted is of the back door and this is because this is the door I always use.  This place was always our hangout spot and has a feeling of home to me.

Red Rocks is the most beautiful place to see a concert in the world.   I grew up in Denver and as a kid, I would go to Red Rocks a lot on field trips or with my family to hike around or run the stairs.   for a long time, this place was only a place I would go for outdoor activities. and when I was in high school and I could drive I got to go see my first concert there.  it was Eric Church and when you first get to concerts there the sun is setting on Denver.  the red and orange of the sunset contrasted against that of the rock is a sight to see.   since then I have seen many people there and Red Rocks never disappoints.    This is also the place where I graduated high school and my principal opened his speech with “this is my first year at this school and the first thing you have to learn when you come to highlands ranch is how to deal with Matt Murphy”.  I have great memories from this place in a lot of different ways from being active to listening to great music and graduating high school.

Eagle Ridge is where I went to elementary school here and I believe this place shaped me more than anywhere else.   I love the layout of this place it was like a split level house and once you got to fourth grade you got to go upstairs.  this place is where I lived a lot of my young life.  I can still picture almost every room and playground. the white of the nurse’s office where I would go when I felt sick or the time that I got a staple stuck in my hand.  but what I remember most about the building is the way the outside was designed. it was like it was designed for all the games we would play.   after school me my brother, sister and all our friends would stay and play cops and robbers.  around the school there where three playgrounds and they were at multiple levels allowing you the ability to hide in one and if you had the guts you could jump to a lower level to avoid the “cops”.  the place was set up perfect for the game complete with a jail or pavilion.   my aunt is the vice principal there now and going back fills me with so many good memories of playing games.

Raymond James  Stadium is my favorite football stadium.   you can see the pirate ship in the photo which is a full-size ship in the middle of the stadium and as a kid, I thought it was the coolest thing ever.   The first football game I ever remember was in this stadium.  I got to watch the Eagles play the Tampa Bay buccaneers when I was eight.  The Bucs were down by 2 with 3 seconds to go and I will never forget  Matt Bryant kicked a 62-yard field goal to win the game.   we would go to one or two games there every year and I still remember the smell of the stadium.  my uncle was the defensive coordinator there when they had one of the best defenses ever.  He had his birthday party at the stadium last weekend and the Bucs surprised everyone by announcing that he would be placed into the ring of honor at the stadium.  I love this place because of all the great memories I have there and now my uncle will have his name on the stadium forever.