Chicago, Illinois’ Aqua Tower is often regarded as architect Jeanne Gang’s crowning achievement. The architect, Gang, designed the 82 story Aqua Tower to create a community on the facade of the structure.

The design of the Aqua Tower utilizes outdoor terraces where residents and guests may interact and view the expansive Chicago sight lines.

The staggering of outdoor terraces along the facade of the tower encourages social connections among neighbors on other floors as well.

The goal of creating a means for building community through outdoor space also created the visual appearance in which the Aqua Tower is renowned for. Likewise, the design incorporates organic elements like other Jeanne Gang projects as the facade looks similar to organic topography such as hills, valleys, and pools of water.

This building is a medical research center in Lisbon, Portugal and is was constructed in 2010. This facility is comprised of two buildings the first having research labs and treatment rooms and the second having an auditorium and exhibition area. The design of this building is very interesting it has curved walls and rounded edges all over and a very open design with large windows, glass walls, and a outdoor amphitheater. When thinking of the design for this center Charles wanted something more from it the sole purpose of this facility is to treat people and he wanted to help with that while also having a beautiful design. Inside are small walk ways filled with flowers and trees with a open ceiling and another would be the view of the ocean outside and this is good for the building because those who could be recovering can feel relaxed here still being able to be with nature without feeling trapped.

Located in Moscow, Russia, this Adjaye project is certainly one of the unique pieces of architecture I’ve ever seen. Covered in glass, natural light is abundant and nature surrounds this 4-piece building.

This art center is located in Jaipur, India and was constructed in 1986 and is dedicated to Nehru India’s first prime minister. This building was actually inspired by two people the first being Maharaja Jai Singh who built the city of Jaipur and had two conflicting ideas for the image of the city the ancient Navgraha (the mandala of the nine plantes) and the newest myths if science and progress. The second person is Jawaharlal Nehru India’s first prime minister and when he came to that position after independence he wanted to rediscover India’s past while also moving forward to the future. With those in mind the building design was inspired by the notion of the cosmos and how the city of Jaipur was designed played a part in creating this building.

The Rescue Company 2 is  a Fire House in Brooklyn, new York designed by architect Jeanne Gang and constructed in 2019. This structure is being highlighted as it reveals a portion of Jeanne Gang’s designing process.

In Brooklyn, the first-responders are trained in various emergency scenarios such as fires, building collapses, and water rescues. Many of these scenarios involve voids; thus, a void was designed as the center of Rescue Company 2. The large interior void extends from the ground floor to the roof level and allows the team to train in scenarios which mimic conditions within the city.

In addition to providing access to accurate training scenarios, the buildings design also improves quality of everyday life as it allows the access of natural light and fresh air into the living quarters.

All in all, the Rescue Company 2 building is another Jeanne Gang project which involves a multi-use structure which far exceeds its intended purpose.

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This architect has a way of mixing modernity and rustic together to create a blending environment which truly promotes serenity and peace. The atmosphere of this apartment allows the mixture of nature and modern development. Normally when you live in an apartment your taste of nature is limited because you only rent a unit and that unit does not come with its own back yard like a house would. However, this apartment creates a part where you can enjoy a part of nature in your own apartment. A mini garden and implemented plants, as well as a wooded porch gives it a sense of being outside and having their own little garden in their own place. Regardless of the size of the porch, this mini garden is still possible. This is definitely what I wish to see in any future apartment that I may live in because I like being able to enjoy nature from the comfort of my own home.

This beautiful library is located in Washington D.C. Built in 2012, its architecture relies on natural lite and views of nature to create a vibrant atmosphere inside while customers look for books.

Located in Harlem, New York, this piece of David Adjaye tells a story in its architecture. It flares up the cities architecture and attempts to bring people closer by using affordable housing.

This is the tube house designed by Charles Correa and located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat India and made in 1961-1962. Even thought the Gujarat Housing Board specified walk-up apartments Charles designed a low cost house that provided the same density and large living space for families and won first prize. The even though the design of this house is simplistic it has a lot that goes into it having natural ventilation having the hot air rise and exit the house through the roof and still being spacious enough for large families. Even though this house has almost no doors the privacy for this house is created by the different levels.

Barns Somerset

This barn brings together the aspect of a barn very well by mixing wood and stone throughout the structure. It also has a sense of modernity from the big windows that run along a path; windows that go from top to bottom. This allows natural light to come in, allowing the barn to run from natural sources just how you would imagine a barn to do. This structure brings together everything you would think a barn should have by allowing it to have rustic feeling yet mixing modern techniques to allow better access to Eco-friendly sources. This place makes me feel that a connection between the past and present can still be made without hindering the idea of a rustic vibe of a barn. A barn should not be overrun by modernity or else it loses its value. However, this building was able to mix both of them without overwhelming the modernity into the rustic. The architect was still able to maintain the integrity of a barn and added more to create less. This is definite how the modernization of a barn should look like.