One of the coolest building I found, and the only one that I had seen in person, was the Opera Nouvel. At the time I visited I obviously had no idea who Nouvel was, and I did not even know it was named after him. While browsing through his work I found it and recognized it from my childhood trip to France. The Opera house is a blend of present and 1800’s architecture. This was a renovation, so some of the original Opera house design stayed, but Nouvel added his own flair. The renovation doubled the building’s height with a steel and glass vault. The top of the building is what really separates it from other designs in the area.