Finally, I present what may be my favorite of the structures that I have listed thus far: Miho Museum in the city of Shigaraki in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. This museum was completed and opened in 1997 and is home to the private collection of antiques and art from the world over, all of which are owned by Mihoko Koyama (小山美秀子).

This design illustrates the balance possible between man and nature, which happens to also be one of the main ideas behind Shumei, the religious organization founded by Mihoko Koyama, that calls this serene palace its home. In that same spirit, according to the museum’s website, 80% of the structure is underground so as to preserve the presence of nature on the museum grounds.

– an aside –

If any of you are curious, I suggest looking into Shinji Shumeikai, the religion I mentioned earlier. It’s an interesting one. One of their main beliefs is that by constructing elegant works of architecture in remote areas, they restore the balance of Earth. This is based on my minimal research, but still a cool concept.

BOK Park Plaza will provide unrivaled luxury Class-A office space for the critical business sector of the city as the first ambitious office building in Oklahoma City in 30 years. The shape of the tower responds to and represents the distinctive architecture of the neighboring Devon Energy Center and Devon Auditorium (both designed by Pickard Chilton) and maximizes site views.

Miami Worldcenter is currently under construction as a massive mixed-use project in central Miami, consisting of 30 contiguous acres spanning ten city blocks. Renowned as America’s second-largest urban real estate development and the largest building venture in Florida’s history, it is anticipated that the plan will include high street shopping, Class-A offices and conference facilities as well as a multi-family space.

The Petronas Towers located in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia. In 1996, the twin 88-story Petronas Headquarters Towers are recognized as the world’s highest buildings and have become the international icon for Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia since. Kuala Lumpur City Centre, a forty-hectare development in the heart of the commercial district of the city, focuses on the buildings. The two buildings, connected by a skybridge at the midpoint, create a monumental urban garden.

The last exemple of Vo Trong Nghia architects is a residential building called ” The Breathing House”. The Breathing house was built for a single family in Ho Chi Minh City and is accessible via a 10 foot wide alleyway. It was built in a very high density area of the city and provides privacy as well as a viable example of the tropical environment in Vietnam. The entire facade of this building is draped in a “green veil” which is made of what he calls ” creeper plants” attached to a steel frame. The plants act as a soft layer to the building that filters heat and sunlight and quite literally breathes and  provides clean air. The structure also provides the tenants with natural sunlight that is diffused as it travels inside and the thick vegetation outside also prevents the residents from ” urban crime”. The roof of the building is also covered by the flora cover and the entire building is somewhat symbolic because it is literally a breath of fresh air in an otherwise urbanized, industrial city.

The Uber Sky Tower, which is soon to be in the center of Los Angeles, California is something our world never saw coming. With over 1,000 Uber aircrafts landing and departing every hour, our would is about to change whether we want it to or not. With this tower, travel is going to become more efficient and the world will become a more environmentally friendly place to live.

Another building that I find superbly fascinating is that of a proposed project in “tropical double skin” that Vo has suggested building in Ho Chi Minh City. In the name of environmental sustainability, Vo proposed the construction of a building that more or less resembled the tropical climate of Vietnam and in doing so, would act as a climate moderator and help to disrupt the noise from the streets of Ho chi Minh City. The facade of this building would  consist of specific units that were 400 cubic millimeters each and made up of six steel rings that would support plants and bamboo and act as a  break from the bustling, urban society meters away. I found this information of Archdaily. com.

Designed in 1961 by I.M. Pei as his first non-urban architectural project, the Mesa Laboratory is the primary laboratory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Located near the Flatirons hills on the Table Mesa, this complex features efforts of naturalistic integration while maintaining the modernist style for which Pei is well-acquainted.

The color and geometry used in these buildings are meant to complement those of the surrounding landscape. I.M. Pei took inspiration for the large, covered openings at the top of most of the towers in Mesa Laboratory from the cliff dwellings of the Anasazi people of Mesa Verde. Pei also attempted to increase interaction amongst scientists and researchers by intentionally creating a maze-like complex of buildings and corridors. Additional buildings, also designed by Pei, were later added to account for increased volume, such as the Fleischmann Building that is now used for administrative purposes.

My assigned architect for these last four blogs is  Vo Trong Nghia and In Vo Trong Nghia Architects. A little background information on Vo Trong Nghia is critical in understanding who he is and the culture he uses to embody his buildings. Vo was born in 1976 in a north central Vietnamese province called Quảng Bình. This young architect went to the Nagoya Institute of Technology and later the the University of Tokyo where he received his Masters in Architecture. In 2006, Vo then established Vo Trong Nghia Architects and in 2012, was awarded Vietnamese Architect of the Year by AUSHI. Vo is most known for his use of bamboo architecture and utilizing very inexpensive material to construct environmentally sustainable buildings. At first, I had trouble accessing his home website due to the fact that its based in Vietnam and their server isn’t exactly user friendly for US based internet. One of his works that initially caught my eye was that of the Vinata Bamboo pavilion. This structure uses a unique sort of approach in providing shade and comfort in a luxurious manner. Placed poolside and comprised entirely out of bamboo, this structure is low-cost, vogue, and the epitome of environmental sustainability. Its Support comes from the light, yet sturdy bamboo cross patterned arches and provides a reprive from the otherwise industrial skyscrapers seen in the distance. This Pavillion is one of a kind and is magnificent to say the least.