The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science began as a junior museum of Miami in 1949. Since its inception, the museum has undergone many different renovations to accommodate for their numerous expansions. With help from the Grimshaw Architect firm, The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum was designed to bring together an aquarium, planetarium, and science museum all in a single complex in downtown Miami, Florida’s Museum Park. The complex is comprised of four different buildings, each specifically and dynamically designed to take advantage of wind, rain, and sunlight to produce or mitigate the energy needs of the complex. The prevailing winds from the south west are used to cool the building, with use of wind foils and open atriums. Fitted on the roof of the complex are solar panels that are used to fill a portion of the energy demands of the facility.  Due to these sustainable and efficient design features the Museum was awarded LEED-certification, and opened with critical acclaim in May 2017. 

Architect: Rick Joy

Building: Le Cabanon

This like most of his buildings is another house that is located in a very scenic location. This is one of his newer buildings that was completed in 2016. It is located in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It has a block and box kind of style that go along with many of his other buildings. Many of his houses like this one are simple but elegant. He lets the surrounding environment help showcase the house.

The Diamond Lotus residential houses 720 families with 3 condominium complexes under the same roof.  Located only 3.5 km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, this project is noted as the first green landmark. The building provides poolside, city and lake views and is only 3 km from the Fine Arts Museum.

Prior to rapid urbanization in Vietnam, houses were one with nature. The Binh house is an attempt to combine modern living with nature’s beauty coexisting.  They call this style the “house for trees” because of the greenery throughout the architecture.  These homes utilize sustainable materials such as stone, wood and exposed concrete to reduce environmental impact, as well as its operational and maintenance costs. (dezeen.com)

Green City Hall

Bac Ninh province is transitioning into an industrial zone in northern Vietnam. The government of Bac Ninh is trying to remove its ecological footprint. This project is to be the center of the city and a place where greenery and culture intermingle.

Bamboo Ceremony Dome in Son La

Located in Son La City, Vietnam, these domes are surrounded by high mountains and dense vegetation near the city center. The domes are the symbol of the city. There are 3 different sizes of domes amongst the concourse. The largest dome with a height of (15.6 meters) is a restaurant. The other sizes of domes are used as a foyer, lounge seating, and ceremonial welcoming areas. They stand at 12.5 and 10.5 meters tall.

The De Young Museum was founded in 1895 by American journalist Michael H. de Young and has been inside the iconic building since 2005. Herzog & de Meuron designed a horizontal building with a clad perforated copper exterior. The renowned panoramic roof is a perfect gathering place for visitors of the museum to get an extraordinary view of the Japenese Garden of Golden Gate Park.  Lastly, The Tower, which has been regarded as the most iconic architectural feature of the building, is a vertical structure that is home to functional spaces and an observation deck.

Architect: Rick Joy

Building: Tuscan Mountain House

Unlike my last two blogs, this building was not a large team that worked on it. This building only had Rick and one other partner in its creation. The building was completed in 2001 and secluded into wilderness like many of his other buildings. Joy’s seems to appreciate natures beauty and his buildings reflect that. It is very open and so the mountains can be seen easily.

Bharat Bhavan is an autonomous open- air muli purpose arts complex and museum. The complex was built in 1982. The Famous architect Charles Correa who built this, used mostly concrete in the structure. The architecture himself favored using concrete and refrained from using glass or steel. The open- air courtyard is a unique place to be because it relates back to the deep roots of the Indian Culture.  The art center is located in Bhopal, India. I find this style of architecture to be very relaxing and peaceful. Imagining myself sitting in this courtyard, I think I would feel very connected to the spiritual world. I think that this style of Architecture was built to last and since the style is deeply rooted in the Indian culture, I don’t think this courtyard will be torn down or moved anytime soon. I find the concept and style of this architecture to be fascinating.

Eclipsed Time is a piece of Maya Lins architecture art in the Penn Station in New York. This was to symbol the solar and lunar phases through out the year. She built this piece she said ” to help commutes maybe to slow down and not been in such a rush.” The shadow cast form from this piece of architecture was supposed to complete its cycle every 24 hours. It has been removed and placed in storage because of it getting grimy and fogging over. It as lost its touch in the modern age. It will be preserved for the artist or anyone that wants to possibly purchase this piece of art.