The CMG headquarters is my favorite Koolhaas building.  It is a 51 story skyscraper with an incredibly unique geometric shape. Locals affectionately refer to it as the “big pants”, which I find hilarious. The building consists of six horizontal and vertical sections in a loop.  It won the 2013 best tall building worldwide award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Construction began in 2004 and was completed in 2012. It is the headquarters of the China Media Group.

The Seattle Central Library is one of Rem Koolhaas’ most well received buildings. After it was completed public usage of the library more than doubled the predicted volume. 2.3 million people visited the library during its firsts year. Critics have had mixed reactions, calling the building confusing, impersonal, cheesily detailed and so on. The Project for Public Spaces also condemned the building saying its lack of street access makes it a false community hub. Koolhaas’ design philosophy for the building was to let the functions of the building dictate how it would look on the outside. This explains the rather unconventional street-facing facade.

De Rotterdam is one of Koolhaas’ most inventive buildings in my opinion. It is a mixed usage skyscraper with very unique features. The tower begins connected for six floors then separates into three different towers. at about 90m above ground the towers separate in different directions. This is to enhance the wind stability of the building as well as provide space for terraces. Koolhaas went with this design choice because he knew most people would view the building from a moving car, the shape he used would cause the towers to merge and separate as one’s view changes. The building’s construction began in 2009 and was completed in 2013. It cost 340 million euros to build.

Rem Koolhaas is a Dutch architect. He practices Urbanism and teachers Architecture and Urban Design at Harvard University. He studied at Cornell and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. He is a co-founder of the magazine Volume Magazine. One of his more famous buildings is the Casa da Música in Porto, Portugal. It was the first building in Portugal dedicated exclusively to music. Construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2005. The main construction material was Jordian marble.

Tarrant County Community College Trinity River Campus – Fort WorthThis building was my first introduction to true modern Architecture. It was built while I was in High School and as soon as it was finished became a frequent destination for my photography. It was designed by Bing Thom a Canadian Architect with buildings in Canada, Hong Kong and the U.S.. Bing Thom created a truly breathtaking venue for the Fort Worth’s Community College that provides its students with a sense of wonderment while they study. The building encourages creative thought to anyone who might walk through it or attend the school. I’ve taken many friends from out of town to this building simply to check it out.

Palace of Versailles – Paris, France
It is difficult to really describe the spectacle that is the Palace of Versailles. It is the most extravagant and over the top building I will ever visit in my life. First you walk through a massive Golden gate to gain access to the palace. From there you go from one beautiful room to the next. Gold inlays, massive murals, marble floors, mesmerizing halls and then to top it all off you see the garden. The Garden could be its own separate attraction, its mind blowing. I would love to go back one day to relive the wonder I felt upon first seeing this fabulous place. Every person should visit Versailles if they have the chance, it truly is a sight to behold. 

Musee  de  l’Armee  (Army  Museum)  Paris,  FranceThe French Army Museum is a wonderful museum packed with historical artifacts dating from the entirety of France’s history. I wish I had been able to spend more than a few hours there, however not everyone in my family is as interested as I am in military history. The Building itself is massive, comprising of seven main departments, showcasing different collections. The building is very serious, possessing a lack of stylistic flourishes that many other French buildings have in abundance.

The Modern Art Museum – Fort Worth, TX 
The Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth has affected me greatly. I grew up in Fort Worth and have visited this museum countless times, whether for the permanent exhibits or the feature exhibitions. I have seen the works of Takashi Murakami, Kehinde Wiley and others here. This museum has brought me so much exposure to art, its value to my life cannot be quantified. In addition, the building itself is a work of art. Tadao Ando is the architect behind the building, his work features a simplistic, concrete style.