This is a building created by Frank Lloyd Wright called Child of the Sun. This building was made in 1958 in Florida. I wanted to include this building because it was actually something he made for a university of Florida Southern College and I thought that would be something relatable to all of us as students. He created this in mind of it being the “college of tomorrow”. He worked on this building for almost two decades and I think it shows. This building seems very intricate and has many interesting design elements. I do however think some of the color choices and design elements are a bit outdated for the times now it is still a beautiful building and you can see the work that had gone into it.

This next building made by Frank Lloyd Wright is the Congregation Beth Sholom. This building was made in 1954 in Pennsylvania. This was the only religious building he designed and the elements he put in it I found very interesting. The pyramid-like walls are actually made of fiberglass and plastic which actually allow light to come through. It is said that during sunsets those walls actually create an orange glow in the building and during the day you can see the shadows of birds flying nearby. I think this would have created an amazing environment for those inside as well as creating an interesting space outside. Supposedly the outer tent shape of the outside is also a reference to Mr. Wright’s metaphorical take on religion.

David Heald © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York.

The next building I will be talking about is the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. This building was made in 1959 in New York, New York. I thought this building was interesting because it seemed very different from the other things he had been producing and what Mr. Wright was known for. His architecture style seemed very angular and rectangular with not many organic styles but headed in a more modern direction. Although this still has the very crisp clean lines that have that idea this building is much more rounded than his other works. You can still see his design of layers that create the building as a whole, but I just thought this one was very different for him.

For my first blog of this section, I am going to be speaking of Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings and designs. This first blog is about the marvel that is Fallingwater. This building was made in 1939 which is amazing to me considering how modern it seems. I think looking at his work you can tell that Mr. Wright created buildings that paved the way for the aesthetics of modern architecture today. With this building specifically I think the layers and rectangular nature really make this building almost look like one giant cobblestone piece all together. Also the way that it is intertwined into the waterfall is very interesting to me.

This is a photo of the BOK Center in Downtown Tulsa. I think that this building is pretty unique. I do however believe that this building is almost a modern take on the Colosseum. This is an arena and has circular seating facing the center where people can watch people perform or play sports. I think the circular design shows that influence, and the full glass side is like the modern take of the windows on the Colosseum. The aspects that create that modern feel are not only that side window but also the smooth metal outer wall as well as even the asymmetrical design of the whole building. I think this building was a pretty neat addition to Tulsa.

This is a photo of the Boathouse at The Gathering Place in Tulsa.  I went there recently and was surprised by the amount of infrastructure that was put up there in such a short amount of time. I think the buildings they have put in place are very interesting and are definitely made to look unique. I think they have a very modern take and the buildings themselves are artistic in nature. If you look at the roof of the boathouse in this picture you can see a little bit of the artistic design that went into it. On this same building on the opposite side, it also seemed as though this building was made almost like a fish scale pattern out of sheet metal, and I think the exploration of all those different textures was very intriguing.

This is a photo of the Fine Arts Center at OU. I have spent the past 3 years in this building so I have a lot of positive and negative feelings about it. To start with the negative sides of this, I think this building is quite bland. The building is basically a giant box and the most interesting side of it is the front which is shown in the picture. Also, the only windows in this entire building are only in the front entrance which is not enough to create natural light anywhere near the classrooms and I think sets a really dark and depressing tone for the students inside. Lastly, there are tiny letters that say “fine arts center” however they are all hidden by bushes because it is too close to the ground. Now with the positive things, I think the entrance you walk into is actually quite lovely. The front wall is a giant window that is about 3 stories tall and makes for a very open and bright front room. The landscaping in the front is also pretty and there is a fountain in the front that is water flowing over a sphere and I always thought it was interesting. All in all I have very mixed feelings about this building.

This is a photo of the Canal Walk Shopping Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. I have gone there a few years ago and this was a building that I found very interesting. This is one of the biggest shopping malls in the country and has some of the most expensive world wide brands and has a very beautiful view next to the water. Although I think the building has very pretty aspects, I do think that this building is confused on what style it wants to be. I can see very many influences but I can’t seem to find one definite path. There are arched windows with squared off windows and different styles of trim and domes mixed with squared off pillars. Although these styles do look beautiful independently I do think the designer of this building did not have a clear idea of what style they wanted to go with.