In 2017, I visited Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California. Palomar Observatory is home to the 200 inch Hale Telescope, and a few others which are still used for research purposes by the California Institute of Technology (CalTech). The buildings all have a similar appearance. If I remember correctly, this was an intentional design of the architect. Inside the Palomar Observatory, the telescope in the middle was the focal point, but there were a number of exhibits around the inside of the spacious room. Outside, there are paths around the grounds, some of them beautifully landscaped for visitors.

In a separate building, a small museum and a gift shop was housed. In the museum area, there were videos and displays about the telescopes and space phenomena. I spent the most time there. The exhibits were fascinating. It was a reminder that our Earth is but a tiny speck in the Solar System, and an infinitesimally tiny bit in the Universe.

I had some tea in the Lan Su Chinese Garden in downtown Portland, Oregon. I looked for some history on this particular tea house, and couldn’t find specifics regarding it’s exact history. The building was very detailed. When I visited in 2015, they held tours and tea ceremonies given by tea masters. I ordered a tea and a mooncake. Although I am not a connoisseur of tea and I probably couldn’t do justice to the more delicate flavors, both were delicious. The windows to the structure were open, overlooking the lake. The morning breeze was filled with the fragrant blooms. It was a great way to start the day.

In 2015, I took a trip to Oregon, and visited the Timberline Lodge, located on the south side of Mt. Hood. Before visiting, I had read a little bit about the history of the Lodge, and of course had seen The Shining by Stanley Kubrick, based on a Stephen King novel. I didn’t have much time, and didn’t know what to expect when visiting. When I visited the Lodge, it was spring, and there was still plenty of snow on the mountain (I thought). After talking to some of the locals there, I found that the snow for that year was rather sparse compared to normal.

Inside, the building was rather spacious and comfortable. The interiors had huge stone fireplaces and whole wood logs were construction elements. Thankfully, a lot of the Lodge was open to visitors and had displays and explanations of many of the objects. Construction of the Lodge occurred during the Great Depression, and it opened in 1938. I felt warm and comfortable while drinking a coffee and looking out the windows. I think that if one was staying there for some nights, it would be a rather welcoming place to end a long active day of slopes and hiking.

This is a building in the Portland Japanese Garden, located in Portland, Oregon. I don’t remember the exact name of the building. This visit was during a time in life where things were not smooth as I’d prefer. What struck me the most was the orderliness of the whole garden, and this building. Everything seemed so thoughtfully placed. I felt relaxed while meandering through the building and rest of the gardens.

Earlier this year (2021), Jean Nouvel won an international design competition to build an opera house in Shenzen, China.  The proposal was named, “The Light Of The Sea”.  The Shenzen government held the competition for a “world-class palace of art” to be the most important of a project that will include 9 other cultural landmarks.   The new Shenzhen Opera House will cover 220,000 square meters and include an opera hall, concert hall, operetta hall,  a multi-function theater, and other spaces for it’s functionality.  Nouvel commented, “Architecture is already a song. Architecture is an interpretation. Of a song that evokes the poetry of a place, a song that pervades that place, an echo.”

Inside of the main foyer in the proposed structure, a nacreous material will simulate the bright lustrous effects of mother-of-pearl.  Externally, the new Opera House appears to be be inspired by the waves of the sea.   Nouvel commented on his design, “At Shenzhen, then, inside as well as out, the twin image of mother-of-pearl shell and wave will open on to the ever changing light of the sea.”

The Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, France, was completed in 1987.  (English:  Arab World Institute or AWI.)   The AWI was designed by a collaboration of  Jean Nouvel and the Architecture-Studio.   It was a non-religious building to honor the relationship between Arab culture and France.  (The Great Mosque of Paris was completed in 1926.)  The AWI houses permanent collections and temporary exhibits of Arab art and culture, a restaurant, library, and an auditorium. There are 240 of these aperture tiles on the building.  If you look closely at the first picture, there are 10 tiles high and 24 tiles in length.  The apertures are motor controlled, and operate throughout the day to increase and decrease light in the building.  They also help to regulate the temperature inside the building.   The structure rises up to 11 stories high.  On top, there are terraces on which one can dine and enjoy the views over the Seine River.

At first glance, it appears to be just another brown building on the docks in Le Havre, France.  However, Jean Nouvel, who won a Pritzker Architecture Prize, reinvented the concept of a public pool.  When one enters the $29 million Les Bains des Docks aquatic center, it is a world of white surroundings and inviting pools. Jean Nouvel and his team limited reverberation in the aquatic center, to limit the echos that frequently accompany pools. 

Inside, the complex houses 12 pools, which include external pools, heated pools, whirlpool, sauna, an Olympic sized pool, a cafeteria, and more.  Besides the pools, the complex also contains a dry cardio fitness area and a children’s play area.   Les Bains des Docks is open year round, and offers a place to swim in heated pools in the winter. 

Jean Nouvel is a French Architect who took inspiration for the designing of the National Museum of Qatar from a mineral formation called “desert rose”. The rocks tend to develop in arid sandy conditions.   A desert rose is formed from either gypsum or baryte crystals.  The petals are crystals, allowing the rock to appear to bloom.

The museum’s courtyard encircles Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al-Thani’s original palace.  Together, the museum and the restored palace will display a rich cultural history for generations in the future.  The eye-catching waterfront museum cost $434 million.