Travel: World War II Memorial: Washington D.C.

The United States National World War II Memorial is a memorial dedicated to the Americans who served in the armed forces during WWII. It is constructed on the National Mall between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

The sighting of this building, as well as all of the other memorials in Washington D.C. are staged very well in relation to one another. The procession between the spaces and the other memorials is truly breathtaking and provides a place for people to reflect inwards.

The design of the memorial drew 400 submissions from architects and designers around the United States. Friedrich St. Florian's design was selected in 1997, yet was altered during the review and approval processes for memorials in Washington D.C..

The Freedom Wall is on the West side of the memorial that has 4,048 gold stars each representing 100 Americans that died in the war.

I was really happy to finally be able to see this memorial because my grandfather fought in the war. I am very grateful that a memorial was finally erected to commemorate the solders of the war. This was is very powerful memorial that I think very very successful despite the critiques that the memorial is too blocky and monumental. I think that the space is at a human scale that is relatable to the individual.

Travel: Washington, D.C.

The St. Regis Hotel in Washington D.C. was built in 1926 and is just two blocks away from The White House. The ceiling of the lobby was very ornate and detailed. Harry Wardman was an English Architect who was the son of textile workers. At age 17 he came to the United States, and after several years of living in the United States, he began working as a carpenter which helped him design row homes, and hotels with very high quality construction detailing and materials.

The White House was built between 1792 and 1800. John Adams was the first president to move into the White House. The White House was designed in a competition which had 9 proposals. The design was inspired by Georgian era Irish country houses in plan and interior details. Inspirations also are derived from neo-classical chateaus. Since the original construction of the building, it has went under many renovations with each new president.

The buildings of Washington D.C. are very conservative and designed in the romanesque, classical style. These buildings really inspire me to focus on the details of tectonics and the layering effect of spaces and materials. The deep inset windows of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building creates a very strong contrast of shadowing effects.