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| Cathedral of Christ of Light |
The Cathedral of Christ the Light is also called the Oakland Cathedral and is the cathedral in Oakland California of the Roman Catholic Diocese. It was the first cathedral built in the 21st century, and replaced the irreparably damaged Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales and is the seat of the Bishop of Oakland. Christ the Light is designed by architect Craig W. Hartmann, FAIA of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. What I like most about this building is how he uses a mixture of curves and straight lines in the shapes that the windows form. The shape is a vesica piscis (which translated mean fish bladder). This design incorporates many of the innovative ideas of Ludwig Mies van de Rohe, who was known for his work with steel and glass. Not only is the building created with style with crossing lines and directions of steel, but it also is built against earthquakes. The shape is formed by the intersection of two circles and the walls, which are rising up from the vault, at composed of overlapping panels of wood and glass. Many have been criticised it on it's huge difference from main cathedrals, no one can dispute it's architectural genius and how cleverly it has been made energy self-sufficient.
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| California Academy of Science |
The academy conducts research in 11 different fields, including anthropology, marine biology, botany, entomology, herpetology, ichthyology, invertebrate zoology, mammalogy, and ornithology. This building has been argued to be the most environmentally friendly and self-sufficience colleges, and has many features that were implemented by Renzo Piano that earned the building the Holcim Silver award for self sustainability.
- Produces 50 percent less waste water than previously
- Recycles rainwater for irrigation
- Uses 60,000 photovoltaic cells
- Supports a green roof with an area of 2.5 acres (1.0 hectare)
- Uses natural lighting in 90 percent of occupied spaces
- Was constructed of over 20,000 cubic yards (15,000 m3) of recycled concrete
- Construction includes 11 million pounds (5,000 t) of recycled steel
- Wall insulation made from scraps of recycled denim
The academy was built around the environment, and uses three domes to interrupt the rectangular shape. In my opinion, they should have man a courtyard and extended a glass side through the fountain that is in the middle. This would have created a more enclosed space, and they could have used a low ride wall to create distinction. On the side that is extended I think that there should have been a tunnel that goes through it, and if a hill had been there it would have been convenient for a tunnel that goes through the ground to continue the road. On the web, it says that the domes containing plants and animals use water that is recycled from the main building.
They use curved walkways and the intrusion of plants to make the inside seem connected to the outside and not just a building. In my opinion, when using plants in a building one must use very little or a lot, because an amount that is in the middle would seem sparse and look decorative instead of a part of the building. the use of plants and shrubbery underneath the walkways, they seem to float as the supports blend in with the trees all around. Use of plants wise, this is my favorite architectural design.
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| Wat Pa Maha Chedio Kaew Temple |
This Temple in Thailand is made of 1.5 million old glass bottles and was made in 1984. Every inch is made out of these recycled beer bottles, and the pond out front is the recycled water of the temple. This temple uses bottle caps and other materials for their decorations. Not only does this idea save materials and use materials that aren't needed like caps, it also displays to the visitors clearly what the temple is made of. They also use the direction that the temple is facing to create an easy pathway for natural light to filter throughout the entire complex. This is definitely the most interesting building when it comes to recycled materials.
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| Design made from Bottle Caps |
Sources: Wikipedia on California Academy of Science/Cathedral Christ of Light
