According to SEAOSC Board member Maria Mohammed of Structural Focus: "The historic building and the contemporary addition show how old and new can come together to create something great."

From Affiliate Member Glen Granholm: "While this building, built in the sixth century, is world famous; one feature that makes this structure particularly interesting is how earthquake resilient it is. It has withstood dozens of large earthquakes -- temblors that have destroyed much of the rest of Istanbul over the millennia. It's dome shape with unique, seemingly self-curing mortar that restores itself after earthquakes makes the building, 'the Eye of Sophia,' a wonder to behold."

From SEAOSC's current Treasurer, Craig Chamberlain, "I love the history of Los Angeles you feel the minute you walk into this building. And the structure is expressed in a meaningful and powerful way." (For more on the secrets of Los Angeles Union Station, see this Getty article from 2014).

From Young Members Committee co-chair Jessica Chen, who writes "It's the NFL's largest stadium with translucent roof, seating bowl and concourse, reflecting SoCal's indoor-outdoor lifestyle. It has conquered design challenges including FAA’s height restrictions and being close to the Newport-Inglewood earthquake fault. I am also personally biased for having worked on it."

"The Wiltern is one of my favorite buildings in LA (technically the Pellissier Building and Wiltern Theatre). I absolutely love its beautiful turquoise glazed terra cotta tiles! Because of its location at the corner of Wilshire and Western, the Art Deco style and height catch the eye and really create a sense of place. The building is beautiful inside and out, and the acoustics are amazing! It's one of my favorite music venues in LA, and I've seen some great performances there, one of the best being M.I.A. and the Cool Kids back in 2007. I was still new to LA and between the music, the quality of the acoustics, and the beautiful venue, it made for an incredibly memorable experience." - Patti Harburg-Petrich, BuroHappold and SEOASC President-Elect 2021-22

"Having visited La Sagrada Familia myself and climbed to the top of one of the eight towers, I have never been more impressed by the beauty of this building and its myriad of geometric shapes purposefully used to support the heavy stone construction. The building dramatically towers above the city of Barcelona with breathtaking views from the top, only after one climbs a very precarious spiral staircase. The attention to detail in this building is unmatched. And it’s also a great story that the building is still under construction 139 years after breaking ground because Gaudi’s client “was not in a hurry”, as he said." - Dan Fox, MHP and SEAOSC 2021-22 Board member

"I nominate my favorite building, Hearst Castle, as structure of the week.  There are too many reasons to list why, but here are a few: 1) its location, on top of a mountain overlooking the beautiful central coast which posed many interesting construction challenges, 2) the 28-year relationship and collaboration that took place between William Randolph Hearst and Architect Julia Morgan to get it “just right” 3) the fact that Hearst didn’t start the project until he was 56 (!) and Morgan was 47 and 4) the extravagance and persistence of it all, where what was envisioned and seemed impossible became a reality for all of us to enjoy, and be inspired by, for many years to come." -Susan Dowty, ICC & 2021-22 SEAOSC Boardmember