Buildings, some brilliant, some sad. By Thiefaine MERCIER & Cindy HONG

The globe of my city

Sad grey building

The first photo was taken in the afternoon of the 14th of September after class. It was sunny and a little wind made the trees dance and the leaves fall. I was quite happy to be out, because the week had been awful. I raised my head, and was blinded by the sunshine reflected on this enormous building in front of me. The IFMA is a mechanical engineering school founded in 1991 in Aubière. The shiny globe is surrounded by the several parts of the school, which is in the middle of many houses and green space. “This is my town!” I thought, proudly. This building expresses confidence; it is a good example of modern architecture. I added a filter effect to show up the light, and the reflection of my city that we can see on some parts of the globe. I entitled it The globe of my city, because, in Aubière, we all consider that the IFMA is the most attractive part of the town. The globe, which refers to Earth, makes us think of the beauty of our planet and the joy of being alive, but also about the progress of technology. Technology has been the cause of lots of pollution, but is now the means by which we will protect our environment. We are all proud of this building.

The second photo I took on the same afternoon. I see this building in Anatole France Street every day and I often ask myself why it is there. It's modern, but it's also very sad! It is surrounded by less ugly buildings, so it really stands out like a sore thumb. These apartments are not attractive. I feel sorry for the people who have to live in them. Though modern, it is just a grey and unlovely block of flats. I call this photo simply Sad grey building because that is what it is! It is a very ordinary and ugly building. To accentuate this I used a black and white filter which reflects the atmosphere of the place. 

The urban environment should be fun and exciting. Luckily, some buildings have a story to tell and their architecture shows faith in the future!