Frank Lloyd Wright was a creative genius ahead of his time. His concepts have made him one of the most famous and influential architects of the twentieth century. Working over a large time period (late 1800’s to 1959) and spanning many styles Wright’s ideas have been largely influential in modern American and universal architectural design. His designs are individual, taken from varies cultures and styles reflecting his concerns and making his original style. His unusual house Fallingwater (1936, Pennsylvania) is one of his most famous designs, demonstrating his views and concerns with design and architecture.
The Arts and Crafts Movement, and in particular Gustav Stickley, the leader of the movement in America, influenced Wright. They shared the same views that architecture should be in harmony with the landscape and that buildings should be developed out of their surroundings. Wright expanded Stickley’s view of organic architecture defying the ornate neoclassical style and embraced the use of the machine in his designs to save time. He took the principles of the Arts and Craft Movement and developed them into his prairie houses, trying to create a distinct American style of architecture. The prairie style house consists of horizontal lines to blend with the flat landscape, little ornament, asymmetrical plans, use of natural materials and aim at unifying architecture with nature. The Prairie style house was more upper class, as it was more expensive to build, than the bungalow style house of the time that were designed for the changing American middle class culture in the twentieth century. The prairie style can be seen in probably Wrights most famous prairie style house, Robie House (1909, Chicago). with its flat low-pitched roofs and overhanging eaves.
 |
| Robie House (1909), Frank Lloyd Wright, Chicago (Brick and Steel) |
Wright was influenced from an early age by his parents. His parents promoted being a free thinker, an individualist and to be creative, which shaped his ideas on design. While working under Louis Sullivan, between 1888 and 1893, he adopted Sullivan’s ideas on form following function and took it further developing his own theory of form and function as one, basing his architecture on American function and not European tradition like his contemporary architects seemed to base their designs. Wright took varies design aspects from different cultures such as Japanese architecture being clean and using geometric lines, to produce his own innovative and modern style which has had a considerable impact on architectural design and the way we live.
Wright claims that the environment should be the basis of American architecture, integrating organic shapes and materials. He also believed buildings influenced the people in them. “The architect is a molder of men, whether or not he consciously assumes the responsibility” (1). He used little ornament in his designs, unlike the movements around him, such as neoclassicism and the Victorian style, as decoration to him was commercial, dishonest and irresponsible. Wright created new, original forms designed for mass production, embracing the machine and meeting the needs of a growing market.
Wrights architectural design, Fallingwater demonstrates his views on nature and the machine in design. Fallingwater was built for Edgar Kaufmann to accommodate the natural landscape around it, built on a waterfall with a creek flowing through the structure. As Wright said to his client before he built Fallingwater “You love this waterfall, don’t you? Then why build your house miles away, so you will have to walk to it? Why not live intimately with it, where you can see and hear it and feel it with you all the time?”(2) The use of natural materials (quarried sandstone and reinforced concrete), skylights and walls of large glass windows of Fallingwater connect it to the outside environment, embracing nature. Wright acknowledged the forest around, embracing tree trunks through cuts in the balcony. The colour of Fallingwater even harmonises with nature and its surroundings.
 |
| Fallingwater (1936) Frank Lloyd Wright, Pennsylvania (Reinforced concrete and sandstone) |
 |
| Fallingwater (1936) ,Frank Lloyd Wright, Pennsylvania |
Wright combined his prairie style houses with concrete blockhouses to create a new modern look, intergrading organic forms into geometric forms. His designs expand outward. The floors and ceilings open outwards horizontally with no attic or basement. Whereas “Le Corbusier’s building is a box, a cube, everything contained, Wright’s is an explosion of form into space.”(3) As seen in Fallingwater, balconies, ceilings and rooms are all horizontally expanding outward into environment complimenting the wide-open living rooms. Large living rooms like Wrights designs were new and different to other architectural designs of the time period, making Wright a pioneer in open style houses which are seen still in house designs of today.
Wright created a new style of architecture away from tradition, changing society into a modern culture. His designs were different from his contemporaries who looked at European design. Wrights designs where concerned with the idea of a home. Using warm, natural materials such as wood and stone. Wright had an impact on his contemporaries and is seen as the Father of modern American architecture. Designers connected with the International Style, who include German architect Walter Gropius and French architects Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, used aspects of Wrights designs such as, smooth flat surfaces, box like dimensions and metal framed flush windows which reflect the use of machines and technology. Being one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century Wright contributed to sixty years of architectural design over many movements. Architects since Wright have looked back at his style and used aspects in their designs. Even houses today use features begun by Wright.
Fallingwater was different to most houses being built at the time and therefore the general public took a while to become accustomed to the new type of design. Some looked at it as unpleasant and shocking, however professionals and the general public alike who were willing to embrace new design loved it. Today Fallingwater is seen as a remarkable, significant and wonderful masterpiece in architecture history. Architecture critic Paul Goldberger wrote about Fallingwater in 1986 saying “This is a house that summed up the twentieth century and then thrust it forward still further… Fallingwater is Wright’s greatest essay in horizontal space; it is his most powerful piece of structural drama; it is his most sublime integration of man and nature.”(4)
Frank Lloyd Wright’s ideas and designs were advanced for his time period, however, he has had a significant impact on the history of architecture in America and universally, making him one of the most well known and influential architects of all time. Embracing the machine and mass-produced design, Wright helped push modern design further creating a new, remarkable way of living.
RESULTS
No comments:
Post a Comment