INDE 346 Organic Architecture Fanzine

Written

by: Robin Rider, Lana Derby, Molly Sloan

The idea of “organic architecture,” which Frank Lloyd Wright attempted to explain (and reinterpret) throughout his lifetime, is perhaps the most enigmatic concept in all of his work. The core of Wright’s inventiveness, organic architecture was what gave his work its distinctive, superior, and unmistakably American quality. It was also a response to the problems of modernity, technological advancement, and social change.

Numerous perspectives exist today on the characteristics and nature of organic architecture. For some, it is an architecture founded in the principles and shapes of nature; for others, the link between the inside and outside, as well as the use of abstracted plant geometries, are the main points of interest. Some find it in the juxtaposition of raw, natural materials like naked wood and stone with more contemporary ones like concrete. Others find it in Wright’s use of intersecting volumes and contrasts—light and dark, compressing and releasing—to transport a building’s tenant on a trip that appears to be through nature. Wright’s writings and, of course, his creations serve as the foundation for all of these interpretations, making organic architecture simultaneously all of these things.

About Organic Architecture

Explanation of what is Organic Architecture is & how the architecural style came to be.

Falling Water

About Frank Lloyd Wright

Explanation of who Frank Lloyd Wright was, his connection to Rochester, NY and examples of his work.

Other works by Frank Lloyd Wright

Non-architecural works designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Inspired

Steelcase line inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright.

by Frank Lloyd Wright

rganic Architecture

Organic architecture is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world. Frank Lloyd wright introduced the word “organic” into his philosophy of architecture as early as 1908. It was an extension of the teachings of his mentor Louis Sullivan whose slogan “form follows function“ became the mantra of modernist architecture.

alling Water F

Wright’s organic architectural ideas intended to unite people, buildings, and nature so that everyone would benefit from the interaction. Fallingwater was a masterpiece of this approach. Wright was of the opinion that good architecture must not only blend in with its surroundings, mimic its shapes, and make use of its materials, but also foster and draw out the buried characteristics that exist within its surroundings. Accordingly, the rocky terrain of the location gives rise to Fallingwater. Its concrete terraces hover above the waterfalls, highlighting the water but still giving it room to breathe. Their orange color and horizontal shapes bring to mind and emphasize the stones below. The terraces look to float but are in reality cantilevered from the central stone chimney of the building.

Wright thought that a fireplace should be the center of every home, and his designs frequently had one. Wright planned for the building’s circulation to seem compressed when inside and expanded when nearing the outside. As a result, the building’s inner areas are modest and have low ceilings, creating a protected cave in the rocky environment, while the building’s enormous terraces take up nearly half of its space. Natural rocks protrude from the main fireplace, southern light pours in via huge corner windows, and there is constant sound of flowing water. The structure invites nature into all three storeys. An unusual feature provided by Wright’s meticulous attention to detail was a hatch on the first floor that was located over stairs that led straight to the streambed below.

Falling Water was constructed to be intergrated with the cliff adjacent to the waterfall.

Cliff

Falling Water

Waterfall

South Elevation

Guest House

Main House

A guest house is located on the property in addition to the main house.

Stone

Glass

Wood

bout Frank Lloyd Wright

An influential figure in the movements of the 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867–April 9, 1959) was an AmerGican architect, designer, writer, and educator. Wright, who was raised in a rural Wisconsin community, attended the University of Wisconsin to study civil engineering before beginning an apprenticeship with Louis Sullivan at Adler & Sullivan in Chicago and Joseph Lyman Silsbee for a short time. Throughout a 70-year creative span, he created more than 1,000 buildings.

Wright devised the idea of the Usonian dwelling in Broadacre City, which was his vision for American urban planning, and was a pioneer of what became known as the Prairie School movement of architecture. He also created unique and avant-garde buildings for businesses, including hotels, churches, schools, and skyscrapers. These constructions had internal components that Wright created. He was a well-known lecturer in both Europe and the United States and the author of several books and papers. The American Academy of Architects named Wright “the finest American architect of all time” in 1991. Wright created a studio in his Oak Park, Illinois home in 1898 after starting his own prosperous Chicago practice in 1893.

E. Boynton House

The E. E. Boynton House by Frank Lloyd Wright is located at 16 East Blvd. in Rochester, NY and is the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in Rochester. Composed of extrusions, heavy lines, and wood details, the iconic E. E. Boynton House sticks out amongst the average homes surrounding it. It was built in 1908 and underwent major restorations in the early 2000s, which restored it to its original condition. Today, it remains a private residence and is not open to the public like many of Wright’s other houses. The home is a significant landmark in rochester and is an important example of Prairie Style architecture.

Taliesin

In 1911, Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built a house into the side of a hill of his hometown. He titled the home, Taliesin.

Taliesin - a Welsh, gender-neutral name for “radiant/shining brow”

The name symbolized Wright’s intention to create a home that was “of the hill”, not on it. His organic design choices tied the structure into the earth. Located in Spring Green, Wisconsin, this house served as Frank Lloyd Wright’s personal home from 1937 until his death in 1959. But before Wright made this his permanent home, it had burnt down twice. The first fire was set intentionally. In 1914, a waiter set fire to the living quarters before he attacked the 8 people occupying it. As a result, 7 people died.

Immediately following the first fire, Wright declared he would rebuild the third of the house that had been destroyed. The reconstructed living quarters stood for over a decade until an electrical fire started in Wrtight’s bedroom in April 1925. This fire destroyed the living quarters again. Wright rebuilt the section once more and this still stands to this day.

eyer May House M

Built in 1908, the Meyer May House is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This house is said to be “Michigan’s Prairie masterpiece”. In 1985, the company Steelcase, an American furniture manufacturing company, bought the house and it is now open to the public.was designed to allow maximum southern light exposure for the living room with decorative windows and skylights.

rganic Architecture Examples O

Al Wakrah Stadium

Location: Qatar

Architect: Zaha Hadid

Compted: ongoing

Zaha Hadid’s football stadium, built to host the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, has drawn criticism for having a somewhat too organic appearance. Many journalists have noted the stadium’s resemblance to a vagina.

Hadid dismissed the comments, telling Time magazine: ‘It’s really embarrassing that [critics] come up with nonsense like this. What are they saying? Everything with a hole in it is a vagina? That’s ridiculous.” However, some commentators were keen to see what they perceived as a feminist riposte to the many ‘penis-shaped’ towers designed mostly by men.

Kunsthaus Graz

Location: Graz, Austria

Architect: Sir Peter Cook and Colin Fournier

Completed: 2003

The Kunsthaus Graz, or Graz Art Museum, as it is commonly called, is one of the bravest and greatest instances of organic architecture anywhere, and it seems like some sort of huge space slug trying to blend in with the local architecture of Graz, Austria.

The structure is known as “the friendly alien” because of its unique extraterrestrial shape and iridescent blue acrylic panel “skin.” The structure incorporates the façade of an 1847 iron home while also striking a strong form and material contrast with the nearby baroque roofs of its “host city” with its red clay roofing tiles.

The Hive at Nanyang Technological University

Location: Singapore

Architect: Thomas Heatherwick

Completed: 2015

The Learning Hub at Nanyang Technological University, also known as “The Hive”, was built in 2015. Thomas Heatherwick, chose to design this building with 12 towers that resemble parsnips, giving the hub it’s organic shape. Throughout these 12 sections are 56 classrooms and it functions as a mixed-use educational facility.

Wanting to avoid a maze of hallways like your average learning spaces, Heatherwick chose to lay out The Hive so the towers surround an open atrium, allowing 360 degree access. This structure has been labeled one of Singapore’s most Instagrammable

Casa Milà

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Architect: Antoni Gaudi

Completed: 1912

Between 1906 and 1912, the Casa Mila was constructed. Designed by Antoni Gaudi in an organic style, the Casa Mila is one of his most famous works of architecture. The facade is composed of a combination of limestone from Garraf, stone from Vilafranca del Penedès, and limestone from Ulldecona with wrought iron grilles made from scrap iron sheets, bars, and chains on the 32 balconies. This organic structure still stands today in Barcelona, Spain as a popular attraction.

WRIGHT Throughout the Casa Mila there are varying door handles designed for a specific hand position.

WRIGHT Locals refer it Casa Batllo as House of Bones or Casa dels ossos in Spanish. Its skeleton and animal-like look is the reason behind this.

The building’s exterior has a striking resemblance to a sleeping dragon. The arching roof has tiles on it that resemble the scales of a giant dragon.

Casa Batlló

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Architect: Antoni Gaudi

Completed: 1906

Another famous design in Barcelona by Antoni Gaudi is the Casa Batlló. The building’s facade features an array of colors, shapes, and textures made from stone, glass, ceramic work, and iron. The interior of the building is just as impressive with curved walls, colorful mosaics, and skylights resembling turtle shells. These elements give the feeling of being underwater. Casa Batllo was a renovation project completed between 1904 and 1906 for the Batllo family and is now a popular tourist attraction.

ther works by Frank Lloyd Wright

Textiles designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright developed a range of reasonably priced home goods for the general public in 1955. Wright’s architectural vocabulary and Wright’s built works served as inspiration for the fabric designers. These patterns may be found in the sample book

Schumacher’s Taliesin Line of Decorative Fabrics and Wallpapers

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (1955). The book was only produced in 100 copies and was exclusively offered through select dealers. Although the original line was created by F. Schumacher and Co., the distinctive Wright style served as inspiration.

Sample, Design 106, Printed Mohair, 1956

Sample, Design 102, Printed Linen, 1955

Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright

Steelcase Frank Lloyd Wright Collection

Steelcase and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation are joining in a new creative collaboration that ranges from launching reintroductions of iconic pieces to newly authored designs rooted in Frank Lloyd Wright’s principles.

“the ideal of an organic architecture... is a sentient, rational building that would owe its ‘style’ to the integrity with which it was individually fashioned to serve its particular purpose—a ‘thinking’ as well as ’feeling’ process.“

-Frank Lloyd Wright Architectural Record , 1914

The term Organic Architecure relates to the respect for the property of materials and the respect for the harmonious relationship between a structure and the site surrounding it.

The Organic Architecture Movement pushed for Architects to refer to nature to inspire their ideas. Frank Lloyd Wright coined the term organic architecture when he designed his structures to become integrated with their natural surroundings. Other architetcture inspired by the movement were inspired by organic elements to create the buildings structure.

Organic Architecture opened eyes to the relationship between a constructed building and the surrounding site and it is typically very personal, indivudualized and beautiful.