Frank Lloyd Wright was a prominent American architect who lived from 1867 to 1959, designing over 1,000 structures of which 532 were completed. By all accounts, he had an extremely productive career. The American Institute of Architects called him “the greatest American architect of all time.” Wright is best known for his Usonian style of home which he designed with emphasis on values such as sustainability, practicality, and human connection. He also pioneered many architectural concepts which are commonplace today, such as the prairie style of home and the carport. As he was among the first great architects who built not just high-brow estates but also middle-class family homes, many of his design philosophies are easily applied to the average American home. The principles Frank Lloyd Wright followed in his designs laid the foundation for contemporary architecture.
Before Wright, American architecture lacked its own identity, consisting primarily of European building styles. The vast majority of homes were Victorian or Queen Anne style; the closest thing American architecture really had to a discrete identity was a mixture of these two styles. Wright had his own vision for a new, wholly American architectural style. He believed that the nation’s buildings should celebrate the land as well as the people of the United States; our architecture needed to be just as unique as the land in which it was built. He also believed that structures should go hand in hand with the environment, almost blending into one continuous entity. Finally, he also believed that architecture should be sustainable. These are the overarching ideas from which his more specific design style evolved.
In accomplishing his goal of designing structures which celebrated America, Wright followed a number of principles, although his style would tend to vary some depending on what sort of building he was designing (residential, commercial, etc.), and he was also known to break his own rules. Most Wright designs, especially homes, share a core set of underlying design concepts such as open floor plans and clean lines, as well as a connection to nature — through materials as well as through large windows. These are principles which Wright believed were vital to a home.
Wright aimed to foster connections, both person-to-person as well as building-to-land, with many of the design elements he chose. Single-level structure is prevalent in much of Wright’s portfolio, a design choice he made in order to make the landscape and building flow into one another. This type of roof on Wright’s signature single-level home is the grandfather of today’s prairie style; the houses are wide and flat, just like the vast prairie landscape. Wright once said in an interview that “no house should ever be on a hill or anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other.” Another common denominator among many of his works are low-angled roofs, which, compared to roofs with steep angles, mimic the gently rolling landscapes by which they are surrounded. His designs also emphasized areas of the home which serve as places for humans to connect, such as the dining room table, the hearth, or a terrace (which is unique in that it allows not only for people to socialize but also for them to connect to the earth by going outdoors). Wright also liked to use natural, locally-sourced materials in his homes, further connecting them to their surroundings. Many of Wright’s homes also have an expanse of tall windows, whose purpose in fostering connections to nature is twofold: they allow natural light to enter the space while also providing a way for occupants to look outside and feel a part of it. Finally, his floor plans were very open, allowing, for example, a host to remain engaged with guests in the dining room while he prepares food in the kitchen.
Wright followed some additional design principles besides those which sought to encourage connection. He was among the first to use cantilevered overhangs front and center in his design; perhaps the most notable example of this is his famous Fallingwater, which consists primarily of a series of cantilevered overhangs supported by a common beam. His homes usually contained little storage, lacking attics and basements. He also used in-ground heating and passive cooling; this ties into his efforts towards sustainability. Finally, his designs favored carports over garages; it was Wright who popularized the carport — which utilized space much more efficiently than an enclosed garage — and he even coined the term.
The best aesthetic examples of Wright’s design are his series of sixty Usonian homes. These homes followed most if not all of his design rules and are what he is best known for. The homes were small to medium sized and were well-appointed but still modest. This is notable because most famous architects don’t achieve fame by designing middle-class homes, but Wright did. This speaks to his talent because he was able to do a lot with a little; no American architect at the time was designing homes which were so exceptional in terms of design but so accessible in terms of who was actually able to inhabit them. This is only one of the ways in which Wright influenced today’s architecture.
Wright’s work influenced the state of American architecture today. He was nonconformist; up until this point, architects did not tend to disregard conventions, but Wright broke a plethora of rules of modern architecture and often even broke his own rules. For example, although known for his single-level design, Wright also designed a skyscraper he called the “Mile High Illinois,” a 528-story skyscraper which, even in 2019, would be the tallest building in the world. In fact, the design of the Burj Khalifa — the current tallest building — is said to have been influenced in part by Wright’s design for the Illinois. By defying convention, Wright also innovated and influenced modern architecture in many other ways. His single-level, flat design inspires many of today’s architects to think of their own designs horizontally. His use of cantilevers also stands out as he would use them aesthetically where other architects at the time would only use them for practical purposes. Cantilevers are just one of the utilitarian design elements Wright adopted in his aesthetic-focused designs. He also brought the use of concrete to buildings meant to be seen by the public; before Wright the material was considered ugly and only used in industrial-type buildings as concrete simply did not have any sort of personality to it, but Wright adapted the material by building with concrete blocks, often square, with designs stamped on them.
Wright’s influence can be seen across all types of modern day architecture. A notable example is the Hotel Marques de Riscal in Spain. This hotel takes many concepts Wright used and builds on them, and the result is a piece of architecture that — just as Wright intended — feels organic and connected to the landscape. The hotel consists of two main parts: the main structure, which is built mostly of stone and wood, and the facade, which seems to mimic a rippling piece of fabric. The materials used in the main structure feel raw, evoking a sense that the hotel is connected with the earth. Beams supporting the facade mimic trees, further bridging the gap between building and nature. The architect behind the Hotel also adapted Wright’s vision by choosing to use materials in nontraditional ways. The rippling facade appears soft and gentle,
The Hotel Marques de Riscal in Elciego, Spain. The main building is draped in a colorful metallic curtain which seems to mimic the gently terraced landscape, and the portion on the right is covered in ivy, seeming to tie it to the ground. Also note the tree-like support beams holding up the metal portions. but it is made out of metal, something traditionally implemented in straight, angular designs. This unconventional is reminiscent of Wright’s making concrete into an aesthetically pleasing material when it had previously only been though of as utilitarian. Additionally, the hotel is built atop a centuries-old wine cellar. In planning this project, the architects managed to preserve the cellar and adopt it as part of the hotel’s charm rather than leveling out the land and destroying the cellar. This reflect’s another part of Wright’s design philosophy — he believed a building should never harm the landscape but rather complement it.
Other buildings have drawn inspiration from Wright in more overt ways. A home in Polo Illinois, designed in 1962 by Verne Lars Solberg, shares nearly all of its design elements with Wright’s Usonian homes; this is immediately obvious when compared side by side with the Wright-designed Shavin house in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It shares the same low-angled roof, the large, corner windows, and the preference for natural materials. The home is also similar to the Shavin House in the nature of its relationship to the landscape; both houses seem to have
The Seamour and Gerte Shavin House in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1952, it is an excellent example of his Usonian style.
Polo, Illinois home built by Verne Lars Solberg in 1962, three years after Wright’s death. It’s similarity to the Shavin House is obvious in the materials, the roofline, the windows, and the way it interacts with the landscape.
been built atop a slight hill — such a hilltop would often be leveled off in order to have a flat lot to work with, but Solberg, like Wright, elected to allow the landscapes natural beauty to speak for itself. He left the landscape’s original contours, as well as the native trees, apparently adding only a few small shrubs around the house. Because of the irregular shape of the land, these homes were designed specifically for their lots, and in both cases, the two complement each other; as Wright once said in an interview, he believed the building and the landscape should be “each the happier for the other.” Transitioning to the interior of the home, there are also many similarities here. Both interiors are predominantly wooden, with lots of natural light entering through their large windows. Also apparent in this house are its cantilevered overhangs. And last but not least, the home features furniture designed by Solberg specifically for the home, something Wright also did for many of his Usonian homes (including the Shavin House).
Architect Philip Johnson’s Glass House, located in New Canaan, Connecticut, is perhaps one of the best-known examples of what is commonly referred to as a “modern house.” It consists almost entirely of windows; only the bathroom is encircled by bricks and cannot be seen from outside. It also has an extremely open floor plan, with even the bedroom being only partially separated from the rest of the home; only the bricks encasing the home’s one bathroom reach all the way to the ceiling. The house is surrounded by an untouched natural landscape, just as Wright did with most of his homes. Natural light, of course, is abundant, and being surrounded by windows allows the home’s inhabitants to feel connected to the outdoors; Johnson once referred to his home’s landscape as “very expensive wallpaper.” This home is wholly based on principles which Wright popularized.
Frank Lloyd Wright was America’s most influential architect of all time. His work in architecture of all types — from family homes to grand skyscrapers — influences today’s architecture both directly and indirectly. Turn on HGTV and it surely won’t be long before you hear an expert talking about an “open floor plan,” which Wright was the first to use. The carport — another brainchild of Wright — is commonplace in many of today’s middle-class neighborhoods. Developers use stone on the outside of homes, a practice which evolved from Wright’s use of raw, natural materials. Another well-loved and pervasive aspect of American architecture which Wright pioneered is the intentional use of natural
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