Franks Lloyd Wright

The Bauhaus 1919–1933

In the mid-20th-century a concept of designing for the function and not just creating pretty buildings arose.

An architect called Walter Gropius founded The Bauhaus. His ideas of uniting all the arts, to create a single creative expression.

Franks Lloyd Wright was inspired by the Bauhaus. The geometric designs and the use of function.

Franks Lloyd Wright.

The idea of creating functional architecture to improve man’s quality of life was also seen in Franks Lloyd Wright architecture.

He created buildings to reflect the residents personalities and also incorporating organic form into his designs.

(Wright, Frank Lloyd: Fallingwater)

Fallingwater (Figure 1) illustrates his style of ‘organic architecture ‘. The design blurred the lines between inside and outside as a waterfall flows under the building. Stone floors continue out onto the terraces, corner windows that open outward to break the box, and you can hear the sound of the waterfall within the structure. (Hoving, Thomas 2007, p331)

(Dezeen 2017)

Sc Johnson building Circa 1936.

Another building he created was the Sc Johnson building Circa 1936.(Figure 2)

He created open office space allowing natural light with tree like columns (dendriform columns)

Allowing space and not bounding the offices to boxes.

Wright is quoted as discussing the office's light-filled open nature: "There in the Johnson Building you catch no sense of enclosure whatever at any angle, top or sides," he said. "Interior space comes free, you are not aware of any boxing in at all,"

screen shot form Vox 2017

screenshot from Vox 2017

Boxes?

Franks Lloyd Wright belief of creating man-made structure to harmonies with its surroundings led to an interesting thought.

He even went to say “The box was a fascist symbol” (Vox 2017)

The newyorker (Hellman, Geoffrey, 1952) even quotes him saying ‘There is a sense of space, not walled in. The walls become screens; the roof is a splendid sense of shelter, it does not shut you in. The box is a Fascist symbol.’

This idea of calling a box a fascist symbol resonates with the context of the era. (The cold war) However, I would think of it more about this idea of humans beginning to be trapped in, by the walls and buildings we now live in.

Currently in the world, as more people want to live in the city and housing costs increase. There are countries struggling with overcrowding living spaces.

The thought of creating a building with the idea, of opening it to more light and smart layouts to flow with nature and human needs, is something we should start to reconsider.

It saddens me that we now look around our environment and hardly see an abundance of nature. Instead, we see man-man buildings and objects. I think to incorporate plants into space can change how we feel and also improve our health, as there are many plants that filter air for us.

In my opinion creating a structure that weave's nature into itself is beautiful, especially in an age where you are surrounded by concrete jungles. I believe we are losing apart of nature due to urbanization, but that does not mean we have to let nature die. I believe Franks Lloyd Wright thought of breaking a box could be further implemented into things, to make things have a flow to them and not just have rigid designs.

Reference

Hoving, Thomas (2007), Art for dummies, Hoboken, NJ

Publisher: Wiley

(Figure 1)

Wright, Frank Lloyd: Fallingwater, Image, Website Name Encyclopædia Britannica, Publisher Encyclopædia BritannicaUrl https://www.britannica.com/place/Fallingwater/media/200904/111004

Access Date December 10, 2018

(figure 2) (Quote)

Gibson Eleanor (14 June 2017) Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Johnson Wax offices like a forest open to the sky, Dezeen, available at:

https://www.dezeen.com/2017/06/14/frank-lloyd-wright-johnson-wax-administration-building-

Access Date December 10, 2018

(screenshot Figure 3)

Vox (2017), Open offices are overrated, 4 Oct 2017 available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=-p6WWRarjNs

Access Date December 10, 2018

(Quote)

Hellman, Geoffrey T. (1952) The New Yorker, July 5, 1952 ,Fighting the Box, available at:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1952/07/05/fighting-the-box

Access Date December 10, 2018