Architectural Structures by Lloyd Wright, Essay Example

As the capitalization of national economies in the early twentieth century impacted urban development, schools of architecture literally trained minions of creative professionals in a field that was burgeoning with intellectual talent and opportunities. Reflexive to internationalist tendencies developed by Modernist architects in Europe, Japan and the United States, an architectural renaissance was fostered through dialogue and exhibition. Exemplary to this moment in American architectural thought is the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, perhaps best illustrated by his formative interest in sustainable construction in North American (Architecture In Transition23).  Characterized by cosmopolitanism, High Modernist motifs within architecture reflect a universal or global perspective free of ‘content.’  Built environments from this era were explicitly conscripted with an absence in decorative or other symbolic inferences. Modernism is in its very essence is a project of invisible authority. Retrospect on Wright’s seminal work presents a critical step in the evolution from Modernism to Sustainability; as philosophical tenets from deconstruction influenced and redirected transformations in twentieth century design and engineering in the architectural field. The foregoing essay looks at three of the compendium of work which comprises Wright’s portfolio: The Fallingwater House; The Guggenheim Museum; and Unity Temple.

The Falling water House

Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright, Fallingwater House, 2008 Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Designed for Edgar Kaufman, the Fallingwater House was constructed near Pittsburgh in 1935, and incorporates the natural environment. Rested along and over a waterfall in a wooded landscape, the structure finds situated perspective in its appearance; rendering it as an organic composition rooted in the earth, and illuminated by the reflection of temporal sunlight (McCarter 2010). The inspiration of Japanese construction is quite evident in the work, and Wright’s interest in the scale and flat space articulated in Japanese aesthetics popular at the time is completed by the use of planning modules interpreted from the employment of the Tatami mat approach to building; where the 2 X 3 m format provides the core component to all grid formation in building. The application of construction to space toward the removal of ‘man made’ significance is also promoted by way of his method of mixing solid and transparent effects so that there is no delimitation between the architectural composite and the surroundings. Typical of High Modernism in building, the Fallingwater House reveals the importance of latency in effect in true cosmopolitanism, in that despite intensive planning, there is no recognizable distinction between the spatial and habitable qualities of the construction with the landform.

The Guggenheim Museum

Frank Lloyd Wright: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, exterior, New York, NY, 1943–1960; photo © Allan T. Kohl/AICT

Clarity in purpose defines Wright’s (1943) choice for both location and design of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Constructed on a circular plane, the Museum was planned for optimum use of space as an art venue and intended to replicate the cosmological force of the solar system as magnet for all things enlightened. A monument to ‘viewing’ the building offers much to art connoisseurs and the neighborhood in general, as it replicates the radicalism present in Modern Art, and defies the stoic logic of the surrounding built environment through its presence as an ‘organic’ masterpiece to urban culture.

Unity Temple

Fitting to an ecumenical institution, Unity Temple was designed by Wright (1905) as an ‘inside out’ approach to enclosed space, where the box becomes once again an elemental expression of ‘organic’ evolution in architecture. The streamlined interior is typical to Wright’s dedication to clean lines and culture of light, as a semiotics of refuge and sustainability.

References

Architecture In Transition: Between Deconstruction and New Modernism. New York: Prestel, 1997. Print.

McCarter, Robert . Frank Lloyd Wright. Encyclopedia of Aesthetics. Oxford Art Online, 2010. Web

Sprague, Paul E. and Gebhard, D. Frank Lloyd Wright. Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online, 2010. Web.