Verified Document

Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater Frank Lloyd Wright Essay

Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater

Frank Lloyd Wright is considered by many knowledgeable critics and scholars as the not only the most famous architect in the world, but the most creative -- and even revolutionary -- architect in the world. Wright's Fallingwater building, which "…perches so dramatically on the cliff overhanging the eponymous waterfall near Pittsburgh" (Steffensen, 2009), is thought of today as one of the most remarkable private homes ever built by anyone.

The Fallingwater building, designed in 1936, juts out over a thundering waterfall on the 5,000 acre property formerly owned by department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann. Albrecht Powell writes that Fallingwater "…epitomizes man living in harmony with nature" and it was constructed "…of local sandstone, reinforced concrete, steel and glass" (Kaufmann, 2009). The interior features cantilevered desks, "earth-toned built-in sofas, polished stone floors," and with the thought of allowing the outside light to shine in, Wright designed "large casement windows," Kaufmann writes.

The house is listed among the 28 places everyone should "…visit before you die," according to the Smithsonian's Life List. It was designated as a "National Historic Landmark" in 1996 and ion 1991 the American Institute of Architects (AIA) named the Fallingwater house "the best all-time work of American architecture"; it also ranks 29th on the list of America's Favorite Architecture, the AIA's list.

In 1999 it was determined that the main cantilever in the Fallingwater house needed reinforcing,...

The steel-reinforced concrete beams had "deflected" (bent) as much as 7 inches, which was enough to warrant shoring up the main beams. One of the main reasons for the sagging of the beams is "temperature changes" from hot summers to very cold winters, the Civil Engineering News article explained.
Frank Lloyd Wright -- Taliesin West

Wright designed his Taliesin West home far from the Pennsylvania location of his masterpiece (Fallingwater), in Arizona's Sonoran Desert. It was a place he loved to spend the winters, in fact he had been spending winters with his Taliesin Fellowship group in 1933, but by 1937 he was ready to build a residence so he bought desert property for $3.50 an acre in 1937. The land he bought was on the southern slope of the McDowell Range that looks over Paradise Valley just outside of Scottsdale, Arizona.

It may have cost Wright $10,000 to dig a well deep enough to secure water for the learning center (and home) that Taliesin West was to be, but he didn't mind because he was thoroughly inspired by the "…long, low sweeping lines, uptilting planes" and the colors in the desert. The walls of Taliesin West are made of rocks from the desert and the rocks are secured with wood forms and then filled with concrete. Typical of Wright, he likes to use natural materials from the environment around his homes.

The drafting room of Taliesin West a lot of natural light is let in thanks to the translucent materials, and the furniture and other decorations were of course designed by Wright. He also designed an…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Civil Engineering. (1999). Restoration to Strengthen Cantilevers at Fallingwater. 69(5),

28-29.

Hedding, Judy. (2009). Frank Lloyd Wright and Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona.

About.com. Retrieved December 25, 2012, from http://phoenix.about.com.
From http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/santaclara/han.htm.
Powell, Albrecht. (2009). Fallingwater -- Mill Run, Pennsylvania. About.com. Retrieved December 25, 2012, from http://pittsburgh.about.com.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Frank Lloyd Wright Design Theory Frank Lloyd
Words: 1756 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Frank Lloyd Wright Design Theory Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the most well-known architects in United States history. The buildings he created have a distinctive flow, both inside and out, which either draws or distracts the viewer. His most famous project is probably Fallingwater, a house he built for Edgar Kaufman and his wife just outside of Pittsburgh. This home is built with an incorporated waterfall that was supposed to

Frank Lloyd Wright a Case
Words: 728 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Apparently Wright only visited the site where Fallingwater would be built once, and that was on December 18, 1934. At that time Wright saw that the stream called Bear Run was nestled in "…a beautiful forest…a solid, high rock-ledge rising beside a waterfall and the natural think seemed to be to cantilever the house from that rock-bank over the falling water," Wright explained to a television reporter in 1953

Frank Lloyd Wright Was an American Architect
Words: 1672 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect who is widely-regarded as one of the most influential figures on 20th century design. His 70-year career ushered in several important social and cultural dimensions to the field of architecture. This paper examines the design philosophy, influences and major achievements of one of the towering and most controversial figures of American architecture. Biography Wright was born in Wisconsin in 1867. His father was a musician

The Harmony of Wright S Fallingwater House
Words: 718 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Wright's Fallingwater Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater at HOUSE FOUR: The House on a Waterfall (1935-37) is an architectural work that is harmonious with its natural surroundings. Wright uses space, materials, context and structure to effect this harmony. For instance, its cantilever balconies jut out over the rocks within the waterfall in a way that makes it look as though the house were a part of the natural structure in the wild.

Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis
Words: 679 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, And Louis Khan In the field of Architecture, it takes not only talent, but creative vision to create works that stand the test of time in the collective imagination of the world. Three architects that accomplished just that were Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis Khan. If any architect is credited with pioneering modern design, it is undoubtedly Frank Lloyd Wright. Indeed, his sense of intricacy

20th Century and Designs
Words: 1158 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Frank Lloyd's Prairie And Usonian Style Few architects in the 1900s compare to Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 -- April 9, 1959) who was also an interior designer and writer. Throughout his lifetime, Wright was credited with over a thousand designs and over half of these constructed. Wright who was a famous lover of organic architecture was in the forefront of the Prairie School architectural movement and invented the Usonian

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now