Video:Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture

Transcript:Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture

Hi, I’m Shannon Turner for About.com here to discuss the architectural characteristics of the Frank Lloyd Wright style.

Frank Lloyd Wright Mixed Nature with Architecture

We are lucky enough to be in one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses right now. This house is called the Cooke house and is owned by the Duhl family. It is located in Virginia Beach and is a stunning example of his hemicycle style. A stand of bamboo welcomes you to the very unobtrusive driveway, making you forget that you are even in a neighborhood. The Duhl’s have graciously invited us here to experience their treasure.

The house is perfectly sited to take advantage of the dune and native foliage. It features Wright characteristic radiant heated floors, open floor plan and overhangs. Bedrooms and bathrooms are all tucked away and small, but their obtuse and acute angles maximize their feeling of openness. I’ve been told at sunset the water reflects from the lake and creates a light show on the ceiling of the living space.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Design Inspiration and Aesthetic

Frank Lloyd Wright is best known for his prairie houses. These designs are considered to complement the land around them. They typically have extended low buildings featuring shallow, sloping roofs, interior and exterior overhangs, clean sky lines, suppressed chimneys, the integration of nature and terraces; all of these using unfinished materials. The houses are credited with being the first examples of the "open plan." Windows whenever possible are low and long, allowing a connection between the interior and nature. This was new to western architecture and reflected the influence that Japanese architecture had on Frank Lloyd Wright.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Organic Architecture

Wright designed according to his desire to place the occupants close to the natural surroundings, with a streams, lakes or waterfalls running through part of his buildings. The construction typically contained a series of cantilevered balconies and terraces.

Wright later designed the Usonian House. The house featured new approaches to construction, including sandwich walls that consisted of layers of wood siding, plywood cores and building paper, a significant change from typically framed walls. Many features of modern American homes date back to Wright, including open plans, slab-on-grade foundations, and simplified construction techniques that allowed more mechanization and efficiency in building.

With all his ideas and principles at hand, combining interior space, exterior form, methods and materials, and lastly nature… Wright changed the face of architecture. He called it Organic architecture. Where a building would stand in its appropriate time and place as it realated to man, he was happy.

I hope this gives you a better understanding today of the Frank Lloyd Wright style of architecture. For more information, visit us out on the web at homegarden.about.com