Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright

I think the work of Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) would be interesting to look at for my major project. In particularly the Johnson Wax Building (1936-1939) in Wisconsin. His use of concrete was revolutionary, as he used it as both a decorative and structural element.

Influenced by the industrial revolution his designs display an interest in developing new materials and experimenting with there properties. For example he manipulated sheet metal with a patterned surface making it both decorative and functional. He also used the individual properties of concrete to create revolutionary designs.

Wrights architecture is organic as it blends with the environment and surroundings, as he incorporates spatial and sculptural together. To achieve this he used materials and elements from the natural landscape including stone. The buildings had and organic flow to them as movement of people began at one place and followed a journey to finish at another. Frank Lloyd Wright sometimes referred to organic architecture as one in which “all parts were related to the whole.” I would like to make the warehouse organically fit within its site.

The Johnson Wax building used large concretes mushroom, ‘dendriform’ shaped structures that are two stories tall to support the roof. The construction of the building created controversy in its structural design as the “Lilly pad’ shaped columns were not in according to building codes at the time. Building inspectors required that a test column be built and loaded with twelve tons of material. The test column, once it was built, was loaded with sixty tons of materials before the "calyx", or part of the column that meets the lily pad, cracked (crashing the 60 tons of materials to the ground, and bursting a water main 30 feet underground). Wright was given his building permit after this demonstration.

Wright’s use of concrete was revolutionary, as he used it as both a decorative and structural element. Reinforced prefabricated concrete was a common element in his buildings. This is one element that I will incorporate in my warehouse design.

It is important to note that event though the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright was revolutionary and advanced it still contains imperfections, such as cracking in the large cantilevers of his Fallingwater.