Source: Kyle Anderson
In the United States, many conceive of the 20th century as a time when man successfully separated humanity from nature. One of the most obvious examples of this can be found in popular visions of modern architecture. After the war, the American economy thrived and 1950s and 60s suburban development quickly churned out homes to meet nationally increasing demand. And thus the suburbs as we think of them today were born. American city growth continued to expand outside of city centers and by the 1980s, suburbia was not just a growing reality but an ideal destination for many.
But some were uncomfortable with the cost of suburban sprawl. It seemed that homes grew bigger at the risk of habitat destruction and energy waste. Born out of the 1970s environmental movement, contemporary architects have injected the concept of sustainability into their designs, seeking not to use the home to separate people from nature but as a device to re-integrate the two. For these designers, new home plans are focused on native material usage, energy efficiency, recycling and blending nature with human construction. But this isn’t completely a new concept; it’s a rediscovery of earlier principles.
Frank Lloyd Wright Source: NBC News
Over 100 years ago, innovative architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright was guided by these very conventions. Wright was born in Wisconsin in 1867, and briefly studied civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin. He worked as a draftsman before opening his own architectural firm in 1893, where he completely changed the concept of home design.
Wright introduced the word “organic” to describe his architectural philosophy in 1908, which far preceded the farm to table movement. Wright focused on harmony of parts in relation to the whole, and believed that a home shouldn’t overcome its surrounding landscape like the Addams Family mansion. Rather, it should blend with the environment in an act of architectural transcendentalism. Landscaping was crucial to his designs, as were windows and outdoor spaces that convened nature and living areas.
Wright’s historic Fallingwater house Source: Wright House
Long before Al Gore was making movies, Wright championed his concerns about energy consumption in his designs. His Usonian houses were small and single-storied, focusing on liveability in minimum space, and giving owners unique designs at moderate cost. Wright built his homes to provide for multiple heating and cooling options. Sometimes he would create open spaces around a central hearth; at other times, he would design passive solar heating elements and windows that provided cross breezes. These cost-effective features remain a significant part of sustainability architecture today.
Fallingwater is Frank Lloyd Wright’s most popular and recognizable home, but there are many others that embrace his vision of organic architecture and convey his love of nature. As Wright said, “The architect must be a prophet – a prophet in the true sense of the term – if he can’t see at least ten years ahead, don’t call him an architect.” Obviously a visionary, these three houses signify Wright’s philosophy and convey the history of a sustainability movement that began almost a century ago.
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