Architecture's Response to Nature Architecture Term Paper

This indicates the open and natural lines of the American prairie fields. A very interesting element of the Robie House design is that it has neither a basement nor an attic; the latter was omitted to perpetuate the visual element of the horizontal represented by the house, while the former was omitted for the simple reason that Wright found it aesthetically unpleasant.

Instead, the communication of the house with the earth is a clean break between built surface and natural foundation, with only a four-step descent to allow for the furnace and coal rooms and a pit for working on the cars in the garage.

Another consideration in terms of the home's communication with its environment was its location in a city environment; the architect did not have much by way of natural environment to work with; hence a focus on geometrical construction to indicate the forms of nature -- in this case the prairie, was therefore of great importance to Wright4.

This environmental element is in contrast with the time during which the Red House was constructed; the site bordered on an extensive rural area in Kent, which provided a much larger space to allow nature itself to communicate with the built environment2. The countryside included orchards and farms, which were incorporated into the design of the home to form a unifying whole; the same principle used by Wright for the Robie House.

The most important contrast between the two homes is the appearance of the designs, although the principles upon which they were based were similar. Morris's garden for example surrounded the house, with the original orchard maintained in the north. The medieval well placed in the center of the courtyard indicated the communication between the exterior and the interior; which was also achieved by the hallway windows that provided a view of the garden

. In terms of physical appearance, Red House is therefore somewhat more ornate than Robie House, combining as it does the Gothic, the Romantic and the artistic to form a symbolic landscape of the social consciousness of the time.

In conclusion, the most important contrast between the two building is therefore in terms of physical appearance, location, and their connection with the specific social and landscape drives of the time.On the other hand, the architectural principles of innovation, and communication between the exterior and interior to indicate the important elements of the respective times remain similar. This provides both buildings with a well-deserved place in history, in the public consciousness, and in the discipline of architecture. Today, both buildings are open for public visitation.

References

Coleman, Brian D. Historic Arts & Crafts Homes of Great Britain. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, 2005.

Frampton, Kenneth. Modern Architecture 1851-1945. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 1983.

Hoffman, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House: The Illustrated Story of an Architectural Masterpiece. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 1984.

End Notes

Frampton, Kenneth. Modern Architecture 1851-1945. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 1983, p. 22

Coleman, Brian D. Historic Arts & Crafts Homes of Great Britain. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, 2005, p. 80

Hoffman, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House: The Illustrated Story of an Architectural Masterpiece. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 1984, p. 42.

Hoffman, Donald. Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House: The Illustrated Story of an Architectural Masterpiece. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 1984, p. 44

Coleman, Brian….....