Further Research (Week 09 - Studio Tasks)

Site Context - The waterfall being integrated into the building, being built over the river, rather than away from it. Possibly talk about it's history? Why it was built? Does this link to the structural design of the house? How it was built to stay over the waterfall?

Circulation - Why each room was placed where it was, ccan quikcly talk about the uses of the house, before it being a weekend home from 1937-1963, now it's a museum opened to the public as of 1964

Wright said that he wanted them to live with the waterfalls, to make them a part of everyday life, and not just to look at them every now and then.

Before it was a museum in 1964, it was a family vacation house for the Kaufmanns from 1937-1963.

One of Wright's greatest masterpieces both for its dynamisn and for its integration with the striking natural surroundings. Influenced from Wright's passion for Japanese architecture, it is strongly reflected in the design of Fallingwater, particularly in the importance of interpenetrating exterior and interior spaces and the strong emphasis placed on harmony between man and nature. Tadao Ando states that "Wright learned the most important aspect of architecture, the treatment of space, from Japanese architecture." He found that same sensibility of space, but the additional sounds of nature appealed to him the most. Fallingwater is wellknown for it's connection to the site; how it was built on top of an active waterfall which flows beneath the house.

The fireplace hearth in the living room integrates boulders on the site and upon which the house was built - ledge rock which protrudes up to a foot through the living room floor which was left in place to demonstrably link the outside with the inside. Wright intended hat the ledge be cut flush with the floor, but Kaufmann suggested that it be left as it was. Stone floors are waxed, while the hearth is left plain, alluding to the audience that the dry rocks protruding from a steam.

Integration with the setting extends even to small details. For example, where glass meets stone walls there is no metal frame; rather, the glass and its horizontal dividers were run into a caulked recess in the stonework so that the stone walls appear uninterrupted by glazing.

Analytical Concept - Treatment of Form and Materiality in Space.

Interactive PDF - Draft 2 (2 Page Spread)

http://www.mediafire.com/?rmti19xjloygw2d

Interactive PDFs - Draft 01

Fallingwater - Frank Lloyd Wright

Fallingwater, the name given to a unique and distinct house that is built over a waterfall. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmann family. This was built between 1936 and 1939. Fallingwater instantly became famous and now is a National Historic Landmark.

The reason why Fallingwater is so famous is because it is an illusion. The illusion is that the building doesn't even appear to stand on solid ground, stretching over a 30' waterfall instead. It was designed as a modern vacation house. Wright was chosen for this task because the Kaufman's son was fascinated with Wrights ideas. Both client and architect shared the common interest and love for nature. Ergo, Wright decided to make the waterfall part of the new house.

To the clients shock, their perception of the house was to overlook the waterfall, having a very nice view of it. However, the house was placed right on top of the falls, Wright saying that he wanted them to live with the waterfalls, to make them part of their everyday life, and not just to look at the environment encompassing them now and then.

Thoughts and ideas - FallingWater to me has a unique feel and approach to the building. It feels like it was building that sits into nature. There are a lot of buildings built in the environment, where it's just placed randomly, and the surrounding environments or the building itself don't compliment each other. However, Fallingwater compliments its surrounding environments. If it were to be changed, I would love to lower the building even more, submerge it into the waterfall, so the bridge becomes a tunnel, and you could walk through and the water surrounds you.