Frank Lloyd Wright's Architecture Overview

I chose to talk about Wright in particular because I believe his architectural style and design were very unique and interesting to see. As a Civil Engineer major, it fascinates me how much the structure of a building has changed over time. Also, I enjoy increasing my knowledge about the different types of materials used to construct buildings. Wright was known for transforming the way architectures construct houses. He was the first to introduce the “Prairie Style” and the “Usonian” to the American society. Wright’s way of styling and designing homes impacted me personally because I want my future house to be constructed using the Prairie style because it gives a unique and modern look to the building. The two buildings that really drew my attention were “The Circle Gallery” and “Della Walker House” which were both designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Circle Gallery was designed by Wright in 1940 and is located in San Francisco. This beautiful building consists of an arched portal at the entrance. The exterior of the building is constructed by bricks which gives a strong and sturdy look to the building. On the other hand, the interior of the building consists of ramps and skylights. The ramp is created in an interesting way, the ramp gradually revolves in a circle around the whole gallery. Whereas, the skylights are also known as “suspended glass bubble ceiling,” which gives the gallery a very unique look. This building reflects onto my own experience of the California Bay Area because it's a small portion of Wright's artwork, just how the Bay Area itself is a small portion of California. But, both the gallery and the Bay Area itself have a lot to offer. The gallery looks very simple from the outside, but the interiors have a very fine modern look to it. This gallery is very aesthetic to me because the interior of the building is very pleasing to the eyes. The soft lighting gives the gallery a calm touch to it. Lastly, it's rare to have a circular gallery that starts on ground level but goes underground as well. He made sure that he fully used all of the place available to him.

The second element is the Della Walker House which was designed by Wright in 1951. This house is located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The house is a beautiful beach house that has a triangular foundation covered with the famous Carmel stones, which helps the building blend in with its surrounding. The house also includes many windows that help capture the beautiful view of the beach. The interior of the house includes a wooden touch on both the ceiling and the flooring of the house. The interior of the house also included a fireplace, a small kitchen, and a hexagon shaped feature. This building reflects the California lifestyle because Californian are known to spend their leisure time at the beach on a hot, sunny days. This house really gives a beach vibe due to its location and surrounding. This house is very aesthetically appealing in my opinion because this house is very beautiful from the inside and the outside. One thing that really uplifts the interest towards this house was its location. Since the house is facing the beach, the entrance of the house is towards the back road. The house also included a sculpture made out of stone located in the front of the house, which to me was interesting looking because I have never seen a sculpture in that shape. I've always dreamed of owning a house that is located on the beach side.

There were many similarities and differences between the two buildings. The difference I have noticed between the two buildings consisted of; the foundation structure, the materials used and the location. The similarities I noticed between the two buildings is their uniqueness, Wrights use of creativity and an interesting designed entrance to the buildings. The two elements I mentioned in this paper are completely different from each other, however, they both were common at the same time. For example, these two elements are two of the many great designed buildings by architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

To conclude, Frank Lloyd Wright is a fine architect that knows how to make his architectures look unique and modern at the same time. There are many buildings that have been designed by Wright all over California. Wright published an article titled, The Future of Modern Architecture published in 1953, that included nine “motivations for his design”. The nine motivations help the architecture because Wright knows exactly what he wants to include and not include in his house design. This allows him to make sure that he is using the area given, at its full potential. Wright also introduced the American Society to the Prairie and Usonian style and design. Most of the buildings designed by Wright are pleasing to my eyes. The designs are totally different from what we would regularly see today.