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SECTION
THER YPES OF OLI DAYS
A
Work in pairs. Read the description
of Fallingwater, and then underline
all the features of the building that
illustrate Wright’s philosophy of
organic architecture.
Surrounded by beautiful
countryside, Fallingwater was
intended to be a nature retreat
for its owners.The house seems
to grow from and float above
the water and the rock. In fact,
it is built on top of a waterfall
which flows beneath the house
and the hearth in the living room
integrates dry rocks found on
the site which seem to protrude
from a stream.This emphasizes the
link between the outside and the
inside. Integration with the setting
extends even to small details. For
example, where glass meets stone
walls there is no metal frame, so
they appear uninterrupted by glaz-
ing. The house incorporates broad
windows and balconies which reach
out into their surroundings.From the
cantilevered living room, a stairway
leads directly down to the stream below.
In a connecting space which links the
main house with the guest and servant
level, the natural spring drips water
inside, which is then channeled back
out. Bedrooms are small, some with low
ceilings to encourage people outward,
to the open social areas, and outdoors.
(adapted from “Wright on the web”
and “An Organic Architecture”)
B
Read and listen to the description
of the New York Guggenheim
Museum and, while listening,
complete the text choosing the best
alternatives.
The N Y Guggenheim Museum has
an
oval/a spiral
shape, resembling
a shell/a
snake
.
Its interior plan differs from the
com-
mon/conventional
design of traditional
museums.
Traditional museums consist of a series
of
connected/interconnected
rooms
through which visitors walk, but are
then forced to retrace
their way/their
steps
when they leave the building.
In the Guggenheim Museum, instead, a
lift takes the visitors to the
bottom/top
of the building, from where they proceed
down the spiral slope of a
continuous/
continuing
ramp. In this way visitors can
view the entire collection without
stop/
interruption
.
The museum design seems to solve the
problem of how to fully immerse
onlook-
ers/viewers
in the world of art.
Wright makes use of geometrical fig-
ures such as
rectangles/triangles
, ovals,
arcs, circles and squares, which echo
one another throughout the building.
However,
regularity/circularity
is the
main leitmotif.
Part 3
Way out
A
Fill in the table below with the information about Wright’s buildings mentioned in the texts.
Name of House
Location
Age
Features
Example of
B
You have been asked to give a talk on F. L. Wright’s
career and achievement. Write an 8-line abstract of
your talk.
C
Give your talk using the information collected in the
previous exercises.
D
Research activity. Antonio Gaudi and Jørn Utzon are two
architects who applied organic architecture principles.
Work in groups of four. Split into two teams (team A and
team B). Each pair researches an architect to find out
what he achieved. The original group reunites and each
team relates their part of information to the other team.
Arthur Heurtley House, Oak Park, Illinois
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