Sustainable Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was not a green designer in the contemporary sense, but he was doing some things that today one might call sustainable. He was concerned with natural climate control, particularly trying to keep buildings cool and ventilated naturally. He believed in the value of natural light and maximized its creative use in his designs.

The relationship of site and structure was of central importance to Wright’s thinking, and he frequently adapted his designs to conditions, including climate extremes. This may be seen in the structural designs of Photo 1.

A structure should also have a relationship to nature, he believed, not only through light, air, and views but also in terms of designs that are in harmony with their surroundings and make nature and landscaping part of the building. This may be seen in Photo 2.

Wright favored the use of natural materials in unadorned ways that brought out their best qualities, and he would frequently try to draw on materials native to the area, like local stone and woods. His color palette was natural: earth tones, greens, reds, yellows, stone. These may be seen in Photo 3 and Photo 4.

Photo 1: Casement art glass allows for views, light, and air while enhancing privacy, and makes decoration organic to window (Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago, Illinois [1910

Photo 2: A low building profile on the windy prairies of Wisconsin: The bermed “back” of Wright’s second house for Herbert Jacobs (Middleton, Wisconsin, 1943)

Photo 4: Urns and planters bring nature into the structure and make it organic to the building (Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago, Illinois [1910

Photo 3: Pale ochre color of cantilevered concrete slabs matches color of fallen rhododendron leaves; red painted steel evokes color of its base metal, iron ore, and the process of steel-making (Edgar Kaufmann House, Mill Run, Pennsylvania [1936

– Joel Schorn is an editor and writer in Chicago who is also a volunteer tour interpreter with the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. His coffee is often inexplicably tepid on Wednesdays.