Falling Water

Falling water was designed in 1935 by Frank Lloyd Wright. The house was designed as a weekend home for the family of Edgar J Kaufmann Sr. The house was built in the mountains of Mill Run, Pennsylvania. The design of Falling water was designed to be elevated over the waterfall on the site. It was constructed out of sandstone from the surrounding area as well as other materials quarried from the site. The family originally wanted the house to overlook the waterfall on site but Wright wanted the waterfall to be more than just a view, instead he proposed the building would sit on top of the waterfall. By doing so the waterfall would become part of the Kaufmann’s daily lives. The flowing of the water would be heard twenty four seven in the house allowing the presence of nature to be heard at any point of time in the house. The house’s design is a series of strong vertical and horizontal lines creating terraces that appear to be floating by cantilevering over one another. One way in which Frank Lloyd Wright achieves this floating sensation is through using windows and glass doors to encompass the living room found between two cantilevers. He achieved this by using narrow steel supports between doors and windows. Even the other floors of the building include floor to ceiling windows enhancing this affect. The cantilever terraces seem to be floating yet each one is connected to the central chimney of the house. This fireplace acts as the center rotational point about the house as Frank Lloyd Wright finds the fireplace to be a focal point of every home. The hearth of this fireplaces includes the boulders found on the building site. The majority of the house was constructed from stone in order to relate it strongly to the site. Even the design of horizontal and vertical lines relate to natural features around the site such as the rock formations. In order to continue this pattern of keeping in touch with nature, Frank Lloyd Wright limited his color pallette to two colors. These two colors complemented the colors of the nature around the site. The two colors were divided to concrete and steel, a light ochre color was used for any concrete while the Cherokee red was used for the steel. By floating his building above the water, Wright was able to create more than just a mental connection to the water, from the living room he created a physical connection to the water. In the living room, Wright designed steps that lead directly into the water it appears to float over. This project in general was one of organic architecture, this was a theory of Frank Lloyd Wright that “sought to integrate humans, architecture, and nature together so that each one would be improved by the relationship. Wright believed that architecture must not only sit comfortably within its natural landscape, replicate its forms, and use its materials, but must also cultivate and reveal the dormant qualities hidden within its setting.”

https://www.britannica.com/place/Fallingwater
Fallingwater: A Frank Lloyd Wright Country House, Edgar Kaufmann Jr.