ARCHITECTURE

8th June 2017
Happy Birthday, Mr. Wright

Team Sapienza celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of the renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, considered to be one of the most important masters of contemporary architecture.

So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
Di Camilla Gironi.

A hundred fifty years passed since the world was gifted with the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, founder of the organic architecture as a new concept of designing structures as a means of harmony and connection between humanity and the environment. This new approach to architecture aims to the design of buildings that are sympathetic and well-integrated with the site, breaking the barrier between the built and the natural world, becoming part of a whole and interconnected composition: from materials to furnishings, the organic buildings behave as a unified organism that originates from the natural landscape.

The importance and innovative spirit of his contribution to the history of architecture made him one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, while his heritage is still resounding in the architecture of the 21st century, being the first to set the environment as the core of the design process. On the 150th anniversary of his birth, the world remembers the philosophy and work of the architect through several celebrations, in order not only to keep his remembrance alive, but also to educate the present generations to confront with the importance of the environment and the power of individual vision.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has opened different initiatives, among which that of taking a selfie with a “Flat Frank” near his buildings and places of inspiration all over the world, demonstrating the will to make him and his powerful work spread throughout the worldwide countries and people. The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust presented an array of programs and collaborate with their cultural partners around Chicago and the country, such as the “150 Wright Celebration Evening” in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Fullerton Hall after the lecture “The Art of Life: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Organic Nature of Japanese Art”, which has the purpose to highlight the influence of Japanese culture and traditions on Wright’s work; the free entrance at the “Frank Lloyd Wright Day at the National Building Museum” will feature curators’ talks and activities for all ages, making attendees create stained glass ornaments in Wright’s signature style, build paper models of the Research Tower at the Johnson Wax Headquarters, “visit” iconic Wright buildings via Google Cardboard VR, and test how much load cantilevers can bear. LEGO has just launched the Guggenheim Museum set, that is ready to become the most popular and loved architectural model of all time, recreating its curves and distinctive lines that made it an everliving icon.

Bibliography
– Frank Lloyd Wright. An Autobiography. Longmans, Green and Co.. 1938.
– Peter Blake. Frank Lloyd Wright: Architecture and Space. Penguin Books. 1964.
– David Michael Hertz. Frank Lloyd Wright: In Word and Form. G. K. Hall. 1995.
– Thomas A. Heinz. The Vision of Frank Lloyd Wright. Chartwell Books. 2000.
– Julia Meech-Pekarik. Frank Lloyd Wright and the Art of Japan: The Architect’s Other Passion. Harry N. Abrams. 2001.