ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE

NAME – ARFA IBTESHAM

REG. NO. – 11717947
COURSE – DESIGN THEORY
AND CRITICISM
COURSE CODE – ARC309
INDEX

1. INTRODUCTION
2. DECONSTRUCTION VERSES SUSTAINABILITY
3. ARCHITECTURAL TRANSITIONAL WAY
INTRODUCTION
The term “Organic architecture” was coined by the Frank Lloyd Wright
at the beginning of the twentieth century to describe his work. By
getting deep into his writings, it is found that he deals with this kind of
architecture as a philosophy rather than an architectural style. The main
point in this ideology was insisting that architecture should have a
strong relationship with both its site and its time. "Organic architecture
is architecture appropriate to time, appropriate to place, and
appropriate to man."
Organic architecture respects the properties of materials. Frank Lloyd
Wright took Sullivan‟s “form follows function” to another level,
asserting “form and function are one”
Organic Architecture, as Frank Lloyd Wright defined it, means not just
looking at nature but looking into it. “Although the word „organic‟ in
common usage refers to something which has the characteristics of
animals or plants, Frank Lloyd Wright‟s organic architecture takes on a
new meaning. It is not a style of imitation, because he did not claim to
be building forms which were representative of nature. Instead, organic
architecture is a reinterpretation of nature‟s principles as they had been
filtered through the intelligent minds of men and women who could
then build forms which are more natural than nature itself.”
The relationship between architecture and its surrounding context,
nature or environment remained as a crucial case for many architects
after Wright. Each interpreted this relation in his own way; whether by
inspiring, imitating, integrating, abstracting or devoting their buildings
to the principles of preserving nature. It seems that Wright‟s
philosophy and aspirations kept rolling from one architectural
generation to another. Each generation adopted it according to its time
and place and spirit of its age according to Wright‟s legacy.
That is why this paper suggests the revival of organic architecture in a
contemporary gown in relevance and with the ideas of
Deconstructivism and with the help of contemporary technological
tools and new materials.

DECONSTRUCTION VERSUS SUSTAINABILITY

While Deconstruction was dominating the architectural practice in the

late eighties and the nineties of the last century, it was facing a lot of
criticism because of its complex chaotic unidentifiable shapes. It
created a state of shock to the viewers, critics and other architects.
Deconstruction architects broke all the limits that were there in
architecture just as the philosophy of Deconstruction by Jacques
Derrida intended to destroy any common belief, or any transcendental
truth. On the other hand came the sustainability advocators who
were against what they considered architectural pollution. For them it
was “the architecture of the absurd” as John Silber calls it. It was the
architecture of dis-order and for them “An architecture
that reverses structural algorithms so as to create disorder… ceases to
be architecture” . The shocking masses were against every notion of
balance and equilibrium. It helped in disturbing nature with much
waste outcomes. Some were concerned with the environmental
functionality, others with energy savings, and others with having a
contextual building that blends with the surrounding environment in
harmony and balance
ARCHITECTURAL TRANSITIONAL WAY
Acceptance and approval of what was “disorder‟ to be „world‟s
order”, “anti-hierarchy” to be “natural chaos” and “anti-form” to be
“cosmogenesis” which refers to the universe as a continuous,
unfolding event. This new interpretation continued providing
architects with ideas and aims to create a transitional zone between
complete disbelief in any transcendental norms and the complete
belief in the mathematical structure of nature.
This trial to connect every action to natural order prevailed. The
indefinite shapes of any building are due to the indefinite non-
geometrical shapes of the elements of nature. Clouds are not circles
and sea shores are not straight lines, trees are not spheres and its leaves
are not triangles. It is a symphony of twists and waves in complete
harmony in which the curve is superior over the line
 Complex Curvilinearity : Using the curve is done with fluidity
and has its echo that is neither parallel nor congruent. It is more
like drawing a sketch. Processes adopted from Deconstructivism
such as “Scaling, self-similarity, twisting, wrapping, skewing and
displacing” are done to the smooth curve to add the sense of
complexity and randomness to it.
 Dynamic Fluidity : The intention of giving the building the
sense of motion is so clear in all buildings. Although it is against
the static purpose of the building intended for settling down or
resting, yet the daily life is full of motion and if buildings are
intended to be in relation with humans and intended to be a view in
itself for its aesthetic values, just like the sea or trees, they have to
have the sense of motion in them. This sense of motion could be
realized by different ways. Sometimes it is by the repetition of
patterns or by its scaling, it could be by the amount of details in the
building that gives the eyes the richness it needs to grasp attention.
It could be by fluid forms that pass by each other in unexpected
tilted and skewed juxtaposition.

 Coherent Integration : Architects intended to gather all the

elements of the project to integrate with each other as a coherent
whole. The “coherent integration” could be monitored between the
concept and mass, between the building and the site and between
the exterior and interior. The landscape is an essential part of the
design of the building. It is an extension of the interior lines and
complements with the masses.
 Parametricism : This characteristic takes integration to a higher
level. Each element of design acts as a variable that is dependent
on other variables, just like the parameters of the mathematical
equation that differ by the differing of any other parameter. It
changes the building into a set of inter-dependable parameters,
starting from the urban design till the details of interior design.
The differences between masses become indistinguishable; instead
fluid lines complement the masses with each other. Organic
curvilinear lines continue to form the interiors in parametric
integration.
 Patterns Articulation : Although patterns were condemned by
both modern and Deconstruction architectures yet it gets a
powerful return back to architecture in this contemporary style
through becoming an innovative and powerful means of
articulation. It returns back with more meanings and functions
than just giving aesthetical values. Patterns have three levels; it can
only be an ornament whether decorative or hiding undesirable
feature. The second level is being an integral part of design
emphasizing and accentuating on different features or concepts
[fig (29)]. The third level is to be an essential partner in problem
solving of some of the crisis or aims of the building itself [fig
(30)]. Of course the digital tools facilitated the usage of patterns
on all levels.
 Elegance and Balance : After the distorted and fragmented
masses in Deconstruction, and although architects tend to
complex curvilinearity in their masses, yet comes the elegant and
balanced masses in neo-organic architecture. The integration and
parametricism between the elements of the project assured the
balance between different masses in its proportions and the
landscape surrounding it. After the conflict that seemed to be
between masses in Deconstruction, they all seem now to be in
harmony with each other. Just like mother nature. Although the
shapes, forms and patterns of nature are irregular, yet they are all
in harmony and balance.
 Following Sustainability Measures : They range from low
energy buildings that only consider energy efficiency to
sustainable buildings that consider all possible facets such as
benefiting from sun or wind energy. They intend to be green or
integrate greenery in the design whether in landscape or in the
masses. Used patterns are chosen in sizes and accumulation
according to environmental factors such as sunlight entry or
avoiding wind. Adoption of the green building standards has
become a condition in many countries for executing the building.
REFERENCES
 ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE : ITS ORIGIN,
DEVELOPMENT and IMPACT ON MID 20th CENTURY
MELBOURNE ARCHITECTURE By Alex Haw Gie Njoo

 Interpretations of organic architecture December 2014

by Martina Zbasnik-Senegacnik University of
Ljubljana

 New Organic Architecture The breaking wave David

Pearson