Frank Lloyd Wright is

universally recognized as
one of the greatest
American architects,
immediately conjuring
images of architectural
wonder, connection to
nature, and artistic
achievement. Wright
believed that beautiful Wright was born in Wisconsin just after
surroundings and objects the Civil War; he died in 1959, on the
enrich and improve lives. eve of the Space Age. These years
represented a period of
unprecedented change, with new
technologies, materials, and
methods changing our work, homes,
and lives. Wright embraced these
changes during a career spanning
70-plus years to become a driving
force in the design of modern
buildings responsive to the changing
social environment.
• In the aftermath of the great depression, Wright maintained an income by setting up the ‘Taliesin Fellowship’ in
1932, where fee-paying students worked alongside Wright in his architectural practice. One member of this
‘fellowship’ was Edgar Kaufmann Junior, who joined the group in early 1934. Not particularly interested in
becoming an architect, Edgar Junior Kaufmann had an interest in contemporary art, architecture, design and
philosophy, and he joined the fellowship to round out his education. Edgar Junior, full of enthusiasm for Wright’s
architecture, introduced his own family to the philosophy and architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.

• In the early 1930s the Kaufmanns began thinking of building a more refined holiday home, and with Edgar Junior’s
encouragement, they invited Wright to inspect the site, which he did in December 1934.

• The Kaufmann’s land was located in a thickly forested area of Pennsylvania, adjacent to Ohiopyle State Park and
Bear Run Nature Reserve. It was over 1500 acres in size, but the landforms were steep on the part of the property
that they had in mind for the house.

• When the Kaufmanns saw Wright’s design for the first time in September 1935, they were surprised.

• The house was completed by the end of 1937 and for the Kaufmanns, Fallingwater ‘soon became part of the
family’s weekend experience’.

• After being ‘an old reliable friend’ to the Kaufmann family for nearly 30 years, Fallingwater and the surrounding
property were donated to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy as a place for the public in 1963, and the
house and its grounds are presently open to visitors and one of the most popular Architectural destinations in the
world.
 Today, Fallingwater is open to the public as a museum and
surrounded by 5,100 acres of natural land known as the Bear Run
Nature Reserve. On July 10, 2019, UNESCO inscribed Fallingwater
and seven other Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings onto the
World Heritage List. In addition, Fallingwater is designated as a
National Historic Landmark and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Treasure, and named the “best all-time work of American
architecture” in a poll of members of the American Institute of
Architects. Since the first public tours began in 1964, Fallingwater
has welcomed more than six million visitors from across the globe.
Travel+Leisure Magazine stated that Fallingwater is "one of the 12
landmarks that will change the way you see the world."
Fallingwater is the only major Wright work to come into the public
domain with its setting, artwork and original Wright-designed
furnishings intact.
Even as Wright embraced the new, he remained grounded in the principles of “organic
architecture,” a phrase he crafted to explain that all of our human work should be connected
back to nature—whether through inspirations in form, the celebration of materials, or a strong
physical connection to the landscape. Creating an eco-system in which designed objects and
buildings were connected to the environment around them, and in turn to our lives, Wright
pioneered principles of sustainability before the word sustainability was even coined. One of his
greatest works, that also embodies this idea in the fullest, is Fallingwater.

Six interconnected and recurring design

strategies, for linking Wright’s architecture to
nature, have been identified by historians,
scholars and critics. The six are: his approach
to the ground; the formal mass of the
building; the roof; the openings; any
intersections with natural features of the
location; and the material palette
• Wright decided instead to design the house on top of
the waterfall, so that it cascaded underneath. It
was built using reinforced steel and stone and was at the
t ime, a major
feat of engineering involving cantilevered terraces and
upside down T-shaped beams.

• He created the building with stairs leading down to a

small deck where occupants could stand in the middle
of t he st ream.

• Falling water's structural system includes a series of

very bold reinforced concrete cantilevered balconies,
however, the house had problems from the beginning.
Pronounced deflection of the concrete cantilevers was
not iced as soon as the framework was removed at the
construction stage.

• To achieve such dramatic cantilevers Wright could

not rely on the standard wood, instead he used
reinforced concrete due to its great compressive
st rengt h.

• The composition of the concrete used at Fallingwater

for the walls was a mixture of cement, sand, and
rounded river gravel. Within the concrete, steel
reinforcement s, long rods of different diameters, were
added, laid in a crossed formation or bent to provide
additional strength. The rounded tops of parapets were
formed of a cement and sand blend, applied by hand
after t he wall had cured.
The same mix of concrete was used for the house’s
trellises, long expanses suspended over the drive
or cantilevered over terraces.
• Wright used the cantilev er as a primary element. In
Fallingwater it became the primary structural and
design element.

• All the terraces are anchored to the central stone

chimney.

• Fallingwater is composed of three horizontal trays, in the

form of cantilev ers. The building is
• anchored at a point abov e a natural boulder. Here four
piers, or bolsters, are anchored and act as the fulcrum of
the building. Out of this rock support rises the highest part
of the home, a v ertical core of stone walls which surround
three v ertically stacked rooms. This structure because of its
weight and rigidity has the ability to act as the fulcrum for
each successiv e terrace. Other walls or partitions act to
brace each tray from twisting along their great lengths.
• In the late 1990's an analysis was done to find the cause
of chronic cracking in the main and master terraces. Both
trays had deflected (sagged from original position) up to
sev en inches. To fix this, a technique called post tensioning
was used. This process was done on main beams and
joists, raising the terraces by half an inch and resulting in a
self supporting structure.
• In the late 1990's an analysis was done to find the cause
of chronic cracking in the main and master terraces. Both
trays had deflected (sagged from original position) up to
seven inches. To fix this, a technique called post tensioning
was used. This process was done on main beams and joists,
raising the terraces by half an inch and resulting in a self
supporting structure.

• Pottsville sandstone was acquired from a nearby quarry

to use in building walls, and laid in a rough, shifting manner,
projecting beyond the line of the mortar as much as three
or four inches, to imitate the natural stone ledges found
jutting out along Bear Run and to help unify the house to its
site.
• Balance and reflex can be seen throughout the building
but the best example is in the hatch stairs. These stairs point
against the flow of the river, creating a juxtaposition and
balance. Balance and reflex can also be found between
the set of terraces and the set of waterfalls. The
intersection of the terraces mimics the intersection of the
waterfalls.
• Fallingwater is a composition of varied
materials—stone, concrete, steel, glass, and
wood—each imbued with qualities that celebrated
what Wright termed “organic architecture.”

• Like organic elements in nature, these materials

have shown signs of deterioration over the past
eighty years, due in large part to their exposure to a
range of climate conditions, especially humidity
and sunlight that have impacted the collections
and the severe freeze-thaw conditions of southwest
Pennsylvania and water infiltration that affect
the structural materials.
REINFORCED CONCRETE:
The composition of the concrete used at Fallingwater for the walls was a mixture of cement, sand,
and rounded river gravel. Within the concrete, steel reinforcements, long rods of different diameters,
were added, laid in a crossed formation or bent to provide additional strength.

STONE MASONRY:
the arrangement of the stone and the deep crevices between each present opportunities for water
to pool or seep into the walls, leading to damage on interior ceiling and wall surfaces. The ledges of
each row of stone have small depressions within which water accumulates, and permits for the
accumulation of snow that, once melted, is drawn into the joints of the walls.

For horizontal surfaces, flagstone was used throughout to provide seamless transitions between the
exterior and interior. These relatively thin stones, averaging around two inches in thickness, were
hand laid and assembled freeform across the floors, terraces, and stairs of the house.

GLASS:
Frank Lloyd Wright specified quarter-inch thick polished Pittsburgh Plate Glass for the house and it
was used in all windows, the full-height doors leading to the terraces, and in horizontal applications
such as skylights and the telescoping hatch doors leading to the stream below the living room.
STEEL:
The use of steel at Fallingwater is both invisible and everywhere apparent. Reinforcing bars used
within the concrete provide tensile strength , and are inserted in varying ways into the liquid
material as it is formed. In walls and floors, it is arranged as a woven mesh while in the covered
canopy of the stairs to the guest house, it is laid as a series of concentric arcs.

SPECIALITY FINISHES:
The use of cork tiles on the floors and walls in Fallingwater’s six bathrooms was at Edgar Kaufmann
jr.’s suggestion, feeling that Frank Lloyd Wright’s specified stone floors would be too cold when
leaving the shower. The natural color of cork, a tree bark product, related well to the palette of
materials Wright specified overall, and had the added acoustic benefit, warmth, and softness
underfoot.

PAINT:
Fallingwater’s stucco-covered concrete has always been painted, its original light ochre color
specified by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1937.
VIEW FROM SOUTHWEST OF HOUSE AS VIEW FROM SOUTHWEST OF HOUSE AS
SEEN FROM DOWNSTREAM. SEEN FROM CREST OF LOWER FALLS.
The first story includes a large
central living room ,with a
kitchen and a dining area ,two
terraces, one on the east and
one on the west and a glazed
hatch leading downsteps to
the stream.
The second story is comprised
of a master bedroom
opening into a large terrace
,a guest room ,a dressing
room and two more terraces.
The third story includes a
bedroom, a study and a
gallery opening onto a
terrace above the center
of the house.
The guest wing built in
1939, is two story-high
• Biophilia is a word first coined by a German psychologist Eric Fromm in 1964, which
simply means the love of life. It is an idea that humans possess an innate tendency to
affiliate with nature and other forms of life.
• Humans are part of nature and its inherent need to connect with nature is embedded
in our DNA and our physical, psychological and social wellbeing is depended on this
continuous connection. In a world where there is technological improvements and
innovations these needs can be met by integrating elements of nature into the built
environment as Biophilic design have become a tool in achieving this innate
connection. Connecting man with nature can be effectively created directly,
indirectly or symbolically using the identified Biophilic patterns and parameters.

• Frank Lloyd wright had designed this home in a way that the terraces, balconies,
kitchen and dining areas all had different views of nature and the building had a
sense of the place. Inasmuch as the client wanted a building that will celebrate the
landscape of his favourite country hideaway in an innovative way, Frank Lloyd Wright
wanted the Kaufmanns family to live with the waterfall as an integral part of their lives.
Nature in the Space Pattern:
This takes into account direct contact and physical presence of nature in a space such as sunlight,
air flow, aquarium, sound, animals, and plants. This sensory connection can be achieved via
• Visual connection with nature: creating views to natural elements, living systems and natural
processes such as providing windows with a garden view, flower beds, courtyard and green
roofs.
• Non-visual connection with nature: This can be achieved by paying attention to texture and
using naturally occurring materials like wood or programming a space to mirror something that
exist in nature such as a bee hive.
• Non-rhythmic sensory stimuli: a random and short-lived unpredicted connection with nature
such a water ripple, and motion of leaves can affect our inherent nature to connect with
nature, these are movements that cannot be predicted but can later be analysed.
• Thermal and airflow variability: The principle suggests that people want to feel refreshed and
have that subtle feeling of the changing environmental condition.
• Presence of water: A condition that enhances the ability to hear, see and especially touch
water.
• Dynamic and Diffuse light: This tenet leverages on the use of light to connect us to the natural
rhythms of daylight.
• Connection with natural systems: An awareness of the seasons and environmental changes that
reminds us of the characteristics of a healthy ecosystem.
Natural Analogues Patterns:
This focuses on organic non-living and implied element of nature in a space. It is the natural
representation of colours, textures, shapes, ageing processes and materials found in natural
processes.
• Biomorphic forms and patterns: This often appears as fractals or symbolic representation of
the lines, patterns, textures or numerical arrangements found in nature.
• Material connection with nature: using materials and textures that depict the regional
geography or reflects the native ecology to create a sense of connection and place
• Complexity and order: Using the hierarchies, symmetry and geometry found in nature in
designing spaces.

Nature of the Space Patterns:

This looks at the design of the built world around us and how we relate to them.
• Prospect: These incorporate views of the environment over a long distance, it could include
an addition of balconies, skylights, mezzanine levels, glass transparent walls to provide an
unimpeded view of the environment and space.
• Refuge: Refuge prioritizes the need for safety as it provides views to the environment but from
a protected position.
• Mystery: The idea of mystery is to engage the senses and compel inquisition.
• Risk/ peril: The thrill of danger from an identified threat coupled with a reliable safeguard
SOUTHWEST CORNER OF DRESSING EAST CORNER OF LIVING
ROOM ON SECOND FLOOR, SHOWING ROOM WITH TRELLIS SKYLIGHTS
BUILT-IN WALNUT DESK WITH CIRCULAR
CUT-OUT FOR WINDOW.
CURVED CANOPY OVER WALKWAY GUEST SWIMMING POOL AS
FROM GUEST HOUSE TO MAIN HOUSE, SEEN THROUGH CORNER WINDOWS,
VIEW FROM NORTH VIEW FROM WEST
• The living Room features continuous glazed
window for visual continuity and prospect
creating pattern 1 (visual connection with
nature).
• Walls and floor were finished with cut stones from
rocks, which connects to the rocks within the site
and the furnitures were made of wood.
• The boulder rock left untouched at the fire place and house plants brought into
the living room is identified to create pattern 2 (non-visual connection with
nature).
• The space had a skylight from the ceiling which is identified as pattern 6
(dynamic and diffuse light)

• A total of Five(5) patterns of Biophilic design have been identified within the
space.
Connections to nature in the bedrooms were
both symbolically and indirectly as seen in
image, an art of natural landscapes was placed
on the wall which symbolically creates pattern 2
(non visual connection with Nature) while glazed
windowis identified as pattern 1 (visual
connection with nature).
• The presence ofwater can also be seen and felt from the space identified as pattern 5
• Use of wood and natural stones as finishes created pattern 9 (material connection
with nature.

• Four (4) Biophilic patterns have been identified within this space.
The flowing stream can be seen and
accessed from the staircase on the
first floor as pictured this creates
patterns 1 (visual connection with
nature and pattern 2 (non visual
connection with nature).
• Daylight filters into the space through the skylight identified as pattern 1.
• The effect of air on water and green can be seen from the stair hall and the cool breeze
blowing across the water body felt. By these patterns 3, 4 and 5 is identified.

• Five (5) patterns is identified within the space.

Access ways to the building site are defined by rows
of trees with branches connecting each other to
form canopies; this provides variability in the light
and thermal intensity, identified as pattern 4.
• The sound of moving trees and flying birds creates Non Rhythmic sensory stimuli identified as
pattern 3 while the trees cast shadows and let different degrees of light rays pass through its
branches at different times of the day and seasons, this feature is identified as pattern 6 (
dynamic and diffuse light).
• An element of mystery is seen at the main entrance where one cannot just find the falling water
house at a glance, this creates visual intrigue as pictured and is identified as pattern 13 (mystery).

• Four (4) Biophilic patterns have been identified within this space,
• The Balcony and Exterior gives an intimate view of
nature and focuses attention to different Biophilic
patterns on the site. From the balcony one have a
distant view of the surroundings, this is referred to as
Prospect identified as pattern 11.
• The difference in airflow and thermal variability can be
felt and seen on the trees and landscape, this is
identified as patterns 3 (Non rhythmic sensory Stimuli)
and 4 (Airflow and thermal Variability).
• The use of steel frames on the exterior serves as a barrier where one can feel safe and
protected; this is biophilic pattern 12 identified as Refuge. The Exterior view of falling water house
is orderly arranged to mimic the formation of rock stratas, this is identified as pattern 10
(complexity and order) and can also be seen when shadows are formed from the two pergolas
designed to form an arc around a tree trunk.
• A connection with natural systems is formed at the terraces where the changing weather
conditions can be felt.
• Six (6) biophilic patterns is identified within the exterior spaces
DETAIL FROM SOUTHWEST OF THREE-STORY VIEW FROM SOUTHWEST OF VERTICAL
WINDOW. CUT-BACK EDGES OF BEDROOM MASONRY MASSES ON WEST SIDE OF
FLOOR SLABS ARE VISIBLE THROUGH THE HOUSE.
GLASS.
The front door is rather
small ,a bit hidden. It's
location is at the
opposite corner of the
house from the famous
view from downstream
 Falling water uses four main piers or bolsters for its foundation
,three of which are reinforced concrete ,with the fourth
being stone masonry.

Click to add text

The driveway trellis connects the back of the

house to the hillside.
Living space ,falling water : Living space ,falling water :e-
convex analysis partition and visibility analysis
Figuration and occlusion Connectivity
 • THE BRANDING OF FALLINGWATER by GJOKO MURATOVSKI
• UNDERSTANDING FRANK LLORD WRIGHT'S ARCHITECTURE by
DONALD HOFFMANN
• Biophilic Design: A rev iew of Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Water
Chujor Okaseobari Ngwia ,Owajionyi Lysias Frank
• http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=Drawing:%20pa1690&fi=number&
Click to add text op=PHRASE&va=exact&co%20=hh&st=gallery&sg%20=%20true
• https://www.google.com/url?q=http://spacesyntax.tudelft.nl/m
edia/Long%2520papers%2520I/peponis.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1ZpT
yKaHI-0T1E7qSbUtkj&hl=en_GB
• https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright
• https://fallingwater.org/history/preservationcollections/preserva
tion-history/
• https://fallingwater.org/history/preservationcollections/preserva
tionhistory/#:~:text=Fallingwater%20is%20a%20composition%20o
f,in%20large%20part%20to%20their