Case Study

on
The Falling Water House
Frank Lloyd Wright

Presentation by Tanjimul Hossain (ID: 21120000)

& Md. Shamim Hossen (ID: 21128000)
FALLING WATER HOUSE
 THE ARCHITECT
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland Center,
Wisconsin on June 8, 1867 and he died in Phoenix,
Arizona on April 9, 1959 (aged 91) . He was an American
architect. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959)

 He was an American architect, designer, writer, and

educator.
 He was one of the leading masters of 20 century
architecture known for organic and functional
architecture their designs.
 He designed more than 1,000 structures, 532 of
which were completed over a creative period of 70
years. Frank Lloyd Write (1914-1976)
Philosophy of Frank Lloyd Wright FALLING WATER HOUSE
Wright believed in designing in harmony with humanity and the environment, a philosophy he
called organic architecture. This philosophy was exemplified in Fallingwater (1935), which has
been called "the best all-time work of American architecture".
Wright believed in designing structures that were in harmony with humanity and its environment,
a philosophy he called

ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE
Created the philosophy of Organic Architecture. Organic Architecture is a term Frank Lloyd Wright
used to describe his approach to architectural design.

Fallingwater
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
Philosophy of Frank Lloyd Wright

CHARACTER OF WORKS:
 Use of natural materials like bricks, stone & wood
 Strong eastern influences.
 Use of textured concrete.
 Designs that blend well in its environment.
 Focused more on residential deigns.
 THE FALLING WATER HOUSE

INTRODUCTION
 Falling Water of the Kaufmann Residence is a
house designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in
1935 in Laurel Highlands of southwest
Pennsylvania.
 The home was built partly over a waterfall,
and was designed as a weekend home for the family
of Kaufmann.
 Fallingwater was the family's weekend home
from 1937 to 1963. In 1963, Kaufmannm, Jr.
donated the property to the Western
Pensylvania Conservancy. In 1964, It was opened to
the public as a museum.
 It was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1966 by AIA
LOCATION: FALLING WATER HOUSE

1491 Mill Run Rd, Mill Run, PA

15464, United States.

 It is located in the Laurel

Highlands of southwestern
Pennsylvania, about 70 miles (110
km) southeast of Pittsburgh city.
 FALLING WATER HOUSE

LAND AREA:
Fallingwater is owned and operated by the
Conservancy and open to the public to tour
as a museum. Fallingwater is surrounded by
5,100 acres of natural land, a stream flows
at 1,298 ft above sea level and trails known
as the Bear Run Nature Reserve.

 The main house uses 9,300 square feet.

 The guest house totals 4,990 square feet.
 Construction time: 1936-1937
 Located in the about 70 miles southeast
of Pittsburgh city.
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
PLANNING CONCEPT:
 Bringing house and landscape into a more intimate relationship was a favorite device
of Wright .
 Cruciform plan with wings radiating from a central space.
 A central fireplace provided a visual pivot.
DESIGN CONCEPT: FALLING WATER HOUSE
 Organic Architecture.
 In close relationship to the glen, the trees, the foliage and wild
flowers.
 The glory of the natural surrounding is brought in as part of
the daily life.
 Spaces are designed to bring nature into the four walls
 Horizontal and vertical lines are the distinctive features of the
building.
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
CONTEXT:
 Fallingwater is a house designed in 1935 by renowned American architect Frank Lloyd
Wright (1867-1959) for the Kaufmann family.
 Designed in 1935 and built in 1936-1937.
 It is located in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern Pennsylvania, about 70 miles (110
km) southeast of Pittsburgh.
 Falling water is a house built over the waterfall.
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION: FALLING WATER HOUSE
 Preliminary plans were issued to Kaufmann for approval on October 15, 1935.
 The final working drawings were issued by Wright in March 1936.
 The work began on the bridge and main house in April 1936.
 The original estimated cost for building Fallingwater was US$ 35,000
 The Final cost for the home and guest house was $155,000.
 In October 1937, The main house was completed.
 FALLING WATER HOUSE

SITE ANALYSIS:
“There in a beautiful forest was a
solid, high rock ledge rising beside
a waterfall, and the natural thing
seemed to be to cantilever the
house from that rock bank over the
falling water…Mr. Kaufmann’s
loved the site where the house was
built and liked to listen to the
waterfall. and he lives intimately
with the thing he loves.”
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
SITE ANALYSIS:

Shady Ln Road

Bear Run

Bear Run Road

Falling Water
house

Laurel
Highlands
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
FLOOR ANALYSIS AND FUNCTIONAL ZONING

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

 FALLING WATER HOUSE
FLOOR ANALYSIS AND FUNCTIONAL ZONING

1ST FLOOR PLAN

 FALLING WATER HOUSE
FLOOR ANALYSIS AND FUNCTIONAL ZONING

2ND FLOOR PLAN

FALLING WATER HOUSE
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
APPROACH & ENTRY:
 Entrance - The entrance of the falling water is from the east and it is located in the
northeast corner of the house. Unbeknownst to Frank, he has made a house that
follows the number one rule to vastu compliance which is "The East Facing House."

ENTRY
SEQUENCE OF SPACE: FALLING WATER HOUSE
 The circulation through the house consists of dark, narrow passageways, intended this way
so that people experience a feeling of compression when compared to that of expansion the
closer they get to the outdoors. The ceilings of the rooms are low, reaching only up to 6'4" in
some places, in order to direct the eye horizontally to look outside. The beauty of these spaces is
found in their extensions towards nature, done with long cantilevered terraces. Shooting out at a
series of right angles, the terraces add an element of sculpture to the houses aside from their
function.
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
LIGHT, VIEW:
 Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater lets in the light with low-iron glass.
 Wright wanted the home's windows to be as clear as possible to eliminate barriers between
the interiors and the forest outside.
 Fallingwater's many balconies and cantilevers jut into the adjacent woodland.
VENTILATION, VIEW: FALLING WATER HOUSE
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
STRUCTURAL FEATURES:
 Cantilevered structure: The entire house is cantilevered in a japanese style of architecture.
A cantilevered structure was used to address these requests. The structural design for
Fallingwater was undertaken by Wright in association with staff engineers Mendel Glickman and
William Wesley Peters, who had been responsible for the columns in Wright's revolutionary design for
the Johnson Wax Headquarters.
 Wright is famous for pushing the architectural envelope for dramatic effect. We see this is in the
vast cantilevered wooden roof of Robie House in Chicago. In Fallingwater he chose ferro-concrete for his
cantilevers, this use of reinforced concrete for the long suspended balconies was revolutionary.
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
MATERIALS USED FOR THE BUILDINGS:
 The house is completely constructed from concrete, reinforced steel and rock foundation.
 Rock outcroppings as structural feature walls built directly out of rock bed of rushing stream.
 Stone paved interiors.
 Rugs of oriental fabrics, furs and skin.

Wood

Steel
Stone Tiles
 FALLING WATER HOUSE

MATERIALS USED FOR THE BUILDINGS:

Stone rugosa Native stones

Concrete
INTERIORS & EXTERIOR: FALLING WATER HOUSE
Interiors are simple though vibrant, because of use of triadic color
scheme for furnishings and monochromatic scheme of brown for walls,
ceiling and floors.

Living Room

3rd Floor stair with book shelves

Leisure Room
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
INTERIORS & EXTERIOR:
The exterior of Fallingwater enforces a strong horizontal pattern with the bricks and long
terraces. The windows on the facade have also have a special condition where they
open up at the corners, breaking the box of the house and opening it to the vast
outdoors.
 Staircase leading to the waterfall adds as an element of interest and is a fascinating
feature of the house.
 FALLING WATER HOUSE

OPTIONAL EXIT

Staff
room
Kitchen
Dining
ENTRANCE

Pool
Living room

Terrace
BRIDGE
 FALLING WATER HOUSE

1st FLOOR PLAN

FALLING WATER HOUSE
 FALLING WATER HOUSE

ELEVATION-1 (SOUTH)
FALLING WATER HOUSE
FALLING WATER HOUSE
FALLING WATER HOUSE
 FALLING WATER HOUSE

B
I
R
D
S

E
Y
E

V
I
E
S
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
3D VIEWS:
 FALLING WATER HOUSE
FINDINGS:
 Fallingwater'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 noticed
as soon as formwork was removed at the construction stage.
 Wright and his team used upside down T-shaped beams integrated into a
monolithic concrete slab which both formed the ceiling of the space below
and provided resistance against compression.
 The house sits on top of the waterfall, whose running water can be heard
throughout the home, especially in the springtime when melting snow pours
into the river.
 Horizontal and vertical lines: Straight, perpendicular lines are a fixture
of Fallingwater. The vertical lines mirror the ascending trees that shoot
up around the home, and the horizontal lines are seen in the many
cantilevers that extend outward from the home and reach into nature.
 Small bedrooms: The bedrooms in Fallingwater are practical, not
luxurious.
 This house continues to influence the world of art and design.
 Daylight, natural ventilation, landscape view and the idea that the skin
of a building modulates its own climate have not yet been integrated as
essential components in commercial design.
REFERENCES:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater
2. https://fallingwater.org/
3. https://www.archdaily.com/60022/ad-classics-fallingwater-frank-lloyd-wright
4. https://www.britannica.com/place/Fallingwater
THANK YOU