Falling Water/ A Critical Essay

I loved this picture so much in class that I chose to do an ideological essay on it.

Introduction

   
     "Architecture is one art form that we interact with everyday as we live, work and play. Yet we seldomly consciously think about architecture, and few of us have the slightest training in this field. We may look at it all the time but we don't see it. However if we stop and take time to notice how buildings can affect our life experiences, we can come closer to an understanding of what makes a building "work" for it's users, and even understand what makes a building such as Falling Water such a masterpiece in Architecture. We can come to understand what makes architecture perhaps the most human of art forms. Frank Lloyd Wright devoted his career to making architecture humane."  ("Falling Water", 2012 n.p.)
     Frank Lloyd Wright was ahead of his time. He was an architect with vision and creative fervor.
In this essay I would like you to see the incredible insight and expression associated with his natural and human artwork.  I will examine his "Falling Water" masterpiece as it relates to you beauty and vision as well as the true intelligence behind it.

Interpretation 

 "Falling Water" was built in 1936 for Edward J. Kaufman."In a 1991 poll of the American Institute of Architects, it was voted the best all time work of American Architecture" ("Falling Water", 2012 n.p.).
Frank Lloyd Wright was before his time and modern in thought on the cantilever construction of this home. The flat horizontal lines of the home are not necessarily ordinary for his time. The geometrical shape of the home is assymetrical as a good portion hangs over the waterfall. The home was constructed of sandstone quarried from that area which actually matches the waterfall rock, and is a good offset and almost complementary as red is complementary to the color green. (That yellow is closer to red than most.)
      I think his comprehensive vision was pronounced in the physical construct or scene being one of  natural elegance, as this home is set in a very pristine wooded area with an amazing view of foliage.
     The psychological context in the scene above somehow puts the onlooker at ease, as everything is pleasing to the eye and nature also has a way of doing that.
     The culture of this home is open-ness. The windows on every level that open up to the environment show that. It is also noted that the home has as much outdoor living space as indoor living space.
     From a social perspective the home is closed in an environment that does not allow for alot of people.(except for the fact that Frank Lloyd Wright homes are very popular and it was later donated to the Western Pennsylvannia Conservancy and now has millions of people viewing it.)
     From a temporal perspective, Temporal logic is used to describe any system of rules and symbolism for representing, and reasoning about, propositions qualified in terms of time. One thing we know is that Frank Lloyd Wright had his own rules of representation and his own ideas of symbolism that were completely unique from other architects of that time or any other era.

    Method of Analysis

    Deconstructionism is defined as a tendency "to subvert or pull apart and examine existing conventions having to do with meaning and individualism." In the construction of  Falling Water, Frank Lloyd Wright did just that in a structural way he analyzed and examined the un-existing ways of building such an organic home in a natural setting. This deconstructionism, "is a supreme example of Wright's concept of organic architecture, which promotes harmony between people and nature through design so well integrated with its site that buildings, furnishings, and surroundings become part of a unified, interrelated composition. Wright embraced modern technology to achieve this, designing spaces for living that expressed architecturally the expansive freedom of the American Frontier."("Falling Water", 2012 n.p.).

    Analysis

    He out did his counterparts, in that day, his true intelligence was revealing...............In my estimation, in order to create a building in the area of a waterfall you would have to understand a little about geology and the ability of the soil in the area to be able to stand the creation of such a building on it. They also may have done some study into how the moisture from the water would affect the building. Initially, he also had to clear the area of trees and possible rock and debris which would have been a feat in that area. In order to withstand the amount of pressure a building that size would require, they had to creatively and structurally figure out where to place each point of balance or area of strain around the waterfall. These structural challenges were just a few that Frank Lloyd Wright faced in the construction of the home. In the actual story of the construction, there were problems faced such as, "Countless reports came back to him, warning that the building was not strong enough to withstand floods, that the cantilevers were too large and too heavy, and that the cracks that appeared in the parapets were indicative of structural failure."("Falling Water", 2012 n.p.)Wright took this all in stride and continued on with the work. Kaufman the owner worried about the engineering but  it was said that, "Although the parapet cracks worried him for the rest of his life, and he continued to have the house tested, Kaufmann ultimately buried his engineer's reports in a wall to the east of the dining table."("Falling Water", 2012 n.p.).

     Conclusion

     I believe that Frank Lloyd Wright's amelioration which is to "make better" or "improve upon" was shown in the work of Falling Water. He influenced the human mind through-out the world. Although the home was occupied by the Kaufmann's for many years the home now belongs to the Western Pennsylvannia Conservancy, and it "has been named a National Historic Landmark, a Pennsylvannia Commonwealth Treasure for 2000, and is part of the federal Save America's Treasures preservation project. Falling Water has greeted over 4 million visitors since opening to the public in 1964."("Falling Water", 2012 n.p.)

Falling water an American treasure. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.fallingwater.org/102