Topic: Identify and describe the impact of one architect of the 20th and/or 21st century whom you consider a major technical, artistic, or philosophical innovator. Discuss at least one structure designed by this architect as an example of his/her work.
Frank Lloyd Wright When researching architects for this paper I decided I was going to choose an architect who I feel like encompasses all three aspects of innovation. Technical, artistic, and philosophical innovations are important aspects of any designer in creating works that are his/her own. The man that I feel like meets the criteria for all three aspects is Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright spent 70 years of his life designing houses, churches, schools, libraries, bridges, museums, as well as many other buildings. Over that course of time he has designed 1141 structures and today 409 of Wright’s designs still stand. By the time of his death Wright had been able to bring to life 532 of his designs. Currently more than twenty of Wright’s structures are available to visit as tourist attractions and combined there are more than one million visitors to these locations each year. I believe this says a lot about the uniqueness of Wright’s designs as well as the interest in the man himself. (1) The technical and artistic aspects of Wright’s work tended to be based around nature. He had a very strong dislike of urban aspects of development. His works tend to resemble trees and exterior aspects of animals. He also tends to choose locations for his designs that are set in locations that embrace nature at its best. There are several well known Frank Lloyd Wright designs which show off this technical style. The Guggenheim Museum built in 1943 located in New York City has an exterior that resembles the shell of a snail. The Tallesin West (Bell Tower and Pergioa) is a breathtaking structure built in 1938 located in the desert of Scottsdale, Arizona. The exterior of this structure is very natural colors built with rocks. (2) A few of my absolute favorite of Wright’s designs are Fallingwater, Pfeiffer Chapel, Price Tower, and the Imperial Hotel. Fallingwater is an absolutely stunning house built in Bear Run, Pennsylvania. The most amazing as of this reinforce concrete and stone home is that is was constructed with the back of the house jutting out and a waterfall dropping into a rushing stream below. The structure literally blends into the beauty of the nature surrounding it. The next structure I fell in love with of Wright’s is the Pfeiffer Chapel built in 1938 in Lackland, Florida. Built as a church and used as part of a college campus the internal structure looks as if you are staring up in a beautiful lantern with skylight glass paneling allowing the sunlight in from all different angles. The Price Tower is another of Wright’s designs that takes your breath away in the intricateness of its design. The tower located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma is used for multifamily housing. In my mind this structure resembles a tree with the different angles and elements jutting out conjuring images of limbs and branches. The beauty of the glass allowing light in to fill the structure with natural sunlight during the day and allowing you to see out at night. The final structure of Wright’s that caught my attention is the Imperial Hotel that was located in Tokyo, Japan before its demolition in 1967. I was drawn to this structure for a different reason than the others. The design of this hotel seemed very out of the box for Wright. It reflects a very strong influence of Japanese culture and almost reminds me a little of the Taj Mahal with the water reflecting pool in the front of the building. I think the reds and creams in the building materials has Wright’s touch in blending with the nature around it but it looks more regal and dignified than his other designs. (4) As far as the philosophical aspects of Wright’s designs I believe it says a lot looking at all he drew from nature and his ability to blend his beautiful structures with their majestical surroundings. He followed the teachings of Louis Sullivan, his mentor, whose primary slogan was “form follows function” but adapting it into his own philosophy that “form and function are one.” Using this teaching Wright was the first to introduce the philosophy of “organic” into architecture in 1908. Organic architecture is a respect for the materials around you in their truest forms and not trying to warp nature into urban modernism. This allowed Frank Lloyd Wright to create a form of architecture in which a buildings design has a direct connection to a moment in times as well as to the location it was built. (3) Frank Lloyd Wright created some of the most beautiful and unique structures I think have ever existed. He was a front runner for his time and I believe has been untouchable over the years as far as blending a style of architecture with the wondrousness of nature in it purest form. Works Cited Page
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2012. . (1)

"Frank Lloyd Wright; Biography." Web. 6 Apr. 2012. . (2)

PBS. PBS. Web. 6 Apr. 2012. . (3)

"Frank Lloyd Wright - Great Buildings Online." Architecture Design Architectural Images Drawings History and More. Web. 7 Apr. 2012. . (4)