Design Principles

Someone asked me today why I have a statement on my website saying that it is dedicated the the design principles of Frank Lloyd Wright. It is because I believe that his vision of the Usonian house is the way we need to think about housing. While Fallingwater and other more famous buildings represent what much of the public knows about Wright it is the Usonian house that most embodies his thinking.

These homes were designed to be simple, built on the measurements of available materials and built by owners themselves if they wanted from local materials. Much furniture was built in (bookcases, beds, seating) and rooms were multi functional; space was delineated by level changes or furniture arrangement and much as by walls. Living space was intended to be private from the street side of the home but open to the outdoors as much as possible on the private side. Wright used radiant hot water in floor heat and lots of concrete and glass in theses homes.

If he were alive today, I think he would be building in rammed earth, ICFs and strawbales!

These principles are not difficult to incorporate into older homes, many have them already. While some older homes have hazards such as asbestos and lead paint, many do not. The ones that do take more care to update but they are still a great way to preserve resources.