Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1935

A building's success should not be dependent on its appearance but how well it fulfills its purpose. Anything that had no use or purpose was to be avoided. Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophy on design came to be known as organic architecture, which incorporated functionalism, rationalism, and expressionism. While these theories simplified the overall design, Wright’s architecture took into account overall reaction that the building produced.

Wright thought that a house should express warmth, protection and seclusion. He believed that a home should be a shelter. Wright’s designs included details, like the obscure placement of entrances, to provide a sense of security.

Constructed in 1937, Fallingwater displayed the height of Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic architecture. The way it balances the environment with the structure, creates the harmony between nature and the dweller. Built over a waterfall, the use of cantilevering, the method of extending slabs or beams horizontally into space beyond the supporting post, creates the building’s gravity-defying affect. Wright believed that houses were not to be covered with vines and plants, but harmonize with their surroundings at a respectful distance. The building succeeds in creating an interior, which flows seamlessly outside. Fallingwater displays a buildings capability to enhance its surrounding setting.