New Conceptions: Sustainable Organic Architecture
Fallingwater recently held a global mini-symposium to explore sustainability through the lens of organic architecture. Using Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophy of and approach to “organic” in his work as a starting point for the discussion, the symposium brought together speakers from Stuttgart to Ohio to offer their perspectives, including Bill James, an architect in our Pittsburgh studio. The symposium included a keynote address from Stefan Behnisch, Founder of Behnisch Architekten in Stuttgart.
Symposium co-organizers Justin Gunther, Vice President of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Director of Fallingwater, and John Reynolds, a professor of architecture at Miami University of Ohio, introduced the conversation within the context of Wright’s life and work. For Wright, the term “organic” was a multi-faceted construct that underpinned democratic values and evolved over the course of his life.
James offered a layered exploration of one of our projects at Fallingwater — the High Meadow dwellings and studio (pictured above) — to describe the way our practice considers organic patterns, or what we call “natures”: the nature of people, the nature of place, and the nature of materials.
“Things that are sustainable endure. They last, not just for this generation but for generations to come.”
You can watch a video recording of the full presentation below and learn more about the symposium and related topics via the links at the bottom of the page.
