Fallingwater

 

I cannot recall the first time I saw "Fallingwater"... All I know is I was pretty young and that it left an indelible mark on me.  I have always loved this place and I never understood why.  It seemed so modern and yet it was built in the 1930's.  It has always maintained a timeless feel to me.  It conjured up some pretty special feelings that both moved and inspired me.  It was a place that I immediately identified with and wanted to see very much.  The idea that I could someday see this place seemed so unlikely..... a pipe dream.

Maybe you have seen it too... I wonder what your experience was?  I hope it was like mine. 

I have always love Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture though not much of a student until recently.  I have become very connected with his philosophy and enamored with the principles he espoused.  He seemed way ahead of his time and has heavily influenced the way at least American's live through bringing his beliefs to life through his architecture.  He loved architecture, he loved nature, he loved the principles around humanity.  He didn't seem to get into God from a religious perspective, but I believe nature was his deity.

I know nothing of architecture, construction or engineering....  I do know a bit about design, not in the technical sense of the areas listed above, but more so from a organizational design perspective which I do at work quite a bit.  The idea of envisioning feels comfortable to me and I think that is partly why I identify so strongly with this most amazing structure.  This particular design mirrored what in my world is called systems thinking.  Something that I have tried to apply to organizational design.

This mindset is very much aligned with FLW's philosophy.  I believe the objective of Fallingwater was to interconnect with nature in such a way that it transformed the structure and the landscape equally.   Through thoughtful design seamlessly integrated with its natural setting, the building, its furnishings, and the surroundings become cohesive parts of one unified, interrelated composition.  

FLW captured my imagination because I happened to visit Taliesen West in AZ with my daughter.  It was completely enthralling and I became a member and have done my best to travel to as many of his sites as I can to really capture what I have been learning about him.  I have seen about 8 of his homes now including Taliesin in WI and Taliesen West.  I had never been to Fallingwater, until recently.

Many say Fallingwater was FLW's greatest achievement.  Fallingwater is the consummation of his organic architecture philosophy of merging design with nature in a way that leaves nature even better than it was before. Fallingwater is FLW's declaration that in nature man finds his spiritual as well as his physical energies, that a harmonious response to nature yields the poetry and joy that nourish human living.  This is demonstrated so well with his invitation to the Kaufmann's who owned the home: 

"I want you to live with the waterfall, not just to look at it, but for it to become an integral part of your lives."

Frank Lloyd Wright to the Kaufmanns, ca 1935

Only after being there, experiencing the home for myself, engaging all my sense do I finally realize that Fallingwater to me is spiritual, not just beautiful.  I am not sure how he did that, but he was able to do this with other designs as well.

I won't forget the anticipation I felt as I walked the path from the visitor's center through the forest imagining what I would see first.  I didn't know what to expect.  When it came into view I felt the goosebumps form on my arms and shoulders.  There it was.... it was real after all, not just this fantasy I had imagined for so long.  Seeing it emerge through the trees was very cool.

This is such an unusual house because you are using all of your senses in a heightened way.  What you see, hear, touch and feel is magnified.  You are literally walking in the forest over a waterfall as you walk through the house. It just isn't the same as any proverbial cabin in the woods.  It is different. 

The cars could drive up and through the house underneath these amazing latticed beams that tied directly into the limestone walls. The road goes right up to the guest quarters and pool that was added later. 

The guest rooms rooms are very cool

One of the absolute genius elements is the staircase that goes from inside the home to the edge of the stream that flows underneath the home right above the falls.  You can dip your feet into the water or just jump in and swim around.  The water is always present.  The sound of water is constant.....Amazing!

He left the floor uneven to mirror the unevenness of the floor of the woods and trails outside.  He didn't want the owners to forget where they were.  He made the granite shiny to seem wet like the stones outside in the river.

He designed an almost secret stair case directly from the master bedroom that ended up in a small natural plunge pool.  FLW didn't like swimming pools but allowed it here as long it was naturally fed from spring water.

 On hot days it probably was wonderful to sneak down, dip and then then run back up to the room without anyone seeing.

 Here is another gem from the mind of FLW.  If you notice there is a basin of slow running water that naturally flows from spring and if you look close, there is a bar of white soap on a chain.  This seems way ahead of its time.   (Remember soap on the rope ?) The idea was to quickly dip your feet in the pool and clean them off before entering the home.  No spigot, just natural water that flows back down into the river. 

Of course the best way to see the entire house is only from this one famous spot where everyone goes to take a pic.  To think that he designed this home in less than 4 hours after the Kaufmanns told him they were on their way to see him and the design of the home.  He sketched it out and had his drafts people finish as the door bell rang. He visited the site beforehand, but it had been a while so most of it was in his head.  Pure genius.

Is it not absolutely incredible?  Fora do comum one would say in Portuguese. Unique and timeliness....

I can't believe I finally got there.  It was all that I hoped it would be and more....

Sometimes when you see something you fantasize about for so long it can be disappointing in real life.  I wondered how it would be for me..... It turned out to be perfect.  To have been able to touch the uneven wet walls, listen to the ever present sound of rushing of water and to see the leaves fall across the open verandas was a childhood dream come true.  And to finally stand where he did when he first looked at the waterfall and envisioned an incredible dream was very special.  

“Space is the breath of art.”

― Frank Lloyd Wright