"When asked what was his best design, Frank Lloyd Wright would frequently reply, 'The next one.'"

The construction innovations of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture are bold, numerous and varied. Spanning seven decades, Wright's works show a continuous refinement of his ideas from one period to the next.

SAMARA, being one of Wright's last Usonian designs, contains over 40 construction innovations in the living room alone. However, Mr. Wright's innovations are found throughout the property on both the interior and exterior parts of the house.

For my study, I have selected four of Wright's major innovations as they relate to breaking the box, a roof to fit the site, a fascia to tickle the eye and storage for the beast - and more. These major innovations have their own unique historical perspectives which I trace back to their beginnings around the 1890s and up to the 1930s. The accompanying photographs are all original taken by the author.

The following images illustrate the four construction innovations for this study.

Robie House 1908 The Ultimate Broken Box	Nathan Moore Residence 1895-1923 Roof for the Site	A. D. German Warehouse 1916 Fascia to Tickle the Eye	SAMARA 1954 Store the Beast

Overviews
[ Nature of Materials ]   [ Building on a Unit ]   [ The Owner's View ]   [ Building the Wright Way ]
[ Historical Perspectives ]   [ Manipulating the Spaces ]   [ Oriental Influence ]