"Bring out the nature of the materials, let their nature intimately into your scheme." Frank Lloyd Wright, 1908

The clerestory is a brilliant innovation of Frank Lloyd Wright for manipulating space and getting rid of the box. Its construction, however, is not very apparent to the causal observer which of course was totally anticpated by Mr. Wright.

The workability, strength and durability of wood, glass and steel, as understood by the world's greatest architect, make the clerestory at SAMARA a magnificant expression of beauty and art. A new sense of space between the upper and lower roofs of the house is created by extending the lower roof as a deck two feet into the living room, kitchen area, utility room and master bedroom of the house. In the living room, the result is spectacular by drawing the eyes upward and toward the southeast corner of the house which is open to Nature by means of a mitered-glass corner extending from the floor to the ceiling.

Yet, support for the large roofs that create the "floating" clerestory of the house is inconspicuous because it appears to be in the form of glass, thin strands of wood frames and even the curtains that are designed to extend from the deck ceiling to the floor. The perforated boards located in the clerestory also appear to be supporting the upper roof and ceiling.

The truth is that none of these obvious building materials supports the two flat roofs of the house. This, of course, is evident from the nature of the materials. But, Frank Lloyd Wright still makes us believe and feel that the two roofs of SAMARA are only supported by elegant wood, plate glass and curtain fabric.

Nevertheless, the real story about the construction of the SAMARA clerestory remains in the nature of the materials.
Or, better yet, in Wright's understanding of the nature of the beauty of wood, glass and cloth when used in conjunction with steel.

Overviews of Construction Innovations
[ Nature of Materials ]   [ Building on a Unit ]   [ The Owner's View ]   [ Building the Wright Way ]
[ Historic Perspectives ]   [ Manipulating the Space ]   [ Oriental Influence ]