"To think is to deal in simples." Louis Sullivan, 1893

Frank Lloyd Wright's desire to provide low cost housing for the typical American family was realized, in part, by simplifying construction. One of his basic solutions involved the use of the unit system of construction, manifested through a geometric grid. The grid provided order for the plan and created precise, rigid lines for construction.

America's middle class was the target for this great experiment called Usonia. While the unit concept was evident in the larger, more lavish commissions of the Prairie period, Wright needed a way to scale things down. To simplify; to provide the client with a natural, organic simplicity and elegance. Simple, but not plain. Moreover, he needed a way to present the Usonian concepts to his clients who would find it easier to digest if the entire design and plan for living were reduced to a sheet of simple graph paper.

In my study, I will take a closer look at the detailed aspects of the grid system, its relationship to Nature and Wright's Philosophy, aspects of the living environment, different perspectives of other sites and the relevance to SAMARA.

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 ]