Having determined the client's needs, the site to which a structure was to be built was thoroughly examined to determine what challenges and opportunities Nature had given the designer with which to work. All sites presented challenges, but these were of different types.
For Unity Temple, in Oak Park, Illinois, the site was relatively small, devoid of most vegetation, had a railroad running behind the site and a busy street on the front side. The client was a relatively small church congregation with limited resources that needed a place for quiet worship and activity.
At SAMARA, Wright was faced with a hillside lot about an acre in size, completely downhill from one of the neighbors, next to a busy street, blessed with a dedicated street at the bottom of the hill, and planted with an evergreen nursery.
The clients, John and Catherine Christian, were quiet persons who wanted an unusual home that was suitable for causal living, frequent entertaining of both university staff and students, and suitable for raising a family.
The two sites also demonstrate examples of the very nature of Organic Architecture. In essence, Mr. Wright was always striving to enhance the site on which his buildings were placed. Therefore, when faced with a small site, devoid of much natural appeal, the building would tend to dominate the site, as Unity Temple does.