This week’s lecture covered some of the most iconic buildings in modern architecture. These structures include Frank Lloyd Write’s Falling Water and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye and more. Frank Lloyd Write’s Falling Water is arguably one of the most famous residential homes. Even to the untrained eye, the angular home resting on top of a waterfall is recognizable to some extent. It is one of my personal favorite structures. Another favorite of mine is Villa Savoye. I had first learned about this home my senior year of high school and it has stuck in my mind since then. Villa Savoye is easily recognizable as the work of Le Corbusier with its reinforced windows, clean lines, and simple reinforced concrete structure. Both these buildings were designed as weekend retreats for family’s, one in Pennsylvania and the other in the outskirts of Paris. I find it interesting how these two buildings have so much in common, yet so many differences. Visually, one can see that they are both modernist works of architecture, both their structures are built using mainly rectangular shapes. Despite the common use of straight lines, the buildings have two completely different vibes. Modern work is commonly associated with white, a color Le Corbusier was fond of using. It is clean, it is simple, but many times it can come off as cold. While not straying from geometric forms and lines, Frank Lloyd Write’s projects have a much warmer feel to them. They are still modern, but somehow much cozier. Taking full advantage of its environment, Falling Water uses warm earthy tones and stones on both its interior and exterior. The colors and materials allow it to feel like it fits seamlessly into its environment, despite the juxtaposition of the geometric shapes to the organic surroundings. La Villa Savoye does the opposite. Sitting at the center of a large field, the stark white structure stands out against the bright green grass. The building fully embodies his five points of architectural aesthetic and the look of the exterior os carried through to the interior. While Falling Water is tucked into the landscape, Villa Savoye is further made to stand out by being built to look like it is floating. The lower level is painted green to blend into the filed and make the upper level seem to be floating on the pilotis. One of the most incredible aspects of this building is the staircase that runs through the center of the structure and the ramp that seamlessly connects each level, including the rooftop terrace. The building may be incredibly geometric but these aspects give it a perfect sense of flow and movement throughout. There are many things that fascinate me about comparing and contrasting these two buildings. Like all the famous architects that worked in this style at this time, there are obvious similarities between the structures, however I think Frank Lloyd Write has a flare of his own that is a little bit different from all the rest. I like to look at that because when it comes to architectural styles, from afar, things may appear very similar and hard to distinguish from one another, but when you look closely and study different designers, you clearly see their own styles and trademarks emerging on a building. I also think it is interesting to compare an American architect to a world renowned European. I believe Frank Lloyd Write is one of the first American architects to receive the same kind of acclaim as Europeans have been given for years. The international style is the first to have been developed in multiple continents, hence the name, which makes it very interesting to look at in different countries. I am also intrigued by the fame and impact buildings like these have. It is amazing to me how architecture really can become so important and iconic, and here you see two magnificent residential homes that have made such a large impact that you usually only see in massive buildings. This makes me wonder, what exactly makes a building so iconic?
