Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright

(Façade)

By

Ken Wong Chun Thim

Façade comes from the French language which means “frontage” or “face”. The

façade of the building is an important element of the building as it represents the

exterior appearance of the structure and reflects how the interior is designed as well. In

other words, we should be able to look at a building’s façade and know its function.

From the façade we can see the architect’s design philosophy and intentions. In order to

compare how Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright design their façade, we must first

know their past and influences that shape their style.

“We want to create the purely organic building, boldly emanating its inner laws,

free of untruths or ornamentation.” (Gropius, n.d.)

Walter Gropius founded the Staatliches Bauhaus in Weimar which “strives to

combine all artistic endeavor, to unite all artistic disciplines – sculpture, painting, and

applied arts and crafts – in the building.” (Bauhaus-online.de, n.d.) The idea was to

“create a new unity of crafts, art and technology.” (Bauhaus-online.de, n.d.) It meant

introducing industrial methods and production into the world of architecture and art.

Gropius celebrated the new concrete or steel framework as it was more economical

than standard masonry. He also mentioned “what is far more important than this

structural economy and its functional emphasis is the intellectual achievement which

has made possible a new spatial vision.” (Gropius, 1965, pp.24) The new spatial vision

is known as the free open floor plan. He often referred to it as New Architecture. This

approach in architecture can be seen in the design of his own house, the Gropius

House.

“So here I stand before you preaching organic architecture: declaring organic

architecture to be the modern ideal and the teaching so much needed if we are to see

the whole of life, and to now serve the whole of life, holding no ‘traditions’ essential to

the great TRADITION. Nor cherishing any preconceived form fixing upon us either past,

present or future, but—instead—exalting the simple laws of common sense—or of

super-sense if you prefer—determining form by way of the nature of materials ...”

(Wright, 1939)

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect who coined organic architecture.

Wright (1949) defined organic architecture in which all parts related to the whole and

whole is related to the parts. When applied to building design, it means the design of

parts controls the design of the whole. Wright once said “that abstract saying Form and

function are one is the center line of architecture, organic. It places us in line with nature

and enables us sensibly to go to work.” (Wright, 1953, pp. 296). He also made an

emphasis on the preservation of a material’s natural quality and uses it for its intended

purpose. Besides that, Frank Lloyd Wright was influenced by Japanese art and

architecture which puts emphasis on nature and it can be seen in his Prairie style

houses, especially the Robie House.

Both architects have a similar yet different approach in designing their building.

For instance, they believe there should be a relationship between the exterior and

interior of a building. Gropius’s philosophy of a house is it should not resemble a

fortress but be of light construction and full of natural light. To achieve this, Gropius

used new technology in his architecture where he applied “new space-saving

construction transfers the whole load of the structure to a steel or concrete framework.”

(Gropius, 1965, pp. 26). It causes the walls to be just screens between columns for

keeping out rain, sun and sound. This allowed Gropius to create brightly lit interior for

most of his buildings as it utilizes the new structural framework that enable the walls to

be non-load bearing thus enabling the walls to have larger openings which allows more

light into the space inside (Gropius, 1965, pp. 26). He mentions, “It is, therefore only

logical that the old type of window a hole that had to be hollowed out of the full

thickness of a supporting wall — should be giving place more and more to the

continuous horizontal casement, subdivided by thin steel mullions, characteristic of the

New Architecture.” (Gropius, 1965, pp. 26-27). Therefore, a free façade is created. As a

result, the Gropius house can be seen to have ribbon windows along its façade. The

free standing wall also creates the terrace where the spiral staircase can be seen. The

rear facade also has this quality where a floor to ceiling windows in the living room

opens up to the view outside and allows sunlight into the space.

Horizontal planes of Robie HouseRibbon windows along the facade

For Frank Lloyd Wright, his design principle is “idea of the room itself or the within

illustrates the importance of a single room or principal interior space in determining

the architectural character throughout a building.” (Cruz, 2012). For an example, the

client for the Robie House wanted the idea of seeing his neighbors without being seen.

The principal of the interior space is to allow views outside and prevent views inside.

Wright approached this request by using horizontal overlapping planes that elegantly

distance the house from the street. He also used low overhanging eaves to allow the

interior to be sheltered and have long spans of windows open to the outside from the

interior. The architectural character is shown throughout the building with the

horizontal elements of the horizontal overlapping planes, the low overhanging eaves

and long spans of windows. It can be said that his architecture “develops from within

outward”. With these examples, Gropius and Wright both show how the experience and

ideas of interior spaces show in the façade. They designed the interior first, taking into

account the mood, scale and movement within the house. The façade is then molded

and is the result of the interior spatial idea.

In architecture, every architect have to consider the site context and design

accordingly. The façade should reflect the characteristic of the site. Gropius combines

elements from the site with his design principles of the Bauhaus. He said “‘Respect for

Tradition’ does not mean the complacent toleration of elements which have been a

matter of fortuitous chance or of individual eccentricity; nor does it mean the

acceptance of domination by bygone aesthetic forms. It means and always has meant,

the preservation of essentials in the process of striving to get at what lies at the back of

all materials and every technique, by giving semblance to the one with the intelligent aid

of the other.” (Gropius, 1965, pp. 112). The Gropius House is the result of the

combination of New England architecture with Bauhaus principles. He only took

elements of New England architecture that are relevant to the time and era of living and

merged it with his set of design principles. For example, the façade of the house is

sheathed with white painted tongue and grove vertical siding which was used in New

England architecture. He also incorporated a grey painted brick exterior chimney on the

west side which is of laid in Flemish bond which is inspired from the same style of

architecture. He used a flat roof opposed to a standard gabled roof as it lessens the

maintenance work as well as allows rain water to fall into a dry well with its roof that is

slightly tilted to the center. It is more economically efficient and it also ties back to his

design philosophy of having ‘concise and economical solutions’ (Gropius, 1965, pp. 24).

Through the Gropius House, we can learn that he combines the old (New England

architecture) and new (New Architecture) by using elements of the old which are

relevant and beneficial for the new.

Wright (1908) on the other hand believes that the building should blend in with

the landscape or ground and be part of it. This belief originates from his philosophy of

architecture which is organic architecture. The Robie House consists of horizontal

elements throughout its façade. Its horizontality originates from the Prairie style which is

part of organic architecture as it mimics the wide and flat span of treeless landscapes of

mid-Western United States. The style can be seen from the overhanging eaves, low-

pitched roofs and horizontal bands of windows. Wright uses nature as an inspiration in

exploring form. He abstracts nature into its basic elements and uses them in

architectural language. In the case of Robie House, he used the geometrical

consistency of horizontality to form a grammatical consistency. A grammatical

consistency allows for a unified whole which he strives for in organic architecture. Thus

it can be seen that the Robie House looks as if it grew from the ground and enhances

its surroundings as it resembles the prairies. To compare Gropius and Wright, Gropius

incorporates existing architectural elements from the surrounding architecture and

marries them with his own whereas Wright gets his inspiration from the natural and

basic elements of his site then convert them into architectural languages and design in

a way it matches the nature of the surroundings.

The dissimilarity in form shown in the façade of the house demonstrates the

difference in their design philosophy although they have the same process of using the

internal spaces to shape the external. Based on Gropius’s philosophy, “The liberation of

architecture from a welter of ornament, the emphasis on its structural functions, and the

concentration on concise and economical solutions, represent the purely material side

of that formalizing process on which the practical value of the New Architecture

depends” (Gropius, 1965, pp. 24), it shows he does not use ornaments and emphasizes

more on the function, economical solution and experience of a space. Notice that he

doesn’t mention anything about form, it implies that Gropius’s form derives from the

balance of the structural function, economical solution and material. For example, the

form of Gropius House consists of the asymmetrical balance of the combination of

cuboids (house) and irregular shapes (entrance and spiral staircase). The reason why

cuboids are the regularly used form in his designs is because of its economic value. The

irregular shapes provide visual interest at the front façade of the house. The slanting

entrance provides an oblique approach to the house which allows a person to view

more of the façade since they are approaching at an angle. The black spiral staircase is

a contrast to the white building and looks as if a sculpture with a function. He also plays

with solids and voids which can be seen in the terrace and back porch (voids). Gropius

designs in a way that the functions shapes the form of the building and the harmonious

amalgamation of different functions and forms results to the asymmetry in his house.

Wright’s design philosophy is shown in Robie House where he believes ‘form and

function are one’ in which he wants to achieve continuity where structure, space,

purpose and form are seamless to one another. He wanted to emphasize the horizontal

form of building and expressing it in function. In this case he achieve that by using the

two steel beams which run on the long axis of the house to support the overhanging

eaves (structure) which creates a sense of privacy while allowing views outwards

(space and purpose) with its long horizontal profile (form). Another example would be

Gropius House ground floor plan Robie House ground floor plan

the long spans of windows (structure) along the façade which allows light in while

creating privacy (space and purpose) with the use of ornaments on the glass panels

(form). It can be seen that he uses repetition of geometry throughout the whole house.

The repetition of the horizontal geometry causes the house to appear to be one

complete entity. This horizontal entity appears to have grown from the ground where it

sits as its horizontality is originally inspired from the surrounding prairies.

To summarize, an architect’s intentions can be easily seen from the façade. Both

Gropius and Wright design the spaces first and the façade is the result of that

exploration. “For whereas building is merely a matter of methods and materials,

architecture implies the mastery of space.” (Gropius, 1965, pp. 24). Both of them

focused on the creating the internal spaces as it is a place of living and activity of

people. The focus on space shows originates from Gropius’s philosophy of the Bauhaus

where ‘form follows function’ and Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture where

‘form and function are one’. The treatment of the façade is also determined by the

context of the site. Both architects pay attention to incorporate elements of their site into

their architecture to ensure it is relevant to the place. However, the integration of the site

into their buildings is different. The orientation of the Gropius house, the location of

windows to catch views and light, the siting on the crest of the hill and the landscaping

of the exterior were the result of long, careful planning, and attention to economy. The

house echoes the Gropius’s philosophy that aesthetic, psychological and spiritual

appeal result from careful proportioning and honest use of materials and forms. In

Wright’s case, he wants his building to be integrated into the site as if it grew out from

the ground. He takes nature as his inspiration and abstracts it into architecture. Lastly,

the dissimilarity of form in the houses of Gropius and Wright shows their difference in

philosophy. The Gropius house is asymmetrically balanced whereas the Robie House is

more symmetrically balanced. For Gropius, he pays more attention to the function and

experience of the space rather than the form. It can be said that he is willing to sacrifice

the form for the function. Wright approach to design problems is he considers the form

and function as a whole and ensures they are connected by one another in some way.

One would say he pays much attention to the form of the house as to function. He

ensures the form is consistent throughout the whole house without being merely form

without function. As parting words, the façade is an important aspect of a building where

it reflects an architect’s thinking and process in designing the overall building. A good

façade should express the function of the building and inform on the experience of the

spaces inside.

(1952 words)

References

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Bauhaus-online.de. Idea and locations | Bauhaus Online. Retrieved 7 June 2015, from

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Bauhaus-online.de. Walter Gropius | Bauhaus Online. Retrieved 7 June 2015, from

http://bauhaus-online.de/en/atlas/personen/walter-gropius

Cruz, C. (2012). Function – Purpose – Use in Architecture and Urbanism.

Wolkenkuckucksheim, 17(32), 27. Retrieved from

http://www.cloud-cuckoo.net/journal1996-2013/inhalt/en/issue/2012-1.php

Gropius House – Ground floor plan. [Digital Image] Retrieved from

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Gropius, W. (1965). The new architecture and the Bauhaus (pp. 24-27, 112).

Cambridge, Mass.: M.I.T. Press.

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l45Vz5.png

Robie House ground floor plan. [Digital Image] Retrieved from

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800px-Casa_robie_1%C2%BA_planta.jpg

Wright, F. (1939). An organic architecture; the architecture of democracy. MIT Press.

Wright, F. (1953). The future of architecture (p. 296). New York: Horizon Press.