To what extent can design, location and materials help people to make a more meaningful connection with both earth and sky? Introduction Architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Eric W. Reinholdt and Kataro Ide have all designed organic structures that help humans make a more meaningful connection with their surroundings. I will be analysing these architects and their buildings; Falling Water (Pennsylvania, United States), Long studio (Mount Desert, Maine), Shell (Kitasaku District, Japan). I will compare these buildings in order to see some sort of pattern or relationship with design in order for the building to connect a person with both earth and sky. I understand that this will only be achieved if I analyse the structure, materials and colour as well as its location. Wright’s work is mostly focused on organic design; Reinholdt mostly uses materials and colour to give essence and light to a building whereas Ide’s work is influenced by the location and the engineering of complex structures to mimic nature itself. In this essay, I hope to understand how these factors may influence how a person will interact with the building and their surroundings. Through research on the architects and their work, I have come to the decision that structure, location and materials have influenced a person to be more connected to their surroundings. These three key elements are a huge factor in what makes a building connected with nature and sky.
Falling water
Shell house
Long studio
Impact of the structure of the buildings to mimic natures forms to connect human with earth All architects mentioned in the introduction have distinct forms and structures that mimic natural forms. Structure is important in this case as it helps a building to blend in with its surroundings as well as bringing nature inside the building. Falling water was built as a weekend home for the Kaufmann family. This house is located in Bear Run nature reserve. It was built on their favourite rock where they used to have picnic when they visited this location, with a waterfall running under the house. This tells us that this location has sentimental value to the family and whenever they visit this location, they have a connection with this place. Wright’s goal was not to lose that connection that the family had and build something that would blend with the surroundings and make it look like it is part of the rock that it is built on. Wright’s approach was to use organic architecture. Wright describes organic architecture as architecture, “whose shape or function mimics nature”. Using the keyword ‘mimic’, Wright has mimicked the design of the building with the natural forms of a rock. When a rock is placed next to water
it will erode over thousands of years. The shape/ scars the water creates on the rock are streaks of linear lines. Judging by Wrights design he consciously used that as a design feature for Fallingwater. This idea will make the human mind believe that this building existed for thousands of years and has merged with the nature around it, hence making a person more connected with the outside world when inside the building.
Another building that has intriguing structure and forms is the Shell house by Ide. This house is meant to function as a vacation home which is built in the woods of Karuizawa, located in the Nagano prefecture of Japan. This structure is built to withstand humid summers and cold winters. In Japan, most people build their homes from typical wood from their local area. What Ide did was to use reinforced concrete so the building would not be susceptible to decay. Ide built this Shell house as an inspiration from a Conch. It takes the form of two elliptical shells in the form of a j-shape which is raised above the ground by 1400mm, making the house seamlessly float. Looking at the images of the shell house bellow, we can see a great sense of nature around it, many trees and green space. The building also looks like it was built around nature as there is a central tree placed in the middle of the courtyard. The building seems as if it is sculpted around the tree preserving as much nature around it as possible. As the building is inspired by a conch it is almost as if Ide was bringing the sea/ ocean into the woods. This part of the woods is very humid in the summer, so it would be very wet and foggy most of the time. The imagery this creates is a shell floating in the fog of the woods. As weird as it may sound it makes sense as a conch in its natural state would be on the bedsheets of the seashore, in the literal sense this is also true as the building is raised up to seem as it floats, and it sits just on top of the humid fog in the summer. The mimicking of nature really reminds me of how Wright was inspired to design his buildings, “whose shape or function mimics nature”. The distinct design of the elliptical shell structure is really unique, very soft edges and a passive environment – It looks very peaceful. For a person living in this home, it will give them a sense of peace, it will make a person more connected with the building. The design of the building gives harmony with nature and hence the people ln the building. The large entrances and the huge panels of glass help natural light enter the interior, which makes it feel like nature is entering the building.
How does a choice of material affect architectural design and help humans make a more meaningful connection with earth and sky? Looking both at Wrights and Ides buildings; Shell house and Fallingwater, they have an abundance of glass and window panels. These are important as they help natural light enter the building and help a person to view their surroundings from the inside of the building. What Wright did was implement invisible mullions in glass panes to increases the field of view out of the windows and eliminate any distractions. Fallingwater has no walls facing the falls only glass panes, apart from the central core of the fireplace and stone columns. This creates a panoramic view of the falls from the whole interior space. This ultimately helps humans believe that the nature outside the building feels like it is inside and part of the building, consequently having a more welcoming environment. Wright built this house using local rock, wood and steel to support the structure. The impact of using local rock helps the building blend with its environment. As the building was built on top of a rock and because the structure is mostly rock suggests it is an extension of the rock the Kaufmann family had picnic on. The largely extended terraces made out of concrete help to view the whole panorama helping nature enter the house. Seeing a building made of similar materials as the geology around it makes the viewer believe that this building is part of nature, it helps the building blend in and make the surrounding in sync with nature. The interior of Fallingwater brings nature into the building. For example; Wright left rock from the structure of the building and left it exposed in the interior, he also built the house with an abundance of glass to help all the scenery enter the interior and paint a canvas of nature on every wall. This makes the overall house greener and more pleasant for a person to be in. Similarly, with the shell house and its abundance of windows also allows natural light to enter the building, helping the eye see the environment inside the house and helping the mind come to ease. The building is made of reinforced concrete which often makes you think of a cold piece of rock and additionally because there is a lot of natural light it helps the concrete illuminate from the glow of the sun and giving a warm tone to the interior. Giving a warm feeling and a sense of welcoming. These small little details and features help the mind subconsciously have a more meaningful connection to the environment. Another building which I have not talked about is the Long Studio by Reinholdt. This building uses a range of materials from the local environment and skylights to help the building coexist with nature. This is a multi-functional studio which will be used as a quiet working or learning place for Reinholdt and his family. This is a compact building with a small footprint. This building implements glass and natural light, but in a different way; Reinholdt uses skylights to light up the
interior during different seasons ultimately becoming a canvas for changing light patterns. There are windows that sometimes do not let any light in when the sun is high in the sky and will only let light through when the sun is low, and all the leaves have fallen. What this does is creates a blueprint of how the interior looks depending on what time of day it is in the year, coalescing seasons with the light patterns in the studio. The firewood logs are placed in the façade of the studio which makes it look like a seasonal clock filling up in the winter and depleting by the end of spring. Reinholdt went for a traditional English barn style and a mix of humble materials to create a large sheltering space with little money – A container for an extra evolving creative life. This seasonal building which evolves over time has a very unique connection with nature. It’s not something that blends in with nature, but instead coexists with it and enhances it. For a human being living in this environment, it will adapt them to the environment and appreciate every detail of it.
The simplicity in design of the structure helps the place to be less cluttered and hence your thoughts less cluttered for a more creative work flow. How Reinholdt describes his connection with this place is that it helped him relax and be more organised, it is a place where he settles down and allows his creativity to start working. An interesting feature he implemented in his studio is a sliding door made out of glass. Through the glass, you can see the vicinity of the woods and their natural forms. This sliding door is used for drafting ideas with a chalk pen. This combination of glass and a drawing surface creates a very diverse canvas which gives you inspiration whilst drawing. Small details like that make you appreciate the world around you.
How does location influence Humans connection with earth and sky? What all three buildings have in common is that they are all built in the woods and far away from the city. This isolation from the outside world and coexistence with nature is key to have a meaningful connection with it. Taking Wright’s building we have the house situated on top of the falls where it is part of the rocks around it. Propositions were made so that the house would be built to view the waterfall that flows by the rock where the family spent their time, but Wright audaciously offered to make the house part of the waterfall. The first time he visited the site he stated, “visit to the waterfall in the woods stays with me and a
domicile takes shape in my mind to the music of the stream.� This influenced his decision to make the home part of the waterfall. This is a very good example of location connecting humans to their surroundings. As Wright said, he was connected with the sound of the falls. The Shell house which is built in Kitasaku District is one hundred kilometres from Tokyo, so it is far away from any strong light pollution. When you are in the woods with no light pollution the whole universe lights up the night sky. For a human being who has no perception of how big the universe really is, it makes you contemplate how small and insignificant we really are. There are many galaxies millions of light years away and we are just a speck floating in space. It makes you think that all life we know existed on this planet and nowhere else, it helps you appreciate everything we have and know. For Reinholdt’s long studio, which is located in Desert Island in Maine is completely isolated from the city life. Watching Reinholdt’s video about his life as an architect, he says that living in a remote place like this helps him generate more ideas. Early in the mornings, he works in the studio by sketching or model making. After a few hours in the morning, he would go out to hike or cycle. He goes out in nature to refresh himself and just have a break from indoors. Getting out in nature and breathing fresh air clears your mind. It helps you generate more ideas and helps you become more creative. Reinholdt has created a routine where he would do this every morning. Living in a location where there is an abundance of nature really influences you to explore it.
Conclusion Looking back at everything I have researched. I can determine that material choice was a heavy factor in which helps humans connect to the earth and sky. Glass was the main material in which allowed a person to have a more meaningful connection with nature as it allowed natural light to enter the structures and illuminate them inside out. Looking at Reinholdt's design, he used windows around his whole studio so that depending on what season it was the interior would light up differently all the time, hence making a different building all the time. Wrights and Ides building also have good use of windows to allow natural light into the interior and help nature be part of the house, creating a more meaningful connection between people and nature. The other factor would be which helps humans to interact with nature. When a structural form mimics organic forms it ultimately becomes an organic structure. Wrights use of organic architecture helps the building follow natural forms and mimic nature, with an effect of the building becoming part of nature. Fallingwater is built out of local rock and glass ultimately becoming a part of the local geology in the area, which helps it blend to its surroundings. The heavy use of glass also makes it look that nature is within the interior which also supports the fact that the house is part of nature. For a person living in this house, it will make them feel like they are living in nature and not a house. It will make them feel relaxed, at peace and feel like they are part of it. Finally, with the location, it is a good idea having any house far from the city as it will allow you to disconnect from the busy and industrial life and feel more connected with the rural area as well as the culture around it. It also allows you to have a more meaningful connection with Earth. This is because more stars and galaxies are visible at night and for people who star gaze, they feel more empowered as there are so many things beyond earth that we do not know about and that there is so much more to explore. Personally, when I star gaze, I feel this connection with the earth. A connection that makes me appreciate what we have on this planet, there are so many solar systems out there and we are the only planet known to sustain life. The perfect distance away
from its star, the right composition in the atmosphere and a magnetic field that protects us from harmful radiation. It just shows how lucky we are to have this planet and it puts things into perspective of how precious this planet of ours is. I’m sure other people have a similar opinion as I do when viewing the night sky. Everyone has their own style and the design of a building can be a controversial topic to if it helps them connect more with nature. If a building is built with a design that fits everyone’s individual purposes, then I believe that design can heavily influence a person and their connection with nature. For example, take organic architecture, “whose shape or function mimics nature”. This quote from Wright will depend between people. People will see nature differently and this will depend on how the building should be designed for each person. With the right design for a given person, the building will seamlessly blend in with the surroundings. Each building will be fit for a different person, mimicking their personalities and the appearance of nature, ultimately combining the two. Although I only looked at three topics, there are many more that influence a person’s relationship with earth and sky such as; Weather, culture in the area, how a building may use natural resources to sustain itself or even the building process of a house and how involved a client may have been with the process. Some may argue that this is not a comprehensive view as it does not cover every topic. To improve this, I could have looked at more architects within the topics I mentioned and explored a broader range of factors on how a person may have a more meaningful connection with both earth and sky. Overall, I believe that location design and materials have a big effect on a person, allowing them to have a more meaningful connection with both earth and sky.
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