Frank Lloyd Wright designed Fallingwater for his friend Edgar Kaufmann, who asked him for a holiday home for his family that faced the 30-foot (nine-metre) waterfall of the Bear Run Nature Reserve in rural Pennsylvania. On visiting the site, Wright spotted a rock that jutted out over the streaming water, and decided to build the house there instead and let the water flow underneath. Taking cues from the rock edges, Wright cantilevered floors from the house’s three levels. Occupied by a series of terraces wrapped with reinforced concrete balconies, these project over the water’s edge at the rear and the wooded valley on the other sides.
Despite being regarded as one of the greatest achievements of Modernist architecture, this house is also known for having some design flaws. Most of them are related with its structure: Fallingwater’s structural system includes a series of very bold reinforced concrete cantilevered balconies. Pronounced deflection of the concrete cantilevers was noticed as soon as formwork was removed at the construction stage (and the contractor had added reinforcement over Wright’s plan). This deflection continued to increase over time, and eventually reached 7 inches (180 mm) over a 15 foot (4.6 m) span, and was only solved in 2002, when the structure was repaired permanently using post-tensioning.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit this house a few times. It really is a marvel. I am always struck by the sound of the stream in all of the rooms. So relaxing. I haven’t been back in a few years. Thanks for the pic and the memory.
joaoslr says
Frank Lloyd Wright designed Fallingwater for his friend Edgar Kaufmann, who asked him for a holiday home for his family that faced the 30-foot (nine-metre) waterfall of the Bear Run Nature Reserve in rural Pennsylvania. On visiting the site, Wright spotted a rock that jutted out over the streaming water, and decided to build the house there instead and let the water flow underneath. Taking cues from the rock edges, Wright cantilevered floors from the house’s three levels. Occupied by a series of terraces wrapped with reinforced concrete balconies, these project over the water’s edge at the rear and the wooded valley on the other sides.
Despite being regarded as one of the greatest achievements of Modernist architecture, this house is also known for having some design flaws. Most of them are related with its structure: Fallingwater’s structural system includes a series of very bold reinforced concrete cantilevered balconies. Pronounced deflection of the concrete cantilevers was noticed as soon as formwork was removed at the construction stage (and the contractor had added reinforcement over Wright’s plan). This deflection continued to increase over time, and eventually reached 7 inches (180 mm) over a 15 foot (4.6 m) span, and was only solved in 2002, when the structure was repaired permanently using post-tensioning.
Photo source
Crossposted from /r/ModernistArchitecture
Murphy1511 says
This is soooo modern for that time
ryanwgrass says
I’ve been lucky enough to visit this house a few times. It really is a marvel. I am always struck by the sound of the stream in all of the rooms. So relaxing. I haven’t been back in a few years. Thanks for the pic and the memory.