Fallingwater House

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Fallingwater House
Casa Cascada.jpg
Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright
Year(s) of design: 1934-1935
Year(s) of construction: 1936-1937
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates: 39° 54' 23" N, 79° 27' 54" W
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The building, constructed in three levels, is built on a rock on a natural waterfall.

Its composition is horizontal, although somewhat complex. The vertical axis is defined by the chimney that stands out above the deck. The building grows from within outwards and is spreading according to the needs of its residents. Therefore, it can be amended, as in the organic architecture building is conceived as a living thing and that can change.

Each floor is marked by wide overhangs that are projected asymmetrically in several directions. In fact terraces are bounded by smooth slabs of concrete. To adopt this solution, Wright was inspired by Japanese architecture. The exterior of the house has an intimate relationship with nature that surrounds it. The architect tried to use natural materials-wood, brick, rock, which achieved a greater integration between the building and the forest that surrounds it.

What really worries the architect is the habitability of the interior. The interior space should be comprehensive and free, and therefore tries to avoid at all possible limits. The large living area has a wall of glass that lets you enjoy the view of the waterfall, in addition to receiving its relaxing rumor. The use of large windows eliminated the separation between the rooms and outside. They have, among other functions, to reflect natural light and project it in an indirect way into the interior. The upper terrace provides a more intimate to the house. With this work Wright gets the maximum freedom of expression while maintaining harmony with the environment. With the integration of water, trees, rocks, sky and nature throughout the shelter closes a certain romantic view of the house, but opens a new dimension to the space-time refuge of men.


The land on which the house is located has plenty of rocks at ground level, which served as the foundation of the building. The area has a slightly bumpy relief, a forest of deciduous trees that remains virtually untouched since only a footpath leading to the house, and Bear Creek, which is the cascade of the house. Terrain of the site were removed rocks that make up the bottom of masonry facades of the building, placed there to create a natural progression from rock to the concrete floor of the parties to highlands. The rest of the facades is cream colored, contrasting with the color green or brown (depending on the season). Another contrasting element of the house are orthogonal forms that have overhangs and walls, imposing well as the house "architecture".

The building bears a relationship with the environment that becomes of respect or adaptation to the environment. Thus, the foundation of the house are the rocks of the place, and some of them forged over the width of the first floor looming next to the fireplace. Much of the house is in overhang at the top of the creek. The engineers at Wright did not trust that this structure would stand and advised Wright to rectify. The pride of this architect allowed him to give up being only a few metal pieces that hold the cantilever, which is still standing after suffering the effects of a tornado. The house has two floors, extending horizontally with prominent overhangs and terraces, however there is a core that grows vertically, which is the chimney. Has some windows that extend vertically and passing from one plant to another, thus demonstrating the forging. This vertical focus is the "heart" of the House of Cascade.

On the north side of the house, the opposite of that "flies" over the stream, there are a number of pergolas as an awning that elapse from the outer wall of stone up a slope that rises on the road to entry. This site is known as the "Forest of the house." Two pergolas describes an arc dodging the trunk of two trees. This resource Wright used it to make it clear respect for nature with which the house is designed. The shadows that change the pergolas resemble those of the logs, an effect that causes the shadow of the house is blurring in the trees. On the floor of the terrace of the office of Mr Kaufmann was left two holes to be passed by two trees. They died during the construction of housing and were not carried out such openings.


Inside the House of the Cascade we find rooms for their unique distribution, location and finishes.

Upon entering the house through the main entrance, located on the north face, we access to a small room with function hall located under the stairs leading to the second floor. After that room is entered in the living room, the largest carrier of the house from which you can enjoy a splendid view of the forest surrounding the house. Upon entering, compared to face is what is called the "Music Corner", whose etymology is unknown, to the right is the area with sofas and behind the "Music Corner" is the "stairway of water", so named because low to a small platform that stands beside the stream. To lower it is necessary to open a sliding glass screens. The steps of the stairway of water "are hanging around in traction wires attached to the first forged.

The walls of the room, like the rest of the house, are equal to the outside, with parts of stone masonry of the place. The soil is brown stone and the roof has a design that wraps the lamps included in it, designed expressly for this house. As you enter the dining room on your right is the fireplace, surrounded by natural rocks that crop out of the ground. To his left is the "ball of wine," a red circular container fitted with a hinge that allows placing it on the fire to warm the drink contains. On both sides of the room there is a door that leads to a terrace. The side that is in turn an outside staircase that leads to the terrace from the bedroom of the son of the Kaufmann. To the left of the fireplace is the door that leads into the kitchen, a bedroom smaller than the living room with furniture designed by Wright and exclusive to this house, as happens with the rest of furniture in the house. Among the door of the kitchen and the staircase is the dining table, built to the north wall of the living room.

On the second floor there are two bedrooms, two bathrooms and the office of Mr. Kaufmann, as well as three terraces and stairs that lead to the lookout on the third floor. As access to this plant comes in a small hallway that distributes the units. Kaufmann's son's bedroom is on the corner of the music "on the first floor, which has a small bathroom. To the east of this bedroom is the terrace of the individual child, in which there is an outside staircase that goes down to the first floor. On the area chairs the living room, the bedroom is of marriage, which has a small bathroom and a large terrace which extends cantilever in a southerly direction. In the western part of the second floor is the office of Mr Kaufmann. In this room there is a bed and a staircase that leads to the lookout on the second floor. The fireplace comes in the bedroom of marriage as in the office. In this last room is the glass window that extends up to run the kitchen. In the west wall of the study there is a door that leads to the terrace of the same, which originally had two trees facing the forged.


The type of structure of the house is aporticado in particular, because there are columns and beams to form porches, and the plates, the horizontal elements that stretch as terraces on the waterfall, were made with concrete. Some walls and other vertical elements that define the spaces of the house, the Like the floor, were lined with native stone from the site. Also you can see some details of the house in steel and wood.


The materials used for the construction of this house were: concrete, stone rugosa, native stone, wood and steel.

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Media:Casa de la Cascada Planos Cad.dwg


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