Site Review: Taliesen West

Upon entering Frank Lloyd Wright’s renown Taliesin West, one is immediately struck with an awareness of place, time and proximity with nature. Wright’s architectural vision to incorporate the outdoor landscape with the interior of his structures is particularly apparent in the 600-acre haven of Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona. Visiting this monumental site allows the public to view Wright’s unique design while also providing insight into the architect behind Taliesin and the values which he held that ultimately dictated his architectural visions. The success of Wright’s design for Taliesin West is reflected in the site’s organically primitive yet brilliantly practical layout and structure. Wright’s harmonious integration of building and landscape prove to be highly functional at Taliesin West.
Taliesin West began to operate as Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and School of Architecture in the Arizona desert in 1937[1]. Wright was adamant about creating site-specific designs and incorporating the natural landscape into the design of a given site, rather than bringing in outside materials. All of the buildings at Taliesin West were constructed with a technique known as “Desert Masonry”[2] where cement is poured onto the existing rocks of the land creating a solidified wall of desert stones and concrete. The specific location of Taliesin West was carefully chosen by Frank Lloyd Wright. Seeking escape from the harsh winters of his hometown in Wisconsin, FLW found solace in a warm and dry location in Paradise Valley, AZ. The structure of Taliesin West, composed primarily of natural materials would not be able to withstand the tolls of wind and rain in a harsher climate.
Taliesin West is composed of numerous spaces scattered across the vast desert landscape with fountains, natural landscaping and desert greenery set throughout the land. Taliesin West can best be described as a group of separate but interrelated units which together form a compound that closely resembles a refined Flintstones-themed retreat.
Every room at Taliesin West (excluding the theatre) radiates with natural light due to the large windows and thin canvas material concealing the rooms and acting as a translucent roof top. (See image below)

Source: http://www.archdaily.com/123117/ad-classics-taliesin-west-frank-lloyd-wright/taliesin-west_flickr-user_lumierefl4/
Utilizing the readily available natural materials, Wright implemented them much like his other Prairie Style projects, with low level, horizontal planes, keeping all buildings low to the ground. The low to the ground building style ensured sufficient shade and proper ventilation in Arizona’s hot desert climate. The flat, horizontal planes in most of Wright’s iconic structures once again reinforce his fixation with nature and the natural landscape, his buildings all seem to mimic flat, vast landscapes. Many rooms at Taliesin West feature stone fireplaces in the center which provide a sense of comfort and shelter (See image below). In his book, “The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright”, Neil Levine describes the centrality of the fireplace, “the formal equation of hearth and home became a fundamental element of the Prairie House type”.[3] In addition, the fireplace is usually a communal site which many gather around, in implementing numerous fireplaces throughout his buildings, Wright was likely implying that these sites were meant to be shared.

Source: http://www.architectmagazine.com/architecture/esto-gallery-fireplaces.aspx
One of the most prominent rooms on the private tour of Taliesin West was the drafting room (See image below). The tour begins in Frank Lloyd Wright’s airy drafting room, with uneven ceiling planes, geometric shaped windows, beige canvas lining and blue/wood Art Deco furniture. Upon entering the room, one feels as if they are still outdoors, the bright natural lighting provides the perfect conditions for the architectural drawings that once took place here. The ceilings are rather low which make it slightly awkward for taller people to move comfortably through the space. The asymmetrical lines of the building mimic the organic lines and curves found in nature. The walls are composed of concrete masonry with rocks unevenly diverging from each other. The colors in the room and present throughout all of Taliesin West consist of Maroon, dark blue, orange and beige, the colors all seem to blend together into a single neutral tone which fittingly represents the desert habitat.

Source: http://www.taliesin.edu
To understand Taliesin West is to understand Frank Lloyd Wright and his revolutionary school of architecture. Wright advocated for ‘organic architecture’ where form and function are combined into one. The pedagogy of Taliesin West, which still remains a fully operating institution, is reflected in the physical structure of the school. The motto for the Taliesin School of Architecture is ‘Live Architecture’[4]. While enrolled in the school, students learn to combine work and life by living on the site of their picturesque school. Students at Taliesin fulfill Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture by immersing themselves in the land and having the option to sleep in tents or shelters in the desert during their residency[5] (See image 4). The institution of Taliesin also recognizes the importance of individual introspection and nature’s ability to induce a placating state on humans. As the website states, the school has “adapted to the needs of a fast-paced culture that may exert redundant pressure on individuals, particularly learners…. the beauty of the natural environments at both campuses offers opportunities for retreat and reflection outdoors, in addition to the students’ personal spaces.”[6] Other educational models should take note of this method and offer students more time for reflection, solitude and engagement with one’s natural habitat. This is particularly important in the field of architecture, where the architect deals directly with the physical locale and the individual’s place in a given space.

4. Source: http://www.taliesin.edu/residence.html Pranav Naik.
Due to his immense talent and popularity, Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs are often featured in magazines, books, blogs and other media platforms. Although I have never visited his most famous, Falling Water, in Pennsylvania, I feel as though I have already been there from viewing countless videos and photographs. This calls to mind Walter Benjamin’s essay, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” and how the “aura” operates in relation to architectural sites. Benjamin posits that mechanical reproduction lessens the aura of the original piece because it desensitizes the viewer to the work of art after we are able to endlessly view and reproduce it. Despite seeing pictures and hearing many stories about Wright’s Taliesin West, visiting the actual site was an irreplaceable experience. The representations of the original site did not lessen the aura of Taliesin West, but rather strengthened the sanctity of the site.  Taliesin West is a unique case because of its heavy reliance on the surrounding natural landscape. Seeing a photograph of the site hardly does justice to the smell of the orange blossoms in the desert and the sound of footsteps on the sand and bedrock surrounding Taliesin West. Media can try to imitate nature; however it is impossible to ever fully capture. Wright must have been aware of the importance of live presence as he demanded his architectural disciples immerse themselves in the desert landscape during their enrollment at the Taliesin School of Architecture. With the Internet comes the capacity to transcend geographic distances; online classes negate interference between distance and schooling. While this brings a slew of benefits for those abroad and unable to travel to far away educational institutions, it is also problematic when put into practice. The site specificity of Architecture is something one must be present for to fully comprehend, it is only after visiting Taliesin West in person that this belief becomes fully realized.
The weight of Wright’s philosophy and the ideals embedded in the structure of Taliesin West are particularly pertinent today. With the global fear of limited resources, many architects and designers are shifting their practices toward incorporating more of nature’s pre-existing elements and recycling materials for various uses. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West was perhaps one of the original exemplars of the ‘eco-friendly’ movement. His resourceful and forward-thinking designs beautifully reflect the now particularly relevant intersection of architecture and agriculture.
Bibliography:
Levine, Neil, and Frank Lloyd Wright. The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1996. Print.
Frank Lloyd Wright. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.franklloydwright.org/web/Home.html>.
Johnson Art Wiki. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2012. <https://johnsonart.wikispaces.com/Taliesin+West>.
“Taliesin, Building Architects Since 1932.” Taliesin, Building Architects Since 1932. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.taliesin.edu/residence.html>.
Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction


[1] Frank Lloyd Wright. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.franklloydwright.org/web/Home.html>.
[2] Johnson Art Wiki. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2012. <https://johnsonart.wikispaces.com/Taliesin+West>.
[3] Levine, Neil, and Frank Lloyd Wright. The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1996.
[4] “Taliesin, Building Architects Since 1932.” Taliesin, Building Architects Since 1932. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.taliesin.edu/residence.html>.
[5]“Taliesin, Building Architects Since 1932.” Taliesin, Building Architects Since 1932. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.taliesin.edu/residence.html>.
[6] Frank Lloyd Wright. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.franklloydwright.org/web/Home.html>.