1. American Design:
Skyscrapers
and
Prairies.

2. In the USA, a relatively new country, there was a demand for pragmatic design, dictated by the needs of a rapidly expanding population.
Chicago was heavily industrialised: Steel, grain, and cattle processing.
First assembly lines installed in meat-packing plants.
Automation, engineering expertise, needs of a growing population.

3. A city-wide fire in 1871 destroyed large areas, and needs of population combined with high land prices suggested need to build upwards.
Steel technology, invention of the elevator by Mr Otis(!), and electricity for lighting and power meant that a “skyscraper” was possible.
Chicago also had some gifted architects and designers:

4. Louis H Sullivan.
Early work quite Art Nouveau.
Evolved the view: “Form follows function.”
Now designed with cutting-edge technology.
The first steel frame buildings: Quick, cheap, ultra-modern, strong, stable, tall!
Carson Pirie Scott Dept. Store:1899
14 storeys. Huge windows. Bright inside. Stone base panels heavily decorated in stylised natural motifs.

5. Carson Pirie Scott store:
One of the first skyscrapers. Clean, bold, modern lines, but with vestiges of Sullivan’s ornate Art Nouveau styling.

6. Frank Lloyd-Wright ( 1867-1959)
Sullivan’s apprentice.
Studied Engineering and set up in Architecture
Designed 800+ buildings, lots of interior design, furniture, fittings, town planning too.
Flamboyant, controversial: Much married, had affairs, personal tragedies.
One of most important C20th designers.
Best known for houses: “ The Prairie House”, “ Fallingwater ”, but also did lots of industrial religious, and civic design.

7. The Prairie House.
Fireplace central-Symbolically+physically.
House grew outwards from here.
Embraces landscape beyond.
Inspired by flat, wide open spaces of Mid-West America.
Low, horizontal buildings. Overhanging roof.Walls out into space.
Natural materials and light into house, but also modern concrete, steel, and glass.

8. He designed furniture, fittings, and landscaping using simple and often severe geometry and simple materials.
His early work influenced by Art Nouveau, later Art Deco styling, but always quite individual.
Later life: commercial buildings too- Johnson Wax offices.
Became more organic and fluid.
Towards the end of his long and eventful life he produced his greatest works: Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum (New York)

9. Johnson Wax Company Headquarters: Interior.
The space is bathed in natural light from above. Roof supported on revolutionary concrete “Mushroom” structure.
A comfortable and tranquil workspace.

10. Desk: Johnson Wax Headquarters.
Wright designed modern furniture in steel and wood to complement his scheme for this building. It still looks quite radical.

11. Office Chair: Johnson Wax.
Tubular steel, wood, upholstered seat.
A comfortable and stylish chair to complement the desk system. Castors allow movement between workspaces.

12. Round Chair:
A typical Wright design for a dining or occasional chair.

13. Interior: The Meyer House.
A Typical Wright interior: Very open, bright,and orderly. Wright was influenced by Japanese design,as he had worked there.

14. Sofa: Domestic interior.
Wood and leather. Inlaid marquetry motif. Integral tables.
Wright favoured built in furniture to keep the interiors simple and free from unnecessary clutter.

15. Furniture and fittings.
Like the designers of the British Arts and Crafts movement, Wright was able to design every detail of the interiors of his buildings.
This lamp is typical of the severe geometry and simple detailing he favoured.

16. FallingWater, Bear Run, Pennsylvania ( 1936).
This stunning house appears to hover above the waterfall, springing naturally and organically from the solid rock.

17. The Guggenheim, New York, ( 1943-59 ).
Dramatic organic spiral gallery space. Radical design for its time.

18. Stained Glass.
Wright used bold strong geometry and vivid colours in his designs for stained glass for lampshades, lighting, and window panels.
Small elements like this were never merely added at the end- they were always seen as integral parts of the whole.