{"id":479,"date":"2013-08-19T07:01:37","date_gmt":"2013-08-19T07:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/?p=479"},"modified":"2017-02-15T07:33:54","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T07:33:54","slug":"organic-architecture-and-modern-workspace-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/business-growth\/organic-architecture-and-modern-workspace-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Organic Architecture and Modern Workspace Design"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Frank
Frank Lloyd Wright \u00a0(left) pictured in 1953<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Celebrated American architect and interior designer Frank Lloyd Wright was well-known for his philosophy of organic architecture; the process of designing buildings and structures that are in harmony with the natural environment. One particularly notable example of Wright\u2019s work is a building that\u2019s been hailed as the USA\u2019s \u201cmost beautiful workspace<\/a>\u201d. This is the Great Workroom at the headquarters of consumer goods company SC Johnson & Sons in Racine, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Making the impossible a reality<\/h2>\n

Wright designed the Great Workroom in 1937 and his proposed structure was so unusual, the Wisconsin Industrial Commission initially refused to grant him planning permission. Wright\u2019s vision for the building included the construction of 60 columns each standing 21 feet high and resembling lily pads; these columns were 18 ft in diameter at the top but tapered to a mere 9 ft at the base. Unsurprisingly, nobody at the Commission could believe that such light, airy structures would support the weight of the roof. The architect soon proved them wrong by piling no less than 60 tons of sandbags on a single column to demonstrate its strength. The project then got the green light and the Great Workroom was opened for company use in 1939.<\/p>\n

Today, the Great Workroom is one of the world\u2019s most famous administrative workspaces<\/a>, and visitors are often left speechless. For example, connected glass tubes in the walls and ceiling bathe the workspace in natural light, creating the illusion that it is outdoors. It\u2019s certainly a far cry from the dingy cubicles traditionally associated with corporate administrative workspace!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"organic<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Relevance in today\u2019s working world<\/h2>\n

Decades after his death, Wright\u2019s legacy as an architect lives on. The Great Workroom is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark since 1976. As a stellar example of organic design, it remains highly relevant to today\u2019s office architects and designers, many of whom are looking to create buildings with minimal environmental impact and maximum benefit for occupiers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Modern examples<\/h2>\n

Wright declared organic architecture to be \u201cthe modern ideal\u201d and treated each step of a building\u2019s construction (including materials and furniture) as part of a larger, unified organism. Essentially, the different components of the building must come together to create a seamlessly integrated whole, as inspired by nature.<\/p>\n

The process is based on respect for the relationship between the building\u2019s function and form. Whilst the structure obviously has to be built to fit certain office specifications, organic architecture dictates that each solution is bespoke and unique. Indeed, structural shapes are often curved as opposed to rigid and linear, for example, and buildings are designed to complement their natural surroundings.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s office architects are still applying these same principles to create award-winning developments like the mixed-use Elements Building<\/a> and the amazing\u00a0Bosco Verticale<\/a>\u00a0project.<\/p>\n

Take a look at some impressive examples of organic architecture<\/a> around the world \u2013 and\u00a0share examples of workspaces that you think have been inspired by Wright’s work in the comments section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Celebrated American architect and interior designer Frank Lloyd Wright was well-known for his philosophy of organic architecture; the process of designing buildings and structures that are in harmony with the natural environment. One particularly notable example of Wright\u2019s work is a building that\u2019s been hailed as the USA\u2019s \u201cmost beautiful workspace\u201d. This is the Great Workroom at the headquarters of consumer goods company SC Johnson & Sons in Racine, Wisconsin. Making the impossible a reality Wright designed the Great Workroom in 1937 and his proposed structure was so unusual, the Wisconsin Industrial Commission initially refused to grant him planning permission. Wright\u2019s vision for the building included the construction of 60 columns each standing 21 feet high and resembling lily pads; these columns were 18 ft in diameter at the top but tapered to a mere 9 ft at the base. Unsurprisingly, nobody at the Commission could believe that such light, airy structures would support the weight of the roof. The architect soon proved them wrong by piling no less than 60 tons of sandbags on a single column to demonstrate its strength. The project then got the green light and the Great Workroom was opened for company use in 1939. Today, the Great Workroom is one of the world\u2019s most famous administrative workspaces, and visitors are often left speechless. For example, connected glass tubes in the walls and ceiling bathe the workspace in natural light, creating the illusion that it is outdoors. It\u2019s certainly a far cry from the dingy cubicles traditionally associated with corporate administrative workspace!     Relevance in today\u2019s working world Decades after his death, Wright\u2019s legacy as an architect lives on. The Great Workroom is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark since 1976. As a stellar example of organic design, it remains highly relevant to today\u2019s office architects and designers, many of whom are looking to create buildings with minimal environmental impact and maximum benefit for occupiers.   Modern examples Wright declared organic architecture to be \u201cthe modern ideal\u201d and treated each step of a building\u2019s construction (including materials and furniture) as part of a larger, unified organism. Essentially, the different components of the building must come together to create a seamlessly integrated whole, as inspired by nature. The process is based on respect for the relationship between the building\u2019s function and form. Whilst the structure obviously has to be built to fit certain office specifications, organic architecture dictates that each solution is bespoke and unique. Indeed, structural shapes are often curved as opposed to rigid and linear, for example, and buildings are designed to complement their natural surroundings. Today\u2019s office architects are still applying these same principles to create award-winning developments like the mixed-use Elements Building and the amazing\u00a0Bosco Verticale\u00a0project. Take a look at some impressive examples of organic architecture around the world \u2013 and\u00a0share examples of workspaces that you think have been inspired by Wright’s work in the comments section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-growth","category-flexible-workspace","tag-office-design"],"yoast_head":"\nOrganic Architecture and Modern Workspace Design - Instant Offices Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Celebrated American architect and interior designer Frank Lloyd Wright was well-known for his philosophy of organic architecture; the process of designing buildings and structures that are in harmony with the natural environment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/business-growth\/organic-architecture-and-modern-workspace-design\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Organic Architecture and Modern Workspace Design - Instant Offices Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Celebrated American architect and interior designer Frank Lloyd Wright was well-known for his philosophy of organic architecture; 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