Overview
In this blog essay, I will
discuss the influences and characteristics of Organic design.
As soon as the world entered the
third decade of the 20th century, a new visual language in architecture and
design emerged in the wake of Modernism. With ideals completely different from
the Modern Movement, a drastic change was immedietly ushered. Charles Rennie
Macintosh was the first designer to pioneer the movement, and his ideals then
influenced Frank Lloyd Wright. (Museiitaliani.org, 2017).
Organic design is instantly destinguished
by the characteristic flowing curves and smooth edges of the forms that compose
the structure or sculpture.
"A
philosophy of architectural design, emerging in the early 20th cent., asserting
that in structure and appearance a building should be based on organic forms
and should harmonize with its natural environment."
- The definition of organic architecture, from
the Dictionary of Architecture and Construction, edited by Cyril M Harris,
McGraw-Hill, 1975, pp. 340-341
Frank
Lloyd Wright
“I’d like to have a free architecture. I’d like to have
architecture that belonged where you see it standing, and was a grace to the
landscape instead of a disgrace.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
Wright believed in harmony
between humanity and nature. He contributed to this idea by the use of natural
materials and smooth, rounded forms, which balanced the architecture.
Although Falling Water and Kentuck
Knob are not composed of flowing forms and smooth surfaces, the natural
materials of stone and wood harmonously blend the structure with the natural environment.
Niether the rocks, water, tree barks and leaves are compromised of straight lines
and edges, but are all organic forms.
 |
| Falling Water (1935), Frank Lloyd Wright |
 |
| Kentuck Knob (1956), Frank Lloyd Wright |
On the other hand, Wright
designed the Guggenheim Museum (built 1959) as a
structure that fully embraces organic design in a unique and radical manner.
The museum is constructed around a smooth spiral walkway on which installations
are exhibited. (Guggenheim, n.d.)
 |
| Guggenheim Museum, Exterior |
 |
| Guggenheim Museum, Interior |
Alvar Aalto
The Finnish designer and
architect Alvar Aalto was recognized as one of the most influential architects
of Nordic Modernism. His earliest works were in the style of Nordic Classicism,
which was. As he exposed to International Style, he soon adopted its approach
to organic forms and materials into own aesthetic (Metalocus.es, 2017).
In the 1950s, Aalto’s mass
produced furniture and lighting became a huge commercial success. (Co.Design,
2017). They were produced using bending and laminating techniques and
exploration of the expressive and
structural possibilities of wood. (Museiitaliani.org, 2017). For example, for
his Paimio Chair he chose to
construct it out of native birchwood for its insulating properties and natural
feel, while also matching it with the setting (The Museum of Modern Art, n.d.). Even the most famous items of furniture
designed by Arne Jacobsen were also designed for site-specific architectural
projects such as the “Egg” armchair, designed for the Sas Royal Hotel,
Copenhagen, in 1957. (Museiitaliani.org, 2017).
Aalto’s design were a major
influence on American designers such as Charles and Ray Eames as well as Eero
Sarinen.
 |
Paimio chair (1932), Alvar Aalto
|
 |
| Savoy vase (1936), Alvar Aalto |
The Organic Chair
The Organic Chair is a small and comfortable reading
chair designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen in 1940. Its design is simple
enough and far ahead of its time, yet at the same time complex to manufacture. Before
the 1950s, it was impossible to manufacture and market organically shaped seat
shells in large quantities and hence it never went into production until then.
Similarly, Charles and Ray Eames's famous Plastic Armchair or Saarinen's Tulip
Chair were impossible to manufacture as well.
 |
| Organic Chair, Charles Eames & Eero Saarinen, 1940 |
 |
| Eames Plastic Chair |
Conclusion
In my opinion,
Organic Design is an innovative expression which civilized environments need to
flourish. The human eye is designed to
perceive organic forms through the millions of years of biological evolution. Plane
surfaces and sharp straight edges may be the foundation of economy and
industrialization, but life forms are built on organic design.
References
Co.Design. (2017). Tracing The Long, Controversial History Of
Organic Design. [online] Available at:
https://www.fastcodesign.com/3055758/tracing-the-long-controversial-history-of-organic-design
[Accessed 1 May 2017].
Craven, J. (2017). What Is Organic Architecture? Just Ask Frank
Lloyd Wright. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/organic-architecture-nature-as-a-tool-178199
[Accessed 5 Jun. 2017].
Guggenheim. (n.d.). Organic Architecture. [online] Available at:
https://www.guggenheim.org/arts-curriculum/topic/organic-architecture [Accessed
5 Jun. 2017].
Metalocus.es. (2017). Alvar Aalto 1898-1976. Organic Architecture,
Art and Design | METALOCUS. [online] Available at:
http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/alvar-aalto-1898-1976-organic-architecture-art-and-design
[Accessed 1 May 2017].
Museiitaliani.org. (2017). Organic Design | Musei Italiani.
[online] Available at: http://www.museiitaliani.org/organic-design/ [Accessed 1
May 2017].
The Museum of Modern Art. (n.d.). Alvar Aalto. Paimio Chair.
1931–1932 | MoMA. [online] Available at:
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/92879 [Accessed 5 Jun. 2017].
Comments
Post a Comment