Thomas Wright eventually turned to discussing his own home, the Robert Llewellyn Wright home, built in Bethesda, Maryland, the hemicycle home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for his parents. The home might be considered modest by today's standards, only 1800 square feet, with a concealed entrance and floor to ceiling windows in the back where Frank Lloyd Wright opened the house to nature, bringing the outside into the home's interior. T. Wright also spoke to the feature's FLW incorporated into the hemispheric construction to save energy, which still operated fairly efficiently despite being finished in 1958, while he and his wife enjoy the home in 2011.
When T. Wright spoke regarding "Living Green" in a Frank Lloyd Wright home he mentioned several principles he had gleaned from his father's writings. These include;
"A building arises out of nature, as a plant from a seed."
"A building creates harmony with the surrounding natural landscape"
"Heating and cooling use the sun (passive solar) and trees (shade).
"Curved walls allow a spacious house on an energy saving footprint."
"Natural lighting in interior spaces with a continuity and architectural integrity flowed together. Outside to inside."
"Building materials chosen for beauty and energy efficiency."
Other questions T. Wright answered from the living green discussion:
How did your parent's home exemplify these principles?
My Grandfather believed you needed to set a house at an angle to the south, 30-60 degrees so the sun would hit the house at all times. Ours is set at on a hilly slope, at an angle. We have oil radiant heat flooring and eaves and overhangs, and balconies to block the summer sun. Trees were retained for cooling. The original plan called for a poured concrete platform but when they [my parents] found out how much it was, they retreated to a terrace and a retaining wall was built. The home used a hemicycle construction, only it was full circle with the second half of circle complete, so it's shaped like an almond. The entrance is hidden, with very low windows while the backside faces the forest bottomland where there's a trail the length of the creek. This opens the house to nature and there's a lot of glass on both floors.
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How does the energy efficiency work in your home?
There's a balcony between the first and second floors, and the overhung roof for cooling. We live in the winter at a temperature between 50-58 degrees. Concrete block was used, so the block has insulating properties in extreme conditions. On the hottest summer days (and there is central air conditioning) we have never used that air conditioning. The house has been 10 degrees cooler on the hottest days.
How does it feel to live in the home? Is is truly comfortable?
It's interior walls are curved, but because of the curvature, you are unable to see another part of the house. The floor to ceiling windows bring the outside in and all this creates a much larger [appearing] space. There's a lot of built in furniture [FLW designed] a dressing room table, the dining room table, and an almond shaped table [a cocktail height table] in the living room with matching hassocks, and quite a few flower stands. The home shows green architecture matters. It's absolutely comfortable to live in. And the living room is one of the most comfortable spaces to sit and live in. I think it definitely shows us "Green Architecture" matters. We can anticipate many things in design that can provide built in energy efficiency while still being beautiful. In recent years, I am astonished by what he's [my Grandfather, FLW] done. I have an ever-increasing respect for what he's done. Each building is different [like my own home], but they have many elements in common.
Check on line at www.mam.org for continuing programming coordinating with the exhibition "Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21 st Century."
