In modernizing the student residences at Fallingwater, the key was a sensitive touch.
Sitting in the offices of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ) in Pittsburgh, Bill James pulls out a drawing of a site about an hour and a half’s drive south of the city. The building, the young architect explains, embraces its edge condition. At the front sits the forest of the Bear Run Nature Reserve; at the back, a meadow. The four dwelling units, encased in cedar-stained shale-gray, rest on nimble steel posts, barely touching the sloping ground. Each is positioned to capture the breezes up the valley and the views back down.
James describes all this. But it does not prepare me for when I leave the car and enter the cool autumn-colored forest. To hear the crunch of leaf-strewn gravel. To be confronted with sweeping views of the valley. To see warm light filter through the windows, which come alive with the buzzing of wasps and ladybugs. To feel those cool breezes brush my skin.
The High Meadow residences at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, designed by James and BCJ cofounder Peter Bohlin, sit a few miles from their iconic neighbor, perhaps the greatest standing example of 20th-century American architecture. That the dwellings do not compete but rather lightly coexist with Fallingwater is a testament to the architects who designed them.
The lasting legacy of Bohlin—who will celebrate his 80th birthday this year—may very well be as the designer of iconic Apple stores, such as New York’s Fifth Avenue cube. However, within the architectural community, BCJ signifies something much more profound than a clean retail aesthetic.
Denne historien er fra February 2017-utgaven av Metropolis Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra February 2017-utgaven av Metropolis Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
No New Buildings
The energy already embodied in the built environment is a precious unnatural resource. It’s time to start treating it like one.
The Circular Office
Major manufacturers are exploring every avenue to close the loop on workplace furniture.
Signs of Life
Designers, curators, and entrepreneurs are scrambling to make sense of motherhood in a culture that’s often hostile to it.
Interspecies Ethic
In probing the relationship between humans and nature, two major exhibitions question the very foundations of design practice.
Building on Brand
The Bauhaus turned 100 this year, and a crop of museum buildings sprang up for the celebration.
Building for Tomorrow, Today
Radical change in the building industry is desperately needed. And it cannot happen without the building trades.
Strength from Within
Maggie’s Centres, the service-focused cancer support network, eschews clinical design to arm patients in their fight for life.
Next-Level Living
The availability of attractive, hospitality-grade products on the market means everyday consumers can live the high life at home.
Mi Casa, Su Casa
Casa Perfect creates a memorable shopping experience in lavish private homes.
Enter The Culinarium
AvroKO imagines the future of residential amenities—where convenience, comfort, and sustainability meet.