...like her previous residents and the many who ventured before me, I consider this place sacred; as Frank Lloyd Wright himself commented: Nature is the only body of god we shall ever see... 
The illustrations and perspectives above are from my internship at Fallingwater in the summer of 2007. One of my projects was to examine the surroundings of the canopy connecting the main house to the guest house; a compliment to both the site and the architecture, the canopy is a stopping point on the tour, subject to close examination and appreciation of detail...After several design reviews with Justin Gunther, Curator of Buildings and Grounds, approval was given for the implementation of the design. The design was completed a few weeks later and introduced native species in a simplified and contextual arrangement.
Aside from the arrangement of plant material and the erradication of noxious species, the greatest change exposed the supporting rockface, the very foundation of the main house...here, the visitor can now witness the exact merger of nature and architecture, of God and man...I took the above photo yesterday after a few minutes of caretaking; I enjoy watching the space mature, evolve, and continue to thrive...
On to another task...assisting Horticultural Specialist (and close friend), Ann Talarek, in repairing the edging along the pedestrian path to the house...
...The objective of the project was to provide an aged, naturalistic setting that guides visitors along the established footpath... the introduction of native plant material interacts with rock born of site, creating an interpretation that will hopefully go unnoticed...successfully harmonizing our efforts with the established environment and visitor expectations of place... 
Despite the surrealistic lure of my surroundings and the company of close friends, my time here was only temporary... the approaching Pennsylvania rain and cold may have ended my day, but my heart remains...till text time!
Posts
Awesome blog. Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water is a great example of nature and a man-made structure in perfect harmony. I am sure the experience of working at such a place and making a positive mark is a great feeling.
ReplyDeleteI currently live in China and there are only a couple places in the city that take into detail the nature around them. While design is also important here,design with nature in mind is always a second thought.