MONTICELLO+FALLING WATER

And God said… “Let there be light”

Falling Water and Monticello share common methods and approaches of manipulating natural light in a unique and well-designed way. Each demonstrates its importance in the design and how it was celebrated to present a certain presence in the space.  Monticello created a special way of using skylights and mirrors to manipulate light to make the room seem larger and more spacious by brightening it and elongating it. Falling Water does something similar, in that it has a wall nearly completely constructed of glass to invite light in as well as taming it so that it isn’t entirely overpowering.

Jefferson put much consideration in the design and construction of Monticello, placing emphasis on the way light was being used. In many of the rooms he created high ceilings that were enhanced with a skylight opening that allowed for a significant amount of light to enter the space. This method allowed light to protrude into the room without being too overpowering. It lengthened the room and made it larger as a rule, manipulating the light to create the illusion of size.

Wright manipulates illumination by placing a high emphasis on the sources of natural light. He leaves an entire wall open in each room to create a natural source of light. Wright was very intrigued by windows and how they are used as ventilation systems as well as natural light sources and sound manipulators. He designed them so that when opened, the volume of sound would be manipulated as well as the amount of light entered into a room. It allowed for candles and other artificial light sources to be kept at a minimum.

These two buildings and structures were designed in a way that light was given a great consideration and emphasis during the projects. It was formed around the essential uses of the spaces themselves to create and provide a lighting that was appropriate for the setting. Monticello accomplishes this by adding skylights and mirrors while Falling Water incorporates an abundance of windows to create the same effects; Both giving an aurora of well planned design and manipulation of light.