Features

BUILD :: Russell Mahoney's Midway.Furniture Project

A TALIESIN APPRENTICE'S CHALLENGE OF DESIGNING WITHIN WRIGHT'S MIDWAY BARN

On the face of it, proposing to construct something completely new inside a historically important Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building seems fraught with potential headaches. Yet, Russell Mahoney's idea to build his student shelter inside the Midway Farm Complex at Taliesin is bringing new-found interest and much-needed restoration to this often overlooked building at Wright's Wisconsin estate.

BUILD :: Nicholson Architects — Beautiful Structure Formed From Purpose

AN INTERVIEW WITH ARCHITECT AND JOHN LAUTNER ASSOCIATE DUNCAN NICHOLSON

"My philosophy is to build Architecture. Architecture is the formation of space built from an Idea. The origin of the Idea is derived from the Client and the Site. Both come limitless in variety. A new structural system is concurrently developed to give the expression form and it is then scaled and laid down with an eye toward the beautiful. That is what Architecture is, otherwise it is not the genuine article. From this approach the Client can expect to receive an Original."

With these words, Architect Duncan Nicholson lays out his philosophy for building what he calls "beautiful structure formed from purpose." Nicholson, who worked for the architect John Lautner, has built upon the legacy of developing a true expression of American Architecture and further refined it with the work his firm Nicholson Architects produces in Santa Monica, CA. We interviewed Duncan to find out more about his life, ideas and what it was like to work for John Lautner.

BUILD :: Simon De Aguero's "Brittlebush" Shelter

AN INTERVIEW WITH SIMON DE AGUERO, TALIESIN APPRENTICE
 

The definition of "shelter" for many people typically means four walls and a solid roof overhead. This is often especially the case in extreme environments like the desert. Every attempt is usually taken to keep the heat, animals and insects out of where humans have decided to take residence. The outside is kept out.

However, Simon de Aguero, a recent graduate of the Taliesin School of Architecture, has created a new shelter he dubbed "Brittlebush," which challenges preconceptions of what form architecture for living in a desert environment can take.

BUILD :: The FLW School of Architecture's Mod.Fab™

AN INTERVIEW WITH VICTOR SIDY, DEAN AT TALIESIN

When we first broke the story of the Taliesin School of Architecture's new Mod.Fab™ project, people were naturally excited. With all the challenges in the housing market faced in the last years and the fate of sustainable residential design up in the air, a new way forward from the school that Frank Lloyd Wright built was a breath of fresh air. We decided to speak with the school's dean, Victor Sidy, about the Mod.Fab™ project, how it came to be and what the future holds for this new take on Organic Architecture ideals.

BUILD :: Castleone Design's Terraced Housing

AN INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT CARPENTER OF CASTLEONE DESIGN

Many noted architects have struggled with the challenge of low-cost housing throughout the years. Chief among them was Frank Lloyd Wright, whose 70-year career gave him several opportunities to try and tackle this fundamental question: How to design a system of affordable architecture based on principles. Robert Carpenter of Castleone Design has proposed a design for multi-family housing that looks to the principles of Wright's Organic Architecture as inspiration.