John Rattenbury was a principal architect and planner for Taliesin Architects until 2003. A former Wright apprentice, Rattenbury has made efforts to educate the public about Organic Architecture. Almost a decade ago, he gained the attention of the mainstream via his brilliant and stunning design for Life Magazine's 1997 Dream House. This project was much in the spirit of Wright's 1938 Life Magazine Dream House because of its adherence to the same principles. The flexibility of this design and the various options have made it a Life Dream Home that has been built in multiple iterations all over the USA.
Two books Rattenbury wrote, A Living Architecture and A House for Life, attempt to express the essence of what Organic Architecture is all about. Both books have the same core mission, to get the ideas (not style) of Organic Architecture into the hands of those outside Taliesin's walls.
Some have criticized A Living Architecture as being un-scholarly and simplistic, but seem to miss the point that it is meant to be accessible to the lay person. The book outlines and details Wright's twelve architectural principles, while providing case studies of designs utilizing these ideas...all created by Taliesin Architects.
A House for Life, is written in a way that informs the reader about Wright's principles and then discusses the process of working with an architect and builder (i.e., The Design/Build Team) who understand these principles. Fans of Sarah Susanka's, The Not So Big House series would enjoy this material. The message is simple: A moderate-cost house can be both functional and beautiful. In doing so, we can create an environment that raises the level of quality of life for those who live within.
Images courtesy of Wayne Source and Amazon.com
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