Frank Lloyd Wright School Is Going Back to Nature, by Design

An interesting side story bringing together architectural design and sustainability in an unexpected way:

Farming is a little-known part of Wright's life . . . 'Organic architecture and its context in the environment and Wright's personal roots in Wisconsin is a story that's not been documented yet,' said Daniel Marquardt, chairman of the board of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation . . . Wright founded the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture 20 years after he built Taliesin to teach his theories and organic practices.

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Wright believed his sustainably designed buildings should be in harmony with their surroundings. His practical ideas about self-sufficiency, rooted in lean times on the farm, are gaining more attention now that sustainable agriculture is in vogue, said Victor Sidy, dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture on the Taliesin estate.

Today, architecture students volunteer to tend the original apple orchard and grapevines placed there by Wright. Students also continue Wright's traditions by growing vegetables in a garden near the school for use in their daily meals. The 33 students are required to help in the school kitchen as part of a collegial tradition.

Campus By Frank Lloyd Wright - But It Needs New Dorms?

Florida Southern University faced this dilemma and is quite proud of its recent campus additions. This news article includes some good images, external and internal:

"An architect is only as good as his clients," said Stern, dean of the Yale School of Architecture. "Frank Lloyd Wright had some terrific clients, and Florida Southern College was one of those clients, for him and for me. ... I hope I've done right by Mr. Wright."

Nicholas Hall, a four-story, Y-shaped building perched above Lake Hollingsworth, is a companion to Wesley Hall, which opened last fall. The twin dormitories, separated by a wide lawn, comprise the Barnett Residential Life Center, named for Barney and Carol Barnett, Florida Southern graduates and ardent supporters.