The Natural House [Hardcover]

Frank Lloyd Wright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1954

Dust jacket notes: "When Frank Lloyd Wright turns his attention to one of the most important personal problems now facing practically everyone in our society - it is a time for rejoicing. The world's greatest architect here meets the urgent problem of suitable shelter for The Family in a democracy, in a magnificent and - as was to be expected - challenging book. Here, presented at last in full detail, is the natural house. The moderate cost houses described in this book and profusely illustrated with 116 photographs, plans and drawings, are houses - of infinite variety for people of limited means - in which living has become for their owners a purposeful new adventure in freedom and dignity. Mr. Wright tells the story of the world famous 'Usonian' houses, so that we now see, in text and illustrations, how they have evolved from original conception to final execution. He has also written a step-by-step description of the 'Usonian Automatic,' explaining just how that remarkable house is built - a simplified method of construction so devised that the owners themselves can build it with great economy and beauty. For this purpose, there are, in addition to Mr. Wright's text, special photographs and drawings of the method and materials, showing clearly how the Usonian Automatic is built. For more than a half century Frank Lloyd Wright has been the prophet of a new idea in architecture. It is called 'organic architecture.' It has spread throughout the world. Its liberating influence now appears - or semblances of it appear - nearly every structure being built. During this period of incomparable achievement, there has been a profoundly mistaken notion that Mr. Wright has built only for the rich. This book is convincing evidence of the error of that notion...."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: Horizon Pr; 1st edition (March 1954)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0818000074
• ISBN-13: 978-0818000072
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #314,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Usonian architecture explained, November 12, 2003

By 

Michael B. Brand (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Natural House (Mass Market Paperback)

3.5 starts would have been my rating if given that option.

The Natural House is essentially Wrights explanation/defense/sales-pitch for his Usonian houses. The first chapter (Organic Architecture) was written by Wright in 1936 and originally published in The Architect's Journal of London. The next four chapters (Building the New House, In the Nature of Materials: A Philosophy, The Usonian House I, The Usonian House II) were written by Wright and first published in 1943 in "An Autobiography". The remainder of the book was written by Wright in 1953-4.

I found the first 67 pages to be a difficult read. I am not an architect and suspect that an architect would get more out of these first three chapters. These chapters were part autobiography, part history, part philosophy and part contemptuous rant against all architects who were not his own students. Having plodded through those pages, I feel that I could have skipped them.

Suddenly, on the 68th page, the book takes a dramatic turn and becomes a much easier read. This last three-fourths of the book explains Unosian architecture in very accessible terms. There are multiple examples of houses with photographs of exterior and interior views and floor plans. I found the floor plans to be the most beneficial and interesting part of the book and would buy the book for the floor plans alone.

In the explanatory text Wright discusses building location, foundations, lighting, materials, insulation, heating, cooling, furnishings, contractors, etc. Each topic is discussed in fairly general terms, but since Wright's approach is quite different from most other architects, the general explanations are valuable.

In the chapter titled "Grammar: The House as a Work of Art" Wright again waxes philosophical, but this time in a more understandable manner (having written this part of the book much later than the first chapters).

Wright devotes 11 pages to a brief explanation of what he calls the Usonian Automatic. This is essentially a cinderblock and steel rod home that can be assembled by the homeowner.

Wright closes the book by comparing his philosophy of architecture to that of the Orient. He concludes that even though the two philosophies are similar, his is original because he developed it ignorant of the Orient's philosophies and only learned of those philosophies after his philosophy was developed.

Having read the book I feel that I have a much better understanding of Wright as a person than I did from having read books about his architecture (the benefit of reading the first 67 pages). I also now have a very good understanding of Usonian architecture.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relavent classic, March 11, 2000

By 

Chris Morgan (Bellingham, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Natural House (Hardcover)

Written in 1954, this short book is somewhat dated but Wright's words and thoughts are universal enough to be meaningful today. Wright's view of "The Natural House" adds cultural understanding to how we build and describes an idealistic precursor to contemporary "eco-building." Required reading for anyone who is interested in the curtural context of the building process.

5.0 out of 5 stars Why is this Book Not in Print?, January 17, 2011

By 

[e-mail] (Clemson, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Natural House (Hardcover)

I wanted to use The Natural House as a book for a graduate seminar on Frank Lloyd Wright I am teaching this semester at Clemson University. Sadly, it is not in print. This is one of the original treatises on sustainable architecture. Please, someone reprint it! Thanks.