The Farnsworth Dilemma
I recall studying the history of 20th century architecture back in the 70s and being enthralled by the work of one of the Great Four architects of the first half of the century.
The Great Four being Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wight, Water Gropius and Mies van der Rohe. Whilst all four produced buildings of immense importance there was only one that, at the time, left me enthralled by the wonders of modern architecture, namely Mies van den Rohe. I am glad to say that time and experience have led me to reconsider my views on modern architecture — including the work of Mies van der Rohe himself.
It was the purity of Mies’s work that really impressed me, due in part to the use of materials - glass and steel - and to the exquisite detailing of the buildings.
The building that had the biggest impact was Farnsworth House. Built for Dr Edith Farnsworth along the Fox River near Plano, Illinois it was completed in 1951. It was designed in the International Style as a weekend retreat. The design is both simple and elegant - a glazed structure sandwiched between a raised concrete floor - to guard against potential flooding - and a seemingly thin, flat concrete roof. The eight supporting steel columns, deck and roof are finished in white giving the structure an almost ethereal appearance. Geometric, simple and austere the effect is softened by the surrounding landscape of trees. The extreme contrast of the hard edged building juxtaposed with the sinuous and natural shapes of the trees is what made this building appear so sublime to me all those years ago.
But it is the very elegance, modernity and simplicity of Farnsworth House that creates the dilemma. It is so perfect how can a human possibly relate to it in a meaningful way?
The International Style of architecture produces the buildings of both nowhere and anywhere. Buildings that are not anchored to the landscape, culture or people of a place. Farnsworth House could just as easily be in Kent or the Dordogne - there is no clue from its materials or design as to its relationship with the landscape in which it sits. This point is best illustrated by looking at some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses such as Falling Water in Pennsylvania. Here is a building that is anchored to the landscape and emerges such that building and nature are in harmony.
