Frank Lloyd Wright designs brought to life via software
February 5, 2023 9:52 AM Subscribe
“It all started as a project to help me to improve my skills in the use of architectural rendering software tools...I have always been in love with Wright’s architecture, and I thought it would be useful, from an academic point of view, to recreate those buildings that have been demolished or never built.”
I think it's a combination of the original designs + the rendering style but a lot of these seem to belong in the Pixar Incredibles universe.
posted by gwint at 10:11 AM on February 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by gwint at 10:11 AM on February 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
FLW was 89 when he submitted that Arizona Capitol project. Amazing.
posted by MattD at 10:19 AM on February 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by MattD at 10:19 AM on February 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Fun! Thanks for the post.
Is he going to give VR tours?
posted by skyscraper at 10:44 AM on February 5, 2023
Is he going to give VR tours?
posted by skyscraper at 10:44 AM on February 5, 2023
Most recently, Romero tackled several of Wright’s unrealized skyscraper projects for the foundation.
the mile-high illinois!
posted by kliuless at 10:49 AM on February 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
the mile-high illinois!
posted by kliuless at 10:49 AM on February 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I completely love the art and design of FLW's architecture, and none of it should ever, ever be built. So this is perfect.
posted by phooky at 11:22 AM on February 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by phooky at 11:22 AM on February 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
Those Seacliff houses look like terrible places to be in an earthquake.
posted by brachiopod at 11:52 AM on February 5, 2023
posted by brachiopod at 11:52 AM on February 5, 2023
It seems odd to me that a foundation with a mission of expanding FLW work as broadly as possible approaches digital work this way. Contracting with someone who goes through the whole process of rendering designs in autocad but then is just flattened out as a ‘picture’ seems like a lot of work to end up with the same product as just getting a photo realistic sketch done in photoshop. Hopefully the eventual destination is 3d tours or more immersive digital presentations of the designs.
posted by zenon at 11:53 AM on February 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by zenon at 11:53 AM on February 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ooooh! I love the National Life Insurance Building.
This is a great, great, project. (Although I totally agree with zenon that 3d tours would be much better.)
I am delighted to get to see these images - thanks so much for posting this, Brandon Blatcher!
posted by kristi at 12:01 PM on February 5, 2023
This is a great, great, project. (Although I totally agree with zenon that 3d tours would be much better.)
I am delighted to get to see these images - thanks so much for posting this, Brandon Blatcher!
posted by kristi at 12:01 PM on February 5, 2023
... and I see that clicking through to Romero's website, and from there to other pages, there are some interesting earlier renderings from the design process, like these from the Thomas C. Lea House (blog post).
posted by kristi at 12:05 PM on February 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kristi at 12:05 PM on February 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I have been wondering for years what an “atomic powered elevator” is. Definitely sounds like 1950s Project Plowshare propaganda.
posted by TedW at 1:16 PM on February 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by TedW at 1:16 PM on February 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Do the windows & roofs leak?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 1:22 PM on February 5, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 1:22 PM on February 5, 2023 [7 favorites]
Ah, Falling Water.
"The great American architect's titular foundation is helping to digitally render his unbuilt structures and reintroduce office furniture pieces pulled from the archives. Both projects suggest there's still ample wisdom to plumb from Wright's work--and he would've loved experimenting with DALL-E."
posted by clavdivs at 3:03 PM on February 5, 2023
"The great American architect's titular foundation is helping to digitally render his unbuilt structures and reintroduce office furniture pieces pulled from the archives. Both projects suggest there's still ample wisdom to plumb from Wright's work--and he would've loved experimenting with DALL-E."
posted by clavdivs at 3:03 PM on February 5, 2023
He designed so many beautiful buildings, but it seems most of them were hopelessly impractical for the materials available at the time, far too expensive to build, or both. The real pity, though, is that modern architects continue to churn out cookie-cutter buildings and we keep buying them.
posted by dg at 8:21 PM on February 5, 2023
posted by dg at 8:21 PM on February 5, 2023
modern architects continue to churn out cookie-cutter buildings and we keep buying them
Maybe if wages kept up and the wealthy didn't keep moving money offshore to hoard for...what purposes? Then we'd have more. It turns out the drive to keep a roof over one's head is stronger than the drive to have that roof shaped like a seashell.
posted by amanda at 8:34 AM on February 6, 2023 [4 favorites]
Maybe if wages kept up and the wealthy didn't keep moving money offshore to hoard for...what purposes? Then we'd have more. It turns out the drive to keep a roof over one's head is stronger than the drive to have that roof shaped like a seashell.
posted by amanda at 8:34 AM on February 6, 2023 [4 favorites]
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