Organic Architecture

I'm an organic architecture junkie. I admit it. Over the years, I have read any number of attempts to define what organic architecture is. No two have been the same. Are they all right? Are none of them correct?
It boils down to a matter of perspective, I believe. It depends on your point of view, where are you coming from.
Does one architect prefer to have his style referred to as organic? While another engaging in similar design practices does not? So, you see, it's a matter of perspective.
My personal definition of organic architecture goes something like this.
Legitimate organic architecture is comprised of many different considerations. It is not possible to take a building design and simply plop it down anywhere and call it organic, even though the shape may be considered organic.
A true organic building is one which has been designed from the ground up to fit not only that particular piece of land upon which it sits, but also to suit the needs of the family for which it was built.
The structure should suit the site.
It must take into consideration the seasons of the year.
It must consider the embodied energy in the materials used in construction.
It must not be wasteful of either time or money during construction.
It should, ideally, be a low cost building to operate.

Let's expand on those definitions a little.
One of the primary considerations of organic architecture is that the building should be particularly suited to its' site. Which means to say that you would not build a Hilton Hotel in the middle of a forest. This is where you erect your log cabin. It suits the location.

Any competent architect will be aware of the effects of the seasons. Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the first architects to design a house which took advantage of the sun. He built the house in such a fashion that at any time throughout the day the sun would shine inside.

The amount of embodied energy in any given material refers to both the energy cost to produce or manufacture that material, plus the cost of transportation to the building location.
For example, if you are able to harvest trees from your own land and mill them right there, the embodied energy cost is quite low. If you wanted to import some exotic african hardwood for your floors, it would be unconscionably high.

When it comes to the cost in terms of time and actual money, an organically designed building tends to take more time to build. The reason for this is because it will not be a cookie cutter building, but rather one which is suited to that particular place. Inevitably, this greater cost in time cannot be avoided. It comes down to the simple fact that, in this day and age, time costs money.

And lastly - at least by way of initial definition - an organic building should not cost a lot to operate. By this I mean that the day to day energy costs need to be within reason, and the ongoing costs of maintenance should be low. It becomes a balancing act to decide if the cost of a higher priced building material will eventually pay off in terms of longevity, or if a lower cost alternative plus the maintenance cost thereof will be less.

As you can see, it is very nearly impossible to define what an organic style building is. Therefore, I will provide many examples from some of the leading lights from the world of organic architecture.

The above image is of Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright. One of the most iconic houses in north America.

Some of the funkiest buildings - by the builders' own admission - are those lovely hand made creations that come right out of their own imaginations. Forget any building codes, these are made to bring sheer joy to the builder/owner.

It may not look like much - but look again. This work shop designed and built by Louie Frazier is actually quite high tech, but in a funky sort of way. The walls are built from slip-formed concrete with foamboard on the outside. There is a beautiful skylight running down the middle which uses both corrugated and flat fiberglass panels. There is an attached studio, brilliantly conceived, which has in the center of the round roof a '39 Chevy truck rim in use as a compression ring!

Some of the shapes of organically designed buildings are truly outstanding. This building is an education center for children and is constructed largely from bamboo. The design flexibility that this organic material - which is actually a form of grass - provides is demonstrated well here. The building sits very lightly on the ground, barely touching at all. As you can see from the whimsically shaped roof, the designer was obviously enjoying himself while conceiving the design.
One hears some really strange comments about buildings such as this from time to time...wierd...oddball...strange...crazy...but I believe it is all a matter of education.
That is the purpose for which this structure was built...to educate.

Can you imagine how much fun the designer and builders had doing this place up?
Sinuous curves everywhere...what an amazing example of organic design!
There are certain materials that lend themselves to sweeping curves, and here they demonstrate just how adaptable bamboo can be.