The objective of organic architecture is simple: to honor nature. In this way, it’s less of a style and more of an ideology—buildings shouldn’t take away from their natural surroundings, but should rather be integrated within and in service to their landscapes. The term is often credited to Frank Lloyd Wright, though as the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation explains, it was a concept he struggled to fully define throughout his lifetime.
Even to this day there are varying interpretations: Some see it as the use of natural materials or an emphasis on indoor-outdoor living, while others understand it as structures designed following forms found in nature. “All of these interpretations have a basis in Wright’s words, and of course in his works, and so organic architecture is at once all of these things,” the foundation explains. It’s cases like these that prove some philosophies are better expressed in examples rather than explanations. To that end, below AD surveys nine incredible expositions of organic architecture.
A version of this article originally appeared in Architectural Digest.
