Wright Chat

Lindal Imagine Series Webinar Includes Modern Translation of UNESCO World Heritage Site Building by Frank Lloyd Wright


David

A few Lindal Usonian interior renderings were posted on their Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3F_zYep7vb/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3XQJ8vJGLG/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Z36LyJqtb/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3m1Y2bJqw_/

The detailing of Lindal interiors is heavy-handed.

The Elements of (Modernist) Style: The Flat Roof’s Lasting Impact on Contemporary Design


David

Lindal Partners with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to Design Usonian-Inspired Homes. - (2:59)


David

Frank Lloyd Wright's midcentury modern home designs are back, now in easy-to-assemble kit form


David

A "kit" ? You mean like Legos?

A modern house is a complicated machine. The electrical and HVAC systems are not pieces of a "kit" to be assembled by amateurs. Flat roofs must be installed by experienced professionals, etc. Most communities require licensed professionals to be involved in the process and amateurs are not allowed.

The counter argument is that this is why we have a housing problem. We need some smart architects and engineers to cook up simpler building systems. I'd think some sort of frame and panel system using structural insulated panels would be the place to start. The more complicated parts--utilities, bathroom, kitchen--could be factory-made modules that are trucked to the site and plugged into the less complicated parts.

Nothing greatly affordable in these 'easy-to-assemble kits':

According to the full Wall Street Journal article:

House kit cost (2019) - $300,000

Labor and other materials (2021) - $650,000

House size - 2,800 sq. ft. = cost per sq. ft. - $339


House kit cost (2024) - (according to the article: "...at least 40% higher") - $420,000

Labor and other materials (2024) - (guess by me) - $725,000

2024 cost per sq. ft. - $409


David

P.S. - I'm no fan of the exposed beams in this 'Nu-sonian'

There was some hope that Ray Kappe was getting into prefab and that these would somehow be affordable....they weren't. The problem in these cases is that there's no motivation for the business owner to make a cheaper product...even if one could be designed. So what's needed is a non profit or a government entity to devise an affordable system.

Government? That is gas on the fire.

Affordable prefab housing has been tried and failed for over half a century. Attempts to produce houses with a 3D printer has also proved to be pie-in-the-sky ... not to mention new meaning to the word "hideous."

Seattle homebuilder offers home kits based on Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural principles


David

prefabrication is an idea that has come and gone a number of times. Post-war England went all in on the idea, and after spending millions on various prototypes they reached the conclusion that "good ole" on site stick-built was more efficient and less costly than prefab. Of course, we have had Sears Homes, Lustron and others which had their merits, but failed. That being said, there are a number of companies that manufacture custom wall panels and roofing components. An architect-designed home will be fabricated in sections in the factory, shipped to the site and erected with cranes, speeding up construction times and reducing framing costs by 15%. Walnut Custom Components is one of these companies, though there are others. They make the most of every piece of lumber and reduce waste. I see it as best of both worlds - design a house fitting for its site, the sun, the clients and then frame it using panels from a factory.

Further info on the unaffordability of the 'easy-to-assemble kit home' mentioned in the WSJ article:

The land cost for this home was $275K - located "...about 14 miles due west of Ashville, N.C., on 10 sloping acres - some too steep to be built on".

Recent home appraisal - $1,775,000

Appraisal price per sq. ft. - $634


David

"Wright’s Usonian homes were attainable for middle-class people at the time. But with building costs today, Georges said it was impossible to make the Lindal Cedar build kits as affordable as the originals."

Wisconsin architect helps make Frank Lloyd Wright more accessible with build kits

Accessible??? .... I guess it depends on your definition.....


David