Frank Lloyd Wright is an American architect, interior designer, writer, and educator. He attempted to plan organic architecture using his standard rules or design principles that he set up towards this sort of architecture. Many architects were inspired by the way of his work and were curious about the design concepts. Firstly, the purity that's in the element's/materials used to serve a particular function, and the minimization of the quantity to just delivering the concept without any exaggeration. For example, falling water is one of the most famous organic architect work done by Frank Lloyd Wright that highlights his modernity, where he integrated the architecture growing from the surrounding above a waterfall. It empowered him to adjust the man-made structure in a consistent amicability over the waterfall. The use of the different material is there to serve a particular function in a simple and balanced way. For instance, the decision of using stonework in some vertical elements blends it with nature and the horizon of the surrounding, as well as the house biomimicry's and echo the rock ledges below. Also, the concept of dominating the horizontality over verticality of the architecture structure is one of the wright's architecture. Not only in windows openings but the stereotomic and tectonics of the building. Horizontal elements were more dominant and hierarchy significant over other principles because of several reasons that inspired many architects and one of them was Le Corbusier. Le Corbusier was also inspired by the organic architecture and was interested in the relationship between nature and man. For example, in my opinion, his famous Architecture Villa Savoye is sharing a lot of common principles that wright used. Firstly, Villa Savoye is raised up from the ground using simple's thin vertical elements (pilotis), and this resulted in engaging the ground level with the upper level by introducing only a few vertical elements which created a void that is spatially inhabitable and beneficial, that led to an extension of the landscape. Another example, while his visit to Athens, he was interested in the Acropolis and visited it every day just to draw the landscape architectural design. 'The objects of nature and the results of calculation are clearly and cleanly formed; they are organized without ambiguity. It is because we see clearly that we can read, learn and feel their harmony' (Constant, 2012, p.151). Moreover, the monochrome use of color/material in Villa Savoye results in the pure, simple architecture that was also common in Frank Lloyd Wright's work. Another example is actively highlighting the Horizontality of the elements and especially the windows, that mostly inspired Le Corbusier and carried it forward in his work. Moreover, it was derived from wright's horizontal bands that were wrapped around the building emphasizing its horizontality in a relationship with the ground level .le Corbusier were also convinced that the maximum amount of sunlight and view would result from a horizontal opening (panoramic view) rather than an (anthropomorphic view) in the vertical window.(Diagrams1&2).
Diagram 1
Diagram 2
To sum up, besides integrating the building with the surrounding, each element is being read and serves a particular function. Nevertheless, the overall view of the architect is spontaneous and continuous and as Wright states, "A building should appear to grow easily from its site" (Galenson, 2010, p.4). Le Corbusier was clearly inspired by this concept, took it forward and was one of his 5 points of architecture. In my opinion, he integrated the pilotis as a tectonic structure to blend it with the stereotomic structure, but each element is responsible for a different function of the building .pilotis were used in elevating the structure from the ground, so that different element purely integrated together to create a space and continues the landscape beyond.
Secondly, Frank Lloyd Wright dropped the architecture over the waterfall so that you can't see it as a view while inhabiting any interior space. However, it was not impossible to hear it from the terraces, he insisted on making it a part of the whole landscape picture, and not as a separate element that's in nature. Also, the architectural structure is now a part of this beautiful scene that is only present from this specific perspective (Diagram 3).
Diagram
In the other hand, in Villa Savoye although it's not integrated with a waterfall it is inserted in a green landscape, and its simplicity was echoed on the four monotone facades of the villa. In my opinion, Le Corbusier took this concept and reversed it, he decided to design the facades almost similar so that any exterior perspective of the villa would give you the same feeling, which is common but in the interior of the falling water as you can always hear the water falling but can't see it. So in Villa Savoye, you can always see the four semi- identical facades, but the interior is not considered or clear. To sum up, in the falling water the important exterior character is heard but not seen from the interior, however in Villa Savoye, the interior is hidden inside of its four facades. (Diagram 4)
Another design technique that was used by frank Lloyd wright is the tri-part system, were the building is divided into 3 horizontal bands and the way he preferred to specialize the second floor as the piano noble floor. Le Corbusier was trying to achieve that kind of concepts but without really admitting that he taking it from wright, but it is clearly shown while comparing two-plans or sketches together. In villa savoye he placed an piano in the second floor. In addition (Diagram 5, 6, & 7) shows clearly how le Corbusier was growing from frank Lloyd wright.
Diagram 6 (Wright's sketch)
Diagram 5 (sketches of the concrete house by le Corbusier)
' Roofs
' Horizontality
' Tri-part structure
' Piloties / column like Diagram 7 (Robbie house by Wright)
' Extrusion of the surrounding wall
As shown in the above diagram how close Le Corbusier's designs are close to wright's architecture, his sketches of the concrete house(diagram 5) looks like the fist iteration of Wight's drawings( diagram 6). Finally, another concept that was dominant in both Wright and Le Corbusier was that avoiding decorations and un-functional ornaments, like the architect Adolf Loos. Moreover, that takes us back to the first principle (purity and simplicity).For instance, how Le Corbusier used pilotis instead of using ornamented columns.
Diagram 8 (unity temple, wright) Diagram 9 (Ronchamp, Corbusier)
'Le Corbusier mentioned Wright briefly as a 'precursor' of the modern movement, along with Louis Sullivan. But this passage does provide a clue to the nature of his early contact with Wright work: '(Turner, 1983, p.352)
Although Le Corbusier is kind-off coping Frank Lloyd Wright work, each one of them is approaching a different architectural technique and results. In my opinion, it is impossible to end up with the same thing at the end, but you could start with an inspirational idea and take it forward to further steps. Accordingly, each used concrete for a different reason. Frank Lloyd Wrights exposed the concrete on the outside of the Unity Temple as shown in (diagram 8) Wright states, 'There was only one material to choose . . . . Concrete was cheap.' (Turner, 1983, p.354).On the other hand, Le Corbusier's Ronchamp is exposed concrete because it was a remnant of the original chapel built on the hilltop site destroyed during World War II. Even more, Frank Lloyd Wright, which wanted nature to be part of the architecture, as revealed in the Falling water. Whereas, Le Corbusier wanted his architecture to present white simplified geometric forms and surfaces that are evident in Villa Savoye. Also, in Ronchamp, it is clear that Le Corbusier had his different ways of designing through a different path away from Frank Lloyd Wright. In my opinion, Frank Lloyd Wright had a significant impact on the 20th-century architecture and Le Corbusier was one of the architects that followed wright's ideas and added his designed touch carefully. The 5 points of architecture were born gradually by Le Corbusier, as he carefully studied Wright/s concepts and mimicking his style deeply. That resulted in a familiar taste of architecture, structure + landscape. In conclusion, in my opinion, architecture has its own history and each architect will leave his sign in a way or another that will be recognized and improves by another artist. That will either fail, or creates a whole new style that as initially an idea by another person. So that is common in our world, as long as the world is improving, architects will always have a way to upgrade their work. Le Corbusier was doing this by mimicking wright's great work and introducing new concepts, books, and a whole Corbusier's architectural taste.