The relationship between Burnham/Root, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright

Describe the relationship between Burnham/Root, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright in the context of how each aimed to define a true American Style of Architecture. choose four of the eight questions below and write 1) The Industrial Revolution has changed society in a multitude of ways and has provided new technologies and new building materials to engineers and architects alike. Assess the role that technology has played in creating new and/or improved building materials (i.e. Iron, Reinforced Concrete, Glass) and in stimulating new ways of building. Show how these technological advances were used in the architecture of specific buildings, both in the US and abroad. 2) The city planning of Tony Garnier and Futurism and the architecture of German Expressionism and the Bauhaus contain strong utopian elements. Compare either Tony Garnier and Futurism OR German Expressionism and the Bauhaus and show the degree to which this beneficial aspiration had the potential to be practically applied (or in the case of Futurism ultimately fails as a realistic approach). Refer to specific buildings/plans/designs in your answer. 3) Describe the relationship between Burnham/Root, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright in the context of how each aimed to define a true American Style of Architecture. Evaluate the role of nationalism in the development of their design aesthetic and assess their degree of success and/or failure to achieve their goals. Include in your answer a discussion of the White City form the Columbian Exhibition in Chicago and how it goes against the development of a truly American style. 4) Discuss the Arts and Crafts movement in England and compare it to the American interpretation of the Arts and Crafts and the advances set forth by the German Werkbund in terms of practicality. 5) Explain the nature of the ornamentation debate that took place at the end of the 19th-early 20th centuries. Identify at least three of the main architects/viewpoints and evaluate their positions. 6) Describe the Gesamtkunstwerk (Total work of art) as interpreted by Henry van de Velde. In your answer, include an explanation of his definitions of ornament and ornamentation, the reaction to his work and aesthetic by Loos, and the conflict between VdV and Herman Muthesius in the formation of the German Werkbund. 7) As a young architect Frank Lloyd Wright worked for Louis Sullivan (1856–1924) in his Chicago-based architecture firm. Sullivan is known for steel-frame constructions, considered some of the earliest skyscrapers. Sullivan’s famous quote, “form ever follows function,” became the touchstone for many architects. This means that the purpose of a building should be the starting point for its design. Wright extended the teachings of Sullivan by changing the phrase to “form and function are one.” How have these principles of form and function influenced architecture in the late 19th, early 20th centuries? 8) Explain how the German Expressionists used glass as a moralizing element in their architecture. Refer to ideas/buildings of Paul Sheerbart, Bruno Taut and Erich Mendelsohn in your answer. Extra credit (1 page): Who would you choose to build your home and why?        

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