MILLARD HOUSE

FRANK LLOYD
WRIGHT
MADIHA REHMATH MOHAMMED MUZZAMIL
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
COMMON DESIGN STYLES:

ORGANIC STYLE

PRAIRIE STYLE

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:
• Harmony of the part in relation to the whole.
• The parts are made according to the function of the
organism.
• The form of the organism decides the character of the
organism.
• Applying these concepts , his building designs emphasize
the following principles:
• Integration of parts to the whole.
• Design of parts controls the design of the whole.
INTRODUCTION – ALICE MILLARD HOUSE

LOCATION: PASADENA, CALIFORNIA

BUILT IN: 1923

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT BUILT THIS HOME FOR GEORGE

AND ALLICE MILLARD. IT WAS HIS FIRST MODULAR
DESIGNED BUILDING.

IT IS ONE OF THE FIVE CONCRETE BLOCK HOMES

DESIGNED BY WRIGHT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

Millard House combines the construction and

architecture through the system of textile concrete
blocks. The construction system used to shape the
spaces of the house, for building elements and also to
provide the finish both inside and outside.

The house also integrates nicely in place, adapting to

the topography, completing the landscape and
emphasizing its qualities.
The home represents Wright’s first foray into
modular building, and his efforts to break away
from the “prairie house” architectural style that
had become synonymous with his name. He
turned to concrete as his new building material in
1906 when Alice Millard commissioned him to
construct her second home on a lush green site
located in Pasadena.

Wright challenged himself to only create

something beautiful from “the cheapest (and
ugliest) thing in the building world”, and to
develop a new low-cost flexible building system
with the same material.

Wright wanted to design a structure that would

meld with the land. The home clings to the lot’s
steep ravine, nestled within a thicket of trees. To
build the blocks, Wright took sand, gravel and
minerals found on the property to create earth-
toned concrete that would help the building
blend with the natural landscape.
Wright aligned both the method of building
and the aesthetic of La Miniatura with his
lifelong love of natural materials and his belief
that buildings should belong to their
surroundings.
When developing his concrete block technique,
Wright used a standardized block as the basic
design unit.

The blocks were constructed using wooden

moulds and a tongue and groove system
reinforced with conventional mortar. Each of
Wright’s concrete homes has its own unique
block design, and the Millard House features a
modernized pre-Columbian motif of a central
cross and a square in each corner.
While the load-bearing walls are
constructed of concrete blocks, the
interior walls consist of wooden studs
and plaster. The floors are either
concrete or wood, and the ceilings
are plaster or exposed redwood. In
1926, Lloyd Wright, Wright’s son,
designed a separate studio and
guest house.

While the design was in most ways a

departure from Wright's prior work, it
was consistent with his lifelong love
of natural materials and his belief
that buildings should complement
their surroundings. He later said that
Millard House "belonged to the
ground on which it stood."
FLOOR PLANS

AND SPACES
FLOOR PLANS AND ROOF PLANS
Spaces in the home were as follows:

• 4 bedrooms
• 4 bathrooms
• 2 kitchens
• 1 living room
• 1 dining room
• 2 attached garages

The house and studio are connected by a covered

walkway. Both structures are placed on the basis of
a ravine in a scenic hillside. The paths lead down
towards level Rosemont Avenue.

Outside the house there is a pond that reflects the

geometric finish of the facade. This is configured by
the concrete blocks are integrated into the
environment of the forest.

The house, therefore, is not intended to take a

leading position in the place, but to adapt to it,
closing the pan and turning our gaze toward the
lower end of the pond or to the upper limit of the
treetops.
Floor Plan of Millard House
The entrance is located on the middle floor of the house, which is the principal. In this lies the guest bedroom and the living
room, double height, which includes the central fireplace and a large balcony. Next to the house is the garage.

Upstairs is the master bedroom, a terrace, and a balcony that overlooks the living room and double space for viewing the
outdoor terrace. On the ground floor under the living room, dining room, open to the terrace by the pool, the kitchen and the
room service is situated, as well as storage spaces.

The openings on the top floor are minimal for the intense heat of California not overheat the interior. The lower floors, to be
more protected by the vegetation of the site have more generous openings.
Thumbnail is organized on three floors connected by a
central fireplace. Inside spaces are intricate. Narrow
corridors open to rooms that seem caverns illuminated by
natural light.

The textile blocks open from time to time at its centre

crosshair, where a crystal is inserted, to let the sunlight. Thus
Wright gets filtered light and let it gently enter the interior
spaces. Where direct light can not reach, the architect
placed floor to ceiling windows.

This provides an atmosphere that has something theatrical

and is accentuated by the view from abroad that are
achieved through elevated platforms, balconies,
unexpected holes, hidden observation points and
generously open spaces. Robert Twombly spaces called
Alice Millard House “playgrounds for the imagination.”
STRUCTURE AND FACADE

The walls of the house are made

from textile blocks. These are walls
that function as load slabs. Overall
stability is achieved by joining these
blocks with reinforcing rods vertically
and horizontally between each
piece.

This system, besides being

inexpensive, is the subject of the
interior fittings and fire protection. By
creating an air space between the
two walls of textile blocks better
insulates the interior, the temperature
is constant and improved comfort
conditions are achieved.

Also, being concrete, the interior

finishes are very fire resistant, unlike
wooden interiors typical of the time.
The textile blocks are square and have
dimensions of about 15 cm square and about 7.5
cm thick. Along the edges of each piece are no
crevices where armour and placed the mortar to
build the walls.

The pieces are formed with moulds. Each design

has variants to set opaque walls or walls that filter
the light.

“We would catch concrete blocks, the coseríamos

together with steel joints, and therefore would build
gaskets that would be filled with concrete after being
placed. The walls then become thin but solid reinforced
slabs. We would do the double walls, sticking up inside
and the other outside-spaces continuous gaps in
between, so that everything would be cool in summer,
warm in winter and always dry. In addition, the inner
blocks would be a good background for good books
and old paintings and tapestries. Instead of having a
fire trap, my client would have a house fireproof” -
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
MATERIALS
The house has a sleek design
textile block and one in relief.
The latter has two variants,
solid and perforated, very
similar to the concept of the
prototype of the proposed
Midway Gardens block.

Both have a composition

shaped cross in the centre
and overlapping squares at
the corners creating a relief
pattern is repeated on the
wall with the addition of
consecutive blocks.
The three-dimensional texture of the block
breaks the monotony of the flat walls and
added a play of light and shadows in exterior
walls and interior walls. Corner block
designed for Alice Millard House had in
outstanding and well-defined edges origin have
been lost because of wear caused by
exposure to the elements.

The colour and texture of the concrete

resembling rocky canyon landscape where the
house sits. With the choice of this material
Wright wants to melt the building with its
surroundings.

Each textile block is formed by casting

concrete in a wooden mould, which provides
the relief pattern of the face side on one side
and a smooth appearance on the inside wall.
THE MILLARD HOUSE AND

LE CORBUSIER
An interesting comparison can be made between La
Miniature and the work of LeCorbusier that was performed
at the same time in Europe. Wright’s house was somehow
influenced by the modernist ideas of the time. The five
points of Le Corbusier were proposed as guidelines to
design a functional house:

• The building is to be raised above the ground to allow

additional space below and provide an uninterrupted
view to the living floor above. It eliminates the dark and
damp inconvenient basement.
• The use of a flat roof to create a garden, an outdoor
area that has privacy, panoramic views, refreshing
breeze and plenty of sun.
• Leave the floors open to accommodate the free plan.
Every floor can be subdivided with non-structural walls
independent of those on the other floors.
• An unobstructed free façade can be covered with glass
for maximum light and ventilation.
• Use of long horizontal windows for abundant
illumination.
Thank you!