Describe 'Fallingwater' by Frank Lloyd Wright in terms of site integration and materiality.

• A. Is isolated from the site and relies on brick and glass with a vertical emphasis.
• B. Detached from the landscape and uses a pre-stressed concrete panel system.
• C. Built on a hillside with no water involvement and employs timber framing.
• D. Integrated with its waterfall site; materials (stone, concrete, cantilevered terraces) reflect local landscape; emphasis on horizontality and unity with nature.

Answer: (D)

Site integration and materiality drive Fallingwater. Wright places the house directly over Bear Run’s waterfall, so the land and water shape the form, not the other way around. The building seems to grow from the rock, with cantilevered terraces that reach out over the stream, creating a continuous dialogue between inside and outside and letting nature be part of daily life. The horizontality is deliberate—long, low planes and extended decks align with the landscape’s lines and keep the structure visually connected to its setting.

Material choices reinforce this unity. Locally quarried stone at the base roots the house in the rock, while reinforced concrete forms the cantilevered floors and terraces, letting those horizontal extensions occur without overpowering the site. The combination of stone, concrete, and generous glazing makes the boundary between interior and exterior porous, so the surrounding landscape—water, rock, trees—readily appears from within.

In short, Fallingwater embodies integration with its waterfall site and uses materials that reflect the local landscape, producing a sense of harmony and unity with nature.