An unsung prophet of today's green movement in architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright was an innovator of eco-sensitive design generations ahead of his time. An architect and designer of far-reaching vision, it is not surprising that Frank Lloyd Wright anticipated many of the hallmarks of today's green movement. Across his work — which stands upon a philosophy Wright termed organic — widespread evidence is seen of a refined sensitivity to environment, to social organization as impacted by buildings, and to sustainable and sensible use of space. The desire to work and live with nature to create livable homes and cities is an ongoing theme of American architecture and planning. This book explores Wright's lessons on how climate, sustainability, sunlight, modern technology, local materials, and passive environmental controls can become the inspiration for excellent design, and highlights a selection of Wright's buildings to show how he dealt with these issues. The book is organized by the green concepts Wright used — including passive solar design and the use of thermal massing, passive berm insulation, environmentally sensitive landscaping, passive ventilation systems, passive natural light, and intelligent and artful adaptation of technology — with examples from different houses. It shows how Wright evolved certain ideas that continue to spur discussions of green architecture design today.

Accompanying Rizzoli's best-selling Frank Lloyd Wright: The Houses, this exceptional publication features Wright's major projects and programs, including such masterpieces as the Guggenheim Museum, Marin County Civic Center, Unity Temple, Johnson Wax, Taliesin, and Taliesin West, to name only a few. Also included is stunning archival imagery of the great demolished buildings, such as the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, as well as inspiring visions of the great unbuilt work drawn by Wright, including The Baghdad Opera House and The Mile High Illinois, among others. Extensive, all new color photography shows the buildings to an extent rarely seen (including such little-known gems as Beth Shalom Synagogue, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, and Lindholm Gas Station). Frank Lloyd Wright: The Buildings invites a reevaluation of Wright's work and is a must-have for anyone interested in this very important American architect.