Robie House Roof

Robie house s horizontal lines low pitched roof and incorporation of natural materials mimic the midwestern landscape.

Robie house roof.

Robie house is located on a corner lot in the neighborhood of hyde park near the university of chicago. Read more about the house its history and how it defied tradition. The basis of the composition is a long two story block with apparently symmetrical porches each featuring a sloped roof at each end. Wright designed a three bay garage for robie which is pretty impressive for 1910.

Text description provided by the architects. A dramatic twenty foot cantilevered roof shades ribbons of art glass windows below creates privacy and seamlessly connects the interior and exterior. Roof overhangs or eaves are massive and contribute to the horizontal emphasis. Roofs of prairie style houses are either flat or a hippe with a very low slope.

These strong beams were necessary to create the cantilevered balconies which appear to be suspended in mid air. Robie and his family was one of wright s earlier projects. More specifically at 5757 woodlawn avenue chicago illinois. At robie house the main living space is a single light filled room divided only by a central chimney.

The steel i beams make the roof cantilever possible while the detailing of exterior brickwork reinforces the horizontal emphasis by tooling the horizontal joints in a matural mortar and leaving vertical joints flush in a brick colored mortar. The robie house is constructed of red roman brick and was one of the first residences to incorporate steel beams into its design. The open plan design was revolutionary for the time and created a modern flexible living space for the robie family consisting of a dining area and a living area. The servants bedrooms occupy the space above the garage.

Robie house location plan section elevation characteristics interiors details. Designed and built between 1908 1910 the robie house for client frederick c. Robie house residence designed for frederick c. One of the most striking pieces of the furniture designed by wright for the robie house is a sofa with extended armrests echoing the cantilevers of the exterior roof of the building which effectively create side tables on each side of the sofa.

Robie by frank lloyd wright and built in chicago.