Organic Design

The term Organic Design is used to describe a movement which was took place in about mid 20^th century. Organic Design is considered to be a different approach to design and the way of thinking of the designer. It is described as a different way to solve problems in design and Organic Design is a completely different movement from other design movements which occurred during time.

In every architecture movement the designs produced by the architect, is one of the series of design from the style itself where the building is adapted to the style. In organic design the design produced by the architect is designed to adapt to the environment of the area rather on the type of style. The philosophy of this movement is that every design has to adapt to each site even when it comes to the choice of materials. It also have to adapt to the climate and environment.

The term Organic design was introduced by the famous architect, Frank Lloyd wright. His philosophy was to connect the design of the building and nature amalgamated together to be connected with the user. He believed to create harmony between the design and humans. Frank Lloyd Wright to a different approach of the Form Follows Function  “rule” of the Bauhaus. His approach was that “ Form and Function are one”.

By Frank Lloyd Wright

In different eras of design such as designs from the International Style, the movement did not take into consideration to the impact that the design is making on the surroundings. Designers and architects were working hard to solve different problems which were making an impact on the population but forgetting the surroundings of the buildings and nature. Le Corbusier was an architect and a designer from the international style which made huge advances in design such as the materials used and his concept of mass housing in cities. Some critics criticised his idea in a way as it went out of control and we even have a proof in today’s cities. The concept of mass housing by Le Corbusier was a great relief for the post war era to re-build cities which collapsed during the attacks of war. But this concepts went out of control as cities turned into what many call a concrete jungle.

This is a big contrast to the new approach of the Design movement which emphasised on the nature and the impact of the design on it. In the International Style, Le Corbusier introduced a new feature in his work which may be a step forward to an organic approach in his design. In his mass housing buildings and on the roofs, he was introducing gardens. In my opinion his idea is a leap forward and a step closer the philosophy of organic design which was to amalgamate the design with nature and give a new spirit to the building.

Le Corbusier mass housing

The Organic Design movement was an important approach in my opinion as in many of the design movement the impact on environment is not considered. If we look back to the industrial revolution, we can now think and evaluate the big sudden impact which the revolution had on the planet with big factories opening and several mass production factories manufacturing goods, without any consideration of the impact on the planet. Today we are more aware of the environment and we are now more educated and more technological advanced to minimize the impact that do on the organic life.

Reference :

THE ORGANIC DESIGN MOVEMENT #2 | Fehrman Books. 2014. THE ORGANIC DESIGN MOVEMENT #2 | Fehrman Books. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.fehrmanbooks.com/organic-design-movement-2. [Accessed 26 January 2014].

organicARCHITECT: Organic. 2014. organicARCHITECT: Organic. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.organicarchitect.com/organic/#axzz2rV1bnEz4. [Accessed 26 January 2014].

Organic design and Biomorphism by Briony Ewing on Prezi. 2014. Organic design and Biomorphism by Briony Ewing on Prezi. [ONLINE] Available at:http://prezi.com/hp4mhaz0pcyh/organic-design-and-biomorphism/. [Accessed 26 January 2014].