Robie House Roof

A dramatic twenty foot cantilevered roof shades ribbons of art glass windows below creates privacy and seamlessly connects the interior and exterior.

Robie house roof.

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 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. More specifically at 5757 woodlawn avenue chicago illinois.

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. Inside the typical warren of rooms is discarded for a light filled open plan centered around a main hearth. Robie house residence designed for frederick c. At robie house the main living space is a single light filled room divided only by a central chimney.

The robie house is constructed of red roman brick and was one of the first residences to incorporate steel beams into its design. Roof overhangs or eaves are massive and contribute to the horizontal emphasis. Robie house location plan section elevation characteristics interiors details. These strong beams were necessary to create the cantilevered balconies which appear to be suspended in mid air.

Roofs of prairie style houses are either flat or a hippe with a very low slope. 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. Wright designed a three bay garage for robie which is pretty impressive for 1910. Designed and built between 1908 1910 the robie house for client frederick c.

Robie by frank lloyd wright and built in chicago. Robie and his family was one of wright s earlier projects. The servants bedrooms occupy the space above the garage. Text description provided by the architects.

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