Designer James Palius translates the iconic architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright into our latest Blockitecture set.

WORDS BY JAMES PAULIUS

Since I designed Blockitecture in 2013, I’ve kept my eye out for architectural works that resemble Blockitecture’s geometry, hoping to find a common thread that could inform future designs. Some examples I came across included the Japanese Metabolists, or anything by Moshe Safdie, but what really caught my eye was Wright’s prolific collection of Usonian homes designed on a hexagonal grid. They’re a great example of how hexagonal geometry can be used effectively, as a system, to create an elegant and human-centered design.

The Hanna House. Image courtesy of The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives. (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, NY)

Interior of the Roland Reisly Home for NPR. Photo: Keren Carrión/NPR

I think photos of Usonian home interiors show how well a geometric layout can work. The spaces feel calm and comforting. After all, Wright’s choice to use this grid was more about creating a pleasant experience inside the building rather than being solely driven by the exterior's aesthetics. When describing one of these spaces that has only 60- and 120-degree angles to someone, without showing them a picture, they might imagine that it feels chaotic and aggressive. We are used to living in boxy spaces with 90-degree corners, so it's reasonable to assume that breaking away from that might feel overwhelming. But in reality, the effect is quite the opposite.

Blockitecture and Frank Lloyd Wright share a similar hexagonal design system.

When Areaware first mentioned the idea of collaborating with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, I immediately knew the design should focus on his hexagonal Usonian homes. I began the design process by studying as many images of these homes I could find and reading any related literature. I never found an official list, but I counted about 48 Wright structures designed on a hexagonal grid. After studying these buildings, I reached one main conclusion: this Blockitecture design shouldn’t be a direct replication of any one of Wright’s buildings. Wright intentionally developed the hexagonal grid not just for one building, but as a framework to design many. So in the same way, I thought it would be more compelling if Blockitecture utilized this hexagonal grid as a system that allows people to build within, to create their own Usonian structures.

3D printed prototypes helped James finalize the block shapes fitting of a Usonian home.

The goal was to create a Blockitecture set that’s more about the essence of Wright’s architecture. This was achieved by identifying key features that define his Usonian homes and incorporating them into the design in a simple, straightforward way. Some of these features included the flat, wide nature of the buildings, long overhanging canopies, his iconic window patterns, and the surrounding landscape that his buildings were nestled into.

What was challenging about translating these features to Blockitecture was that a lot of what makes his buildings so beautiful is in the fine details and textures. However, what also makes his buildings unique is his overall vision and dogmatic beliefs that drove his work. I found that once I focused on these broader ideas, the Blockitecture design really started coming together. Through this, I could make a Blockitecture set that was about the essence of Wright’s architecture. Plus, I think a more simplified design leaves more room for imagination for the user and that’s what Blockitecture is all about.