Robie House Roof

Read more about the house its history and how it defied tradition.

Robie house roof.

Designed and built between 1908 1910 the robie house for client frederick c. At robie house the main living space is a single light filled room divided only by a central chimney. Inside the typical warren of rooms is discarded for a light filled open plan centered around a main hearth. Roof overhangs or eaves are massive and contribute to the horizontal emphasis.

The robie house is constructed of red roman brick and was one of the first residences to incorporate steel beams into its design. On the first floor of the south facade. 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. Robie by frank lloyd wright and built in chicago.

The servants bedrooms occupy the space above the garage. 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. Completed in 1910 the structure is the culmination of wright s modern design innovations that came to be called the prairie style. 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 location plan section elevation characteristics interiors details. Robie and his family was one of wright s earlier projects. Robie house residence designed for frederick c. These strong beams were necessary to create the cantilevered balconies which appear to be suspended in mid air.

Robie house s horizontal lines low pitched roof and incorporation of natural materials mimic the midwestern landscape. Robie house is located on a corner lot in the neighborhood of hyde park near the university of chicago. Roofs of prairie style houses are either flat or a hippe with a very low slope. More specifically at 5757 woodlawn avenue chicago illinois.

Wright designed a three bay garage for robie which is pretty impressive for 1910.