Among the world’s most influential architects, Frank Lloyd Wright is undoubtedly the Titan of the subject. His designs are immediately identified with his unique treatment of space, light, materials and lines, and are even responsible for the entire architectural movement. For example, the prairie style draws inspiration from the vast landscape of the Midwest America. He also coined the term “organic architecture” in order to describe the way in which the built environment should be expressed as “a thought” and “feeling” processes.
The prairie style is considered the first unique architectural style in the United States and later turned into a philosophy called usonia, which privileges locally available materials, practicality, connection to nature, and a strong visual continuity between the inside and the outside. Pennsylvania’s iconic drop water, for example, is a mixture of prairie and Ussian styles. Later, he incorporated patterns from various sources, such as Mayan Stone Carvings and the “textile block” elements. His works range from small-scale single-story homes to glittering futuristic complexes.
For architect and 3D designer David Romero, Wright’s work has been a source of inspiration since his earliest explorations in the field. “From the beginning, I was bridging two seemingly opposite worlds: the rational and intellectual aspect of architecture, and the emotionally spiritual experience of space,” Romero told the Giant. “For me, the alliance is the essence that makes architecture truly powerful, and no one embodies it like Wright.”
Of course, the imagination and committee of a well-received architect is not limited to the residential realm. Wright conceived the spiral spiral interior and glowing white facades of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan, as well as SC Johnson’s Soaring Administration headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, and many other groundbreaking commercial and institutional buildings. Throughout his career, Wright has designed up to 1,114 kinds of buildings of various types – bridges, skyscrapers, banks, churches, car dealerships, social housing, and more – 532 of which have been realized.
Romero’s ongoing project is called Fascinated by the past Explore the architecture of past eras that will still have a rich impact on today’s built environment. The Madrid-based designer has created nearly twenty-two digital renders, from Wright’s unrealized concepts, from amazing cliff houses to insurance company headquarters to banks with obvious too long-lasting driving.
Wright conceived one of his most memorable and awesome concepts about Chicago: a mile-high skyscraper called “Illinois” that initially included 528 stories, edited to 365, four times the height of the Empire State Building. Architects shared this idea in their 1957 book will, Assertion that even if technology could be used to build buildings of that scope and scale at that time, technically even the possibility of technology is possible.
“Fascinated by the past “From the intersection of two personal passions: the world of architectural history and the fascinating computer-generated image,” Romero said. He continued:
Although these two areas seem different, they complement each other in a powerful way. On the one hand, I have always been attracted by the stories, style and cultural background behind the architectural works. On the other hand, I am very interested in the creative and technical potential of digital tools to visualize ideas and environments.
Romero usually initializes his workflow by building a model in AutoCAD, which he then exports to the 3DS Max Modeling software. He uses a plug-in called V-ray to perfect the visual quality of the scene by adding realistic textures, lighting effects, vegetation and terrain.
“This is the stage where the project really started to live, moving beyond the technical model toward something that has atmosphere and emotional resonance,” he said. From there, he made some post-production tweaks in Photoshop to make the entire image as cohesive as possible.
“(Wright’s) work not only through its structural creativity and innovative use of materials, but also an innovative illustration of the inner self,” Romero said. “His design has poetic qualities—a profound sensitivity to nature, light, and human experience—and no matter how many times I return to his building or drawings, it continues to move me.”
Romero regularly works with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which promotes and preserves the work and legacy of architects. Romero’s digital entertainment is published annually in the organization’s quarterly magazine, which allows him to explore a wide range of unfulfilled projects.
“Every year, we choose a central theme with the foundation’s editorial team, which is the unified thread introduced in this special issue,” he said. “In the past few years, we have focused on various architectural types and periods of his career, but this year’s theme has been particularly interesting to me: the temple.”
Please keep an eye on Romero’s website for updates.
