Twelve Gibbs students recently traveled to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona for a travel study course led by Interior Design Professor Mia Kile. Taliesin West was architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and studio in the desert and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Landmark.
Kile organized the course with members of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, including Fred Prozzillo, vice president of preservation and collections, Jennifer Gray, ice president and director of the Taliesin Institute, Kelly Kubicki, Taliesin Institute coordinator and Indira Berndtson, administrator of historic studies, collections and exhibitions.
From May 22-26, the students explored the various designs, materials and building methods of 50 dwelling units located within the 500-acre estate. This intensive five-day program provided students with an in-depth, studio-based experience, including tours and individual exploration of the house, educational lectures and discussions, and studio exercises crafted to deepen their understanding of Wright’s design.
Students got the opportunity to live and work in the same housing and studio space in which the original fellows worked alongside Wright. As part of a service-learning component, the students documented the current conditions of two different shelters: Tree House and Japanese House. According to Kile, these dwellings have historic significance but are deteriorating due to the extreme conditions of the desert.
Working in teams, the students identified major challenges with each site and developed solutions to address the uniqueness of the sites, their natural surroundings and their building constraints. The students documented these issues using as-built drawings, annotated digital photographs and sketches for proposed design solutions. Students also had access to the library and special collections to include in their research. At the end of the trip, this work was provided to the Taliesin West Preservation Department for their use.
