Solar Hemicycle: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Jacobs II Passive Solar House

Solar Hemicycle: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Jacobs II Passive Solar House

J.M. Syken

Course Outline

In this course, we will examine the history of one of the most important commissions of the long, prolific career of America’s master architect: Frank Lloyd Wright. We will review the origins of Wright’s “Usonian” houses originating in the mid-1930s (starting with the Jacobs I house in Madison, Wisconsin) through to the commission for the second Jacobs house (a.k.a. “Jacons II”) starting in 1942 through to its completion in 1948.

This review will include an in-depth discussion of the many design features of the house that have made it recognized as the first passive solar residential design. Topics of discussion will include site selection, building orientation/shape, use of earthen berms, thermal massing, overhangs (for shading), glazing (for solar penetration), material selection, radiant-heat flooring, air-pressure differentials, convective loops etc. As well, the legacy of the house to both passive and active solar design will be highlighted.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Understand/appreciate the origins of FLW’s “Usonian” houses and their importance to suburban residential design in the post-WWII era;
Understand/appreciate the Usononian Jacobs I house and its influences on Jacobs II;
Understand/appreciate the nature of the commission by the Jacobs’ for a second house designed by FLW and the design parameters used by FLW to satisfy his clients’ desires and needs;
Understand/appreciate the site selected and the use of building orientation to maximize solar gain in winter while minimizing SG in summer;
Understand/appreciate FLW’s use of an earthen berm on three-sides to shelter the house from cold winter winds and his use of berms in his other structures before and after Jacobs II;
Understand/appreciate the “Solar Hemicycle” design (using 120-degrees of a circle) to allow for solar penetration (through the south-facing window wall) year-round;
Understand/appreciate the use of masonry walls and concrete floors for thermal massing;
Understand/appreciate the use of radiant-heat flooring and the air pressure differentials and convection loops created naturally by the layout of the ground floor and overhanging mezzanine; and
Understand/appreciate the influence of FLW’s Jacobs II design on future passive/active solar houses and its use as the basis for modern “Earthship” designs.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for architects, engineers and other design professionals.

Benefit to Attendees

The attendee/s will gain an intimate knowledge and insight into the design, construction and legacy of one of the most important and influential residential buildings designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright

Course Introduction

The course includes an in-depth PowerPoint presentation and a video house tour

Course Content

In this course, you are required to view/study the following slideshow and the materials contained in the web pages:

Solar Hemicycle: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Jacobs II Passive Solar House (printable handout in PDF, 2 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)
Solar Hemicycle: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Jacobs II Passive Solar House (non-printable slideshow for screen-viewing only, 12 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)

Video House Tour:

Title: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Jacob House 2 (Youtube)
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MC8DwKIgNc
Duration: 07:54

Note A: Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader from your computer.

Course Summary

On the heels of two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s greatest triumphs as America’s “Master Architect” (Fallingwater and the Johnson Wax Administration Building, in the mid-1930s) came a commission for a simple, low-cost house for the common man and his family. In 1936, Herbert and Katherine Jacobs asked Wright to design for them a house costing no more than $5K. The result was Jacobs I - the first of what Wright termed a “Usonian” house, which he proclaimed was: “The House America Needs.” With the city of Madison, Wis. growing all around them, the Jacobs’ looked to the country for relief and asked Wright, once again, to design for them a site-appropriate house for a 52-acre farm they purchased nine miles west of the city. The Jacobs rejected Wright’s first design as too grandiose. However, by early 1944 Wright had come up with a fresh design for a low-cost Usonian he dubbed a “Solar Hemicycle.” The exposed house would be sheltered from bitter winter winds by an earthen berm on three sides while the south-facing, semi-circular window wall would allow the building to be naturally heated via “thermal massing” (limestone walls and concrete floor). The design would also allow for natural cooling to occur via air-pressure differentials and convection current flow/s. It worked, and the Jacobs found their second Frank Lloyd Wright house lived up to all Wright’s promises except one – it cost +$20K (even with the Jacobs providing much of the labor). Regardless, the house was a great success and is recognized as the first passive solar design residential structure. It stands out as one of Wright’s most important buildings in his long and prolific career.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_and_Katherine_Jacobs_First_House

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_and_Katherine_Jacobs_Second_House

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_solar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7HiZNeKmuA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGGS1PuTQBU (Film: FLW's Jacobs II Tour - 11:47)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn6yMKhzx6I (Film: FLW: America's Greatest Architect? The Man Who Built America - 59:32)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mKaM6YsD68 (Film: FLW: The Genius of Modern Architecture - 59:15)

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.