An exploration of an architectural style

Audience

A webquest for community college learners to be undertaken as part of the COM088 & COM101 (English Composition) class. This quest will develop the learners’ information literacy skills. That is, the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources.

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Introduction

Your architectural design firm, Craftsman Design, has been asked to submit a proposal for a new community. The target buyers will be families of modest means. Meanwhile, the land is also being sought after as a site for a mega superstore, J-Mart. 

The land is close to older established homes, and the existing community is preparing to contest the J-Mart acquisition. Your boss wants you to drop everything and work on this proposal and hopefully convince the planning commission to vote in favor of the new community rather than the superstore. 

As an example of well-designed homes for middle class buyers, he suggests your junior design team explore the Usonian style, which he mentions is connected with architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Your boss would like your junior design team to give a 10-12 minute presentation or a print portfolio of your team’s study of this Usonian style before the senior design group. The town planning commission will meet in four weeks time, so your team has 3 weeks to put together the print portfolio or a presentation. 

Block J-Mart from building another superstore while other abandoned sites lay vacant!

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Task

Working in teams of 5 or 6, research the Usonian Architectural Style, using Gloucester County College Library’s collection. Look at the materials listed under 'Resources.' As a group, decide if you will do a multimedia presentation or put together a print portfolio. Consult with the librarians, graphic design faculty, and your design team mentor (your professor) and any other resource professionals. At the end of your study you will be:

• Familiar with Usonian design and its unique features
  
  
• Adept at working with your peers as part of a team
  
  
• Knowledgeable about using the tools for research including: Web catalogs, periodical databases, and Internet search tools
  
  
• Skilled at summarizing your research into a presentation or a print portfolio

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Process

Your presentation or print portfolio should address the following:

1. Clearly define the term, Usonian style or Usonian design and indicate if possible:
   1. The terms origins, when it was first used, and by whom 
   2. If the term is always used in connection with Frank Lloyd Wright
      
      
2. Include any graphics either from the Internet, photocopied from books, or rendered by any on your team. One graphic should be an architectural plan. Include proper citation to author of the designs.
   
   
3. Ideally, your team should visit a site employing the Usonian style of architecture, however a virtual tour on the Web will suffice. Indicate:
   1. Two existing examples of the Usonian style, city and state, and the year built.
   2. Note any important or unique elements you would include in the new community design. What do you like about the design?
      
      
4. Based on your team’s research, did you discover related architectural styles? Just note them with a brief description. (These do no have to be by Frank Lloyd Wright)
   
   
5. In addition to the above items, the team presentation or print portfolio should include a bibliography in proper MLA citation format of at least: 
   1. Two books
   2. Two journal articles
   3. Two Web sites with information and/or photographs or other images of the Usonian house style.
   4. Include a sentence or two why you selected the sources and how they were helpful. The bibliography will assist the senior design team write their detailed proposal.

   
   [these will be in addition to the items listed under 'Resources']

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Resources

Origin of the term Usonia/Usonian:  

www.usonia.com
(click on 'usonia' in the left frame)

Hopper, Donald W. The Seven Ages of Frank Lloyd Wright: the Creative Process. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1998, p.75.

Brown, Lesley. The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993.

Website

Wright on the Web. Links to Collections, Directories & Miscellaneous Resources
www.delmars.com/wright/flwright.htm

Book Resources:

Periodical article:

Adelson, Fred B. "On the Trail of Frank Lloyd Wright." New York Times. Late Edition (East Coast) pg.14NJ.12 VALE (ProQuest). Gloucester County College Library, 16 Nov. 2001

Quotations:

http://www.cmgww.com/historic/flw/quote.html

http://www.usonia.com/fllw.html

Virtual tour:

Pope-Leighey House
Mount Vernon, VA
Designed in 1939

http://www.nthp.org/national_trust_sites/pope_leighey.html

http://www.adsw.org/event/1997/PopeLeighey/outsideRender4-m.jpg

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Evaluation

If your team is compiling a print portfolio of your findings, this will be handed into the senior design architect. (your instructor) If your team is giving a presentation, this will be given to the class at a scheduled time. Both require a print, annotated bibliography to be handed in. Please click on 'Evaluation' for a detailed description of the evaluation criteria.

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Conclusion

"Every great architect is--necessarily--a great poet. He must be a great original interpreter of his time, his day, his age." Frank Lloyd Wright

By completing this Webquest, you will learn about the Usonian style of architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright. In addition, you will gain valuable experience searching for information using our Web catalog, periodical databases from EBSCOhost and VALE, and the Web itself.

Any feedback or comments regarding this Webquest, please contact: Chris Herz

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