Architects and developers have been encouraged to build green for decades, resulting in the use of sustainable building materials, greater energy efficiency and more generous allocations of open space. But a dramatic movement has emerged in which agriculture is literally integrated into architecture and the approach, known as “agritecture” or biophilic design, represents the current frontiers of sustainability.
Many buildings, usually incentivized by government agencies, earn certifications for sustainable design, but others are literally green. The agritecture trend began manifesting itself with rooftop lawns, athletic fields or gardens, which not only injected precious green space into densely populated cities but also reduced energy costs. Living walls began popping up in trendy restaurants and hotel lobbies, but these gestures hardly captured the true potential of the movement.
The terms agritecture or biophilia were hardly in vogue, even imagined, during the career of Frank Lloyd Wright, but some experts view him as one of the most influential early proponents of the theory. Wright’s most iconic home, Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, is perhaps the ultimate example of an architect incorporating nature into the built environment, a consistent doctrine of the legendary designer.