Published in Oculus, January 1995

John Lautner, FAIA, the internationally acclaimed California architect, passed away on October 24, at the age of 83.

If architecture were strictly the creation of spaces that uplift the human spirit, then John Lautner would have few peers, either past or present. In a career that has spanned over sixty years, Lautner has created a series of works that have tremendous dynamism, yet have deep repose. In this respect he has surpassed his mentor, Frank Lloyd Wright, for whom he worked from 1933 to 1939. Lautner arrived in California in the late 1930's to supervise construction of Wright's Sturges house, and established his own practice after its completion.

Lautner primarily designed houses during his career. He is perhaps best known for the Arango Residence in Acapulco, Mexico. This project demonstrates some of the recurrent themes in Lautner's work. A soaring concrete roof frames a panoramic view of Acapulco Bay. There is a feeling of shelter, yet there is an openness to an infinite horizontal view. Surrounding the main outdoor living space (the house is a vacation home in a temperate climate) is a serpentine pool with an overflowing edge, that visually merges with Acapulco Bay, making the bay part of the living space. Shelter, openness, repose, humanism and joy. These were the elements of John Lautner's architecture.

Other well known Lautner buildings include the Elrod residence in Palm Springs, the Segel residence in Malibu, and Silvertop in Los Angeles. These and many other Lautner buildings have received national design awards and have been widely published.

Every Lautner project is conceived around a central idea. Structural forms, spatial arrangements, site placement, and the manner of detailing, all emanate from this central idea. To Lautner, the underlying concept of the building was the most important aspect of architecture. When one understands the building's concept, one can appreciate the depth of genius that is contained in some of Lautner's best work. Lautner has built what few architects are capable of imagining. A poor draftsman, Lautner developed a strong intuitive understanding of architectural space. Unfortunately for us, the essence of these spaces are not captured by photographs.

Artemis has recently published a monograph on the work of John Lautner. While several books have been written on Lautner, this is the first that offers a comprehensive overview of his work.