How do you recognise Prairie style?

Strong horizontal emphasis; Low roof with far overhang; Geometric glass patterns; Open layered plan.

Exterior architecture

Prairie style

Prairie School, horizontal architecture

Long horizontal lines hugging the ground, as if the house grew out of the prairie.

Colour moodboard

Earth brownSandBrick siennaOlive greenOff white

Material moodboard

Earth-brown Roman brickSienna Roman brickSand-toned renderConcrete overhangGeometric leaded glassOlive green roof tileOff-white render

Origin: American Midwest, late 19th to early 20th century, associated with Frank Lloyd Wright.

Prairie style was developed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Midwestern American architects from the late 19th into the early 20th century. Its signature is emphasis on the horizontal: low roofs, very deep overhangs, continuous bands of windows, long wall bases and a big chimney as the central axis. Plans are open and spaces flow into each other.

In Vietnam it suits villas on wider plots more than narrow townhouses. The long eaves are excellent against western sun and driving rain in humid coastal areas, keeping large glazing from overheating. But low roofs with long overhangs take heavy wind load in storms, so cantilevers must be designed and anchored carefully. Use well waterproofed concrete roofs and avoid ponding on near-flat surfaces.

Materials

Long Roman-style brick with emphasised horizontal joints
Concrete and earth-toned render
Tiled or concrete roof with deep overhang
Slim-framed glass in geometric patterns

Furniture & forms

Low roof with very deep overhang
Continuous bands of windows
Large chimney as central anchor
Long planters running along the facade

Lighting

Window bands give even horizontal daylight
Concealed lights under the eaves trace the roofline

How it differs from similar styles

Prairie style vs Craftsman bungalow

Prairie stresses long horizontals, low far-reaching eaves and an open plan; the Craftsman bungalow is more compact, with gables, tapered porch columns and smaller scale.

Prairie style vs Organic architecture

Prairie is Wright's early phase with horizontals and leaded glass; organic architecture is the wider philosophy of blending building and terrain, in any form.

Prairie style vs Ranch house

Prairie is a deeply designed house with careful proportion, leaded glass and a central hearth; the ranch is more common, single-storey, low-roofed, simple and mass-built.

Prairie style vs Arts and Crafts

Prairie is architectural: horizontals, low roofs, open plans; Arts and Crafts stresses the handwork of each object, natural wood and nature-based patterns.

Prairie style vs Mid-century Modern

Prairie is early 20th century with brick, wood, leaded glass and horizontal emphasis; Mid-century is mid-century, with big glass, flat ceilings, tapered legs and moulded furniture.

Prairie style vs International Style

Prairie is warm and earth-bound, in brick and wood with stretching horizontals; the International Style is white, pure-volume, flat-roofed and set apart from the landscape.