Taliesin West
Modernizing the Lighting at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Winter Retreat
Location
Scottsdale, AZ
Custom Integration
Wipliance
Videography
Merit Productions
Photography
Jake Holt Photography
Background
Nestled in the desert foothills of Scottsdale, Arizona, Taliesin West is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a National Historic Landmark, and a masterwork of American architecture. In 1937, Frank Lloyd Wright established the site as his winter camp and as a living laboratory to explore architectural form and space, establish new practices for building in America, celebrate the native landscape, and find communion between the built and natural environment.
Today, Taliesin West is a bucket-list destination for more than 100,000 visitors annually and home to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The Foundation is entrusted with Wright’s design legacy and committed to preserving his original sites for future generations.
“When we saw the Ketra lighting, we recognized the opportunity to present the historic core of Taliesin West. … Frank Lloyd Wright was all about testing boundaries and using new technologies. Everything just fit.”
Fred Prozzillo
The Nord McClintock Family VP of Preservation and Collections, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Just as Wright envisioned an innovative structure that existed in balance with its environment, for Taliesin West’s recent lighting preservation, Lutron and custom integrator Wipliance were challenged to deliver a comprehensive lighting solution in keeping with the site’s historic character and original materials. “When we saw the Ketra lighting and its ability to create almost infinite light values, we recognized the opportunity to present the historic core of Taliesin West. And because it was a wireless solution, there was no compromise to the structure of the buildings. Frank Lloyd Wright was all about testing boundaries and using new technologies. Everything just fit. We could maintain that historic character and continue the legacy of innovation,” said Fred Prozzillo, The Nord McClintock Family VP of Preservation and Collections, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
Like the local stone from which the building was constructed, the light had to belong there. Taliesin West demanded a unique lighting solution – Ketra wireless delivered in a way that would have made Frank Lloyd Wright proud.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, Taliesin West hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually.
Design Goals
- Deliver a lighting control solution that restores and enhances the warm mood and candle-lit aesthetic of Frank Lloyd Wright’s original winter camp.
- Execute the restoration without damaging or altering the existing buildings or wiring infrastructure.
- Support the legacy of discovery and innovation with a lighting system that honors Taliesin West’s past while celebrating its future.
The Challenge
Originally illuminated by daylight, firelight, and low-wattage incandescents, Taliesin West had a warm, inviting glow that complemented the natural colors of its desert surroundings. Preserving that original quality of light without altering the historic structure was essential; enhancing the light in the spirit of architectural discovery was the opportunity. After years of using outdated light sources that can be difficult to control, degrade over time, and don't do justice to Wright's vision, the Foundation saw Ketra wireless technology uniquely suited to achieving their goals.
The site itself posed formidable obstacles. Taliesin’s structural walls are 18 in. to 24 in. thick, and hand-formed out of flat-facing stone and sand from the desert arroyos. There is no conduit to pull wire through and no way to reinstall a section of wall once it is removed. The Foundation wanted the benefits of a smart system for enhanced control, but Wi-Fi and RF communications are notoriously challenging at Taliesin West, especially across multiple buildings, all built from the same native materials.
Hand-made fixtures and thick walls formed from desert stone and sand posed significant obstacles to the lighting restoration, and invited creative solutions.
Hand-made fixtures and thick walls formed from desert stone and sand posed significant obstacles to the lighting restoration, and invited creative solutions.
Hand-made fixtures and thick walls formed from desert stone and sand posed significant obstacles to the lighting restoration, and invited creative solutions.
Hand-made fixtures and thick walls formed from desert stone and sand posed significant obstacles to the lighting restoration, and invited creative solutions.
Hand-made fixtures and thick walls formed from desert stone and sand posed significant obstacles to the lighting restoration, and invited creative solutions.
Hand-made fixtures and thick walls formed from desert stone and sand posed significant obstacles to the lighting restoration, and invited creative solutions.
Wright’s original hand-made light fixtures are delicate; even replacing a bulb demands the utmost care. The existing wiring was functional but could not be replaced, added to, or moved, presenting significant constraints to installing new wired lighting and control. Stuart Graff, President and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, expanded on the need for innovative solutions, “It is because of our constraints that we need a flexible solution that can work in these difficult spaces, is easy to maintain, and allows us to be creative. And that's been the beauty of the Ketra system. The constraints create the imperative for creativity and creative solutions. And that's where the opportunity for real genius comes in.”
Adding to the installation complexities, the Foundation was unhappy with how their static LED lighting delivered inconsistent color from fixture to fixture. They looked to Lutron’s Ketra system to provide a consistent, even quality of light, color-matched across the buildings’ broad façades, and able to blend seamlessly with sources that were not being replaced as part of the lighting upgrade project.
“It is because of our constraints that we need a flexible solution … and that's been the beauty of the Ketra system. The constraints create the imperative for creativity and creative solutions.”
Stuart Graff
President and CEO, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
The Solution
Just as Taliesin West’s construction can create constraints during preservation projects, Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture and experimentation invites innovation. With Wipliance’s guidance and the Lutron Ketra solution, the Foundation was able to recapture the feeling of warm, natural light and enhance its power as an architectural element.
Throughout the property, electric light is designed to mimic and pay tribute to the natural light in the space. Wright often concealed artificial lighting within the frames of skylights and under translucent roof panels to ensure the glow would come from the same place as the sunlight to achieve a consistent light quality, day or night.
Canvas ceiling panels create diffuse lighting even on the hottest summer days, and wooden “sails” on the exterior deflect the sun’s harsher angles. Like every detail in this space, the light is intentional and meticulously planned. With Ketra bulbs and Lumaris tape light, custom integrator Lee Travis and his team at Wipliance were able to re-create and preserve this feeling in a way that blends perfectly into the original design. Throughout the Garden Room, which was recently restored to its 1950s grandeur, the new bulbs in each fixture provide a Ketra Natural Light show that allows levels lighting to automatically adjust throughout the day and return to a warm glow as the sun sets over the world-famous prow.
In 2021, the Garden Room, Wright's personal living room, was returned to its 1950s historical period design. Ketra lighting beautifully complements the reds, blues, and golds throughout the space.
In 2021, the Garden Room, Wright's personal living room, was returned to its 1950s historical period design. Ketra lighting beautifully complements the reds, blues, and golds throughout the space.
In 2021, the Garden Room, Wright's personal living room, was returned to its 1950s historical period design. Ketra lighting beautifully complements the reds, blues, and golds throughout the space.
In 2021, the Garden Room, Wright's personal living room, was returned to its 1950s historical period design. Ketra lighting beautifully complements the reds, blues, and golds throughout the space.
In 2021, the Garden Room, Wright's personal living room, was returned to its 1950s historical period design. Ketra lighting beautifully complements the reds, blues, and golds throughout the space.
Fixtures from Coastal Source, a Ketra Ready lighting partner, were added to the property’s exterior to ensure harmony between the indoor and outdoor light quality. “We used existing electrical power that was already there to add layers of light where there were none before. That’s one of the stories that, to me, is really fascinating. To be able to add high-performance lighting to this 100-ish year-old structure, with no damage or impact on the original materials; that’s fascinating. Lutron Ketra is the only solution that could do that," explains Lee Travis, CEO of Wipliance.
While natural light remains Taliesin’s primary light source, the Ketra lighting is programmed to ensure visitors experience a consistent interior aesthetic in any weather and throughout the year. Slender, strategically placed Ketra Lightbar Slim fixtures allow staff to highlight unique architectural elements, emphasize aspects of the desert masonry walls, and subtly mimic the colors of Wright’s iconic furnishings.
In the Drafting Studio, a space where Wright and his apprentices worked to explore the boundaries of architecture and experimented with desert materials, Lumaris tape lights are tucked into the base of the massive wooden ceiling beams, extending the ability to use the room after hours when the sun is less punishing.
“We want to use the site in a way that continues to push forward with the embrace of new technologies, to achieve the qualities that Wright was trying to achieve – qualities that are not only timeless but can be better realized with today’s technologies than could be realized in Wright’s time.”
Stuart Graff
President and CEO, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
In the Drafting Studio, Lumaris tape lighting is tucked into the base of the ceiling beams and adjusts through the day to match the changing desert light.
In the Drafting Studio, Lumaris tape lighting is tucked into the base of the ceiling beams and adjusts through the day to match the changing desert light.
In the Drafting Studio, Lumaris tape lighting is tucked into the base of the ceiling beams and adjusts through the day to match the changing desert light.
Wireless Lutron Palladiom shades in the William Wesley Peters Conference Room are another example of how the solution stays true to Wright’s original design while improving functionality and comfort. The manual shades had become worn from years of use. Lutron was able to provide a wireless, battery-powered shading solution in a matching color that tucked into the same window alcoves as the original shades. These shades are controlled as part of the integrated Lutron wireless system – no new wiring necessary – to deliver a practical and comfortable year-round space without changing the interior or exterior aesthetic.
The lighting can be controlled via Lutron Pico wireless remotes tucked neatly into nooks in the stone walls or using the Lutron app on a smart device. The Pico remotes are small, available in several colors, and battery-operated, making them ideal for inconspicuous, local control of room lighting.
The Results
The onsite team has lived with the new lighting control system for several seasons and continues to discover new ways to highlight Wright’s design vision. Fred Prozzillo highlights the ability to showcase the color and depth of Taliesin West’s unique architectural features as a “wonderful surprise.” “We still have a few 2700K LED lights in some areas that aren’t perfect. Because of the Ketra system’s flexibility, we can tune the lights on the edge so that we have a nice way to blend in the Ketra lighting to work with the other existing lighting, so it’s not this weird, harsh shock of the old technology against the new. We’re at 2200K on that historic amber color, and it’s on the edges. We can tune the Ketra lights up a little bit to about 2500K so that it’s a slow build. It’s great to be able to do that and work with the team on-site to get that to happen.”
“[Ketra] is also a great tool for adaptive reuse because maintaining existing buildings will always be greener than taking them down and building new ones. I’m happy to say that one of our trustees is the former chief architect of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. And the reason she joined our board is because she said, ‘You guys are doing the most innovative work in preservation in the country today,’” said Graff.
Lutron’s Ketra lighting system, wireless controls, and automated shading solutions are helping to blur the lines between the indoor and outdoor environments and carry forward Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy. Taliesin West is unique among historical properties—it is a vibrant place of learning and discovery where visitors can immerse themselves in the past and feel the enduring power of innovative design.
“[Ketra] is also a great tool for adaptive reuse because maintaining existing buildings will always be greener than taking them down and building new ones.”
Stuart Graff
President and CEO, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
