Frank Lloyd Wright began wintering in the Sonoran Desert in the late 1920s, where the region’s extreme climate and tectonic landscape shaped by sun, erosion, and wind profoundly influenced his thinking about architecture. How did Wright respond to the beautiful yet hostile desert environment?

Wright took lessons in economical construction from the resilient plant life he encountered, which informed his designs. Projects such as San Marcos-in-the-Desert explored water catchment and shading strategies. In other cases, Wright questioned notions of permanence and habitation. Taliesin West was a camp, with operable canvas roofs juxtaposed with solid desert masonry walls, the entire complex heated by fireplaces. The very notion of “camp” signifies the seasonal and migratory patterns of Wright’s desert occupation, as he returned home to Taliesin in Wisconsin, his more permanent residence, during the scorching Arizona summers.

Wright was keenly aware of the paradoxes of desert living and cautioned against overdevelopment. The allure of desert as retreat, as a place of physical and spiritual restoration, has long depended on infrastructure, technology, and imported resources. Today, continued urban growth, water scarcity, and rising temperatures in the Southwest underscore the fragility of desert ecologies and the urgency of rethinking design in arid environments. Might growth and sustainability find a common cause?

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy invites papers for its 2026 annual conference that examine Wright’s desert work, as well as broader approaches to architecture in arid climates. Submissions also may address architects, historical and contemporary, who have drawn inspiration from Wright’s legacy and offer additional insight into how architecture can embrace “sun-acceptance by way of pattern is a condition of survival,” as Wright urged. Papers engaging questions of critical heritage—particularly the preservation of sites threatened by environmental transformation—are also welcome. What does it mean to preserve heritage when the very environment by which it exists is itself threatened?

Submit a Proposal

Proposals are accepted exclusively online via the link below. In addition to filling out a short form, you will need to attach two PDF documents that you must prepare in advance:

• Abstract: Concisely describe the focus and scope of a 20-minute presentation featuring fresh material and/or interpretations. No more than 350 words, single-spaced on one page, with the working title and author’s full name at the top.
• Biography or CV: A one-page biography or curriculum vitae that includes author’s full name, title, affiliation, and relevant background.

Proposals must be received no later than March 10, 2026.

Call for Proposals - Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy