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Frank Lloyd Wright began wintering in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona in the late 1920s and was immediately enamored with the tectonic qualities of its landscape, shaped by elemental forces: “…the power of the sun, the forces of erosion and the relentlessness of the wind.” Organic architecture for Wright was about responding to a particular environment and he suggested repeatedly that geological formations, qualities of light and air, and the plant life he encountered in Arizona offered lessons in economical construction.

How did these beautiful yet hostile desert environments transform Wright’s thoughts about architecture? San Marcos-in-the-Desert utilized creative approaches to water catchment and shading. In other cases, the sun and wind seemed to demand that Wright question notions of permanence, first at Ocatilla—a temporary camp Wright constructed of lightweight wood and canvas—and later at Taliesin West, where he juxtaposed an operable canvas roof system with solid desert masonry walls, the entire complex heated by fireplaces. Even the term “camp” is telling, signifying the migratory and temporary patterns of Wright’s occupation of the desert during the cooler months of the winter, abandoning the camp in the heat of the summer to go “home” to Taliesin in Wisconsin.

Wright was aware of the paradoxes of inhabiting the desert and early on cautioned against overdevelopment. The luxury of wintering in Arizona was made possible first by railroads and then by the endless stretches of highway that traverse the Southwestern desert and speak of other forces at work—man and machines—in this wilderness. The allure of desert as retreat, as solitude, as restorative was strong—for Wright and still now—but our current lifestyles there can only be maintained through advanced consumer capitalism. Water, food, energy, petroleum, supplies, all have to come from somewhere. Today, most of the region’s water is pumped from Lake Mead, itself fed by the Colorado river three hundred miles away. But the river is drying up and Phoenix continues to grow and sprawl, consuming ever more resources and contributing to an unthinkable increase in average summer temperatures, so hot that even the ancient Saguaro cactuses of the region are collapsing.

What lessons could we take from Wright, and from these contradictions and paradoxes that come with living in these environments? How can we sustainably inhabit and care for fragile, desert ecologies without irrevocably transforming such magical landscapes? How might growth and sustainability find a common cause? Might Wright’s contemplation over the question of permanence play a role, if not in the sense of building less, then certainly in rethinking the intersection between architecture and mobility? Might building in the desert benefit from a closer look at desert plant life and a philosophy of design stemming from organic unity, a central tenet of Wright’s own theory of architecture and life?

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy invites scholars, architects, historic preservationists, landscape architects, urban planners, and others contending with the challenges and opportunities of designing for the desert to present papers at its annual conference in Arizona on November 4-8, 2026. Wright’s Arizona desert projects, such as Taliesin West and San Marcos-in-the-Desert are likely candidates for investigation, but so are designs for arid climates in California and elsewhere. Architects in the region that have drawn inspiration from Wright’s legacy that include Paolo Soleri, Verne Swaback, Al Beadle, Blain Drake, Will Bruder, Wendell Burnette, Eddie Jones and Rick Joy, among many others, are of interest as well. Along with developers such as Ralph Haver and Joseph Eichler all may offer insight into how architecture can embrace Wright’s “…sun-acceptance by way of pattern is a condition of survival and is evident everywhere.” With Taliesin West as one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the state of Arizona, what does it mean to preserve heritage when the very environment by which it exists is itself threatened? Papers exploring the relationship between historic preservation, the environment, climate change and architectural form are welcome – especially approaches that engage questions of critical heritage.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy’s annual conference features five days of special events, talks, and tours of buildings by Wright and contemporaries, many not regularly open to the public. The conference seeks to build a community of knowledgeable, passionate advocates for the Conservancy’s mission: the preservation of Wright’s nearly 400 extant buildings. Attendees include hundreds of preservationists and preservation advocates, owners of Wright-designed houses, administrators of Wright-designed public sites, restoration specialists, enthusiasts, architects, and scholars from around the world.

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.

If you require assistance or have questions, please email [email protected].

After the application deadline, the Conservancy’s Conference Theme & Speakers Committee reviews proposals and decides who will be invited to speak. We expect to make notifications in April 2026.

Invited speakers must attend the conference in person. We are able to offer invited speakers a discounted core registration, or free attendance at all conference talks as well as the Saturday evening gala.

Speakers may also be invited to develop their talks into articles for publication in SaveWright magazine after the conference.

The 2026 members of the Conference Theme & Speakers Committee are:

• Chair: Michael Desmond
  Professor of Architecture & Director of Graduate Studies, College of Art + Design, Louisiana State University
• Audra Dye
  Planner/Architectural Historian, City of Detroit
• Jennifer Gray
  Director of the Taliesin Institute, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
• Richard Longstreth
  Director of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, George Washington University
• Pat Mahoney
  Architect, Lauer Manguso
• Janet Parks
  Retired Curator of Drawings and Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University
• Tim Quigley
  Architect, Quigley Architects
• Ayad Rahmani
  Professor of Architecture, Washington State University
• Ilene R. Tyler
  Architect, Author, Preservationist
  Former Director of Preservation, Quinn Evans Architects
• Safina Uberoi
  International documentary filmmaker
  Co-Owner, Tonkens House and Frederick C. Bagley House