Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois.

The Farnsworth House next to the Fox River in Illinois has been judged to be one of the most acclaimed Modernist buildings in the world. It was built in 1951 and its designer was architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. WPI was called in by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help solve a problem with flooding of the Farnsworth House by the Fox River. The architect Mies misjudged the flood potential of the Fox River even after siting its first-floor elevation five feet above the ground.

National Trust’s solution, which was developed based in part on hydrology and hydraulics developed by Dr. Andrew Earles of WPI, was to create a below-grade hydraulic lift system. The system would enable the Trust to hoist the house above any flood waters, similar to the way a car is lifted at the mechanic’s shop.