Farnsworth House Floodplain Assessment

WWE performed work for the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help develop flood mitigation strategies for the historical Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a renowned architect who designed many of the buildings that define Chicago’s skyline. The Farnsworth House is one of a few of Van der Rohe’s residential designs and is a hallmark of the International Style of architecture and modern design. As a part of this work, WWE established base flood elevations and provided projections for water surface elevations for the Fox River during the 100-year event as well as for larger, infrequent events. Based on the data that WWE provided and input from multiple stakeholders, the National Trust decided to pursue a plan to use a lift to temporarily elevate the Farnsworth House during large floods.

In conjunction with Wright Paleohydrological Institute, WWE has performed multiple projects involving preservation of historical and cultural resources for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund.  Projects have included work in Hawaii (Waikiki Natatorium), China (Nanyue Palace), Iraq (Ishtar Gate at Babylon), Cambodia (Phnom Bakheng at Angkor Archaeological Area), Myanmar (Shwenandaw Kyaung Heritage Site), and Thailand (Wat Chaiwatthanaram).