racine, wisconsin, USA

Herbert Fisk Johnson, Jr.

client

Frank Lloyd Wright

architect
 No sense of enclosure
Wright wanted it to be a "living" building, a whatever at any angle, top
free and open space that would be a or sides…. Always
stimulating place to work. Later, he said of experienced a look at the
sky.
this building "There in the Johnson Building
you catch no sense of enclosure whatever at
any angle, top or sides....Interior space comes
free, you are not aware of any boxing in at all.
Restricted space simply is not there. Right
there where you've always experienced this
interior constriction you take a look at the
sky!"

In short: No sense of enclosure whatever at any angle, top or sides…. Always experienced a look at
the sky.

“The goodwill of the people is the only enduring thing in any business. It is the sole
substance...the rest is shadow.”
 Johnson Wax Headquarters is the world
headquarters and administration building of S.
C. Johnson & Son in Racine, Wisconsin. Also
known as the Johnson Wax Administration
Building.
In 1935, Herbert Johnson wanted to construct
new offices to give his company a more modern
image. He sought the help of Frank Wright. The
company wanted the project to project the
American dream, where the workers are happy
and are united as one family. The Johnson
Building and tower are on the register of
National Historic Places. The building and the
tower were chosen by the Institute of Architects
to be retained as examples of the architect's
contribution to American culture. In 1976, both
buildings were designated Historic Landmarks.
In 2008, both the building and the tower were
submitted, along with nine other Wright
Johnson Wax Headquarter properties, to a tentative list for Heritage Status.
Features of the Administration Building (1939):
a. Half-acre open space workroom with mushroom-like column supports

b. Circular elevators
that run from the
basement to top level

c. 43 miles of Pyrex glass tubes allow light in, but these

"windows" are not transparent
d. More than 40 different pieces of furniture designed by Wright. Some chairs had
only three legs and would tip over if workers became forgetful.
e. Dominant color: Cherokee Red

Also known as Hollow Brick

Features of the Research Tower (1950):
a. 153 feet tall
b. 14 floors

c. A central core (13 feet in diameter and 54 feet into the ground) supports the
cantilevered floors. Wright's Tower design is a precursor to Japanese metabolism
architecture.
Technical Evaluation:
a. Sweeping curves with "Cherokee red" bricks for
the interior and exterior
b. Dendriform columns with steel-reinforced

c. All of the furniture, manufactured by Steelcase

d. The ceiling is forming with skylights made of Pyrex
glass tubing
Cultural & Aesthetic:
The choice of common brick for both the exterior and interior walls of the building was
made by Wright in order to make the walls as monolithic as possible responding to his
ideas toward an organic design where form didn’t follow function and function didn’t
follow form but rather the function and form were made to be inseparable from each
other. The specific choice of dark red brick for the buildings was in response to the
surrounding neighborhood’s use of a similar brick color. In removing all punctured
windows from the building’s facades, Wright claimed that he was using bricks as
bricks rather than glass as bricks. The interaction between the tower and the
columned hall has been seen to have its priority in religious architecture rather than in
office buildings. Japanese religious complexes bear the strongest comparisons with
their emphasis on horizontality and their form of a colonnaded single story structure
surrounding a quiet courtyard and the prayer pagoda.

Historical:
Both the administration building and research tower were willingly received by the
public and the Johnson Wax Company employees alike. It was praised for both its
overall quality of construction and its innovations in architectural and engineering
design. In 1979, S.C. Johnson’s president, Samuel Johnson, spoke of how the
company transformed the day that Wright’s building opened because it was through
the building that the company gained international attention and inherited a symbol of
quality that translated to their products and the working environment as well.
Wright was inspired to create the dendriform columns by observing that trees in a forest
generate space and allows light to enter easily.
Innovation : Dendriform columns
Location : Racine, WI
Year : 1936
Inventor : Frank Lloyd Wright
The columns 21 feet high, 31 feet in the lobby, tapering from 22-inch
diameter at the top to a 9-inch bronze base. Within was hidden a
rainwater pipe, which was intended to avoid water leaks. Wright
intuitively drafted the conoid form that exactly follow the line of
stresses from roof to base. He made the upper part of the column
hollow, its walls only 3.5 inches thick, and continued them into the
2.5 inch thick petal with its supporting ribs.
Refusing to accept the engineering calculations, the building
department demanded that the new column be tested with a load of
24,000 pounds, twice the full design load. A crane dumped load after
load of pig iron on the column. When the load reached the 24,000
pound required, Wright insisted they keep going and see how far the
column could go before the point of destruction. At 60 tons, it was
carrying 5 times the test requirements. This new technology proved
Wright’s ability to design a practical column without limiting its
aesthetic design.
 Architect : Frank Lloyd Wright
Location : Racine, Wisconsin
Date : 1936 to 1939 and 1944 timeline
Building Type : Corporate offices and research laboratory
Construction System : Precast concrete and brick
Architectural Style : Centuries American Movements, Modern.
Materials : Steel-reinforced, brick, glass, White stone
Design and Construction
a. It has more than 200 types of curved bricks that make up the exterior of the building and tubing
made from Pyrex glass running from the ceiling to let in light.
b. The light shines into the building through the several layers of glass tubing, but cannot be seen
through.
c. The colors Wright chose for the building Cherokee red for the furniture and floors,
and cream for the mortar and columns.
d. The entry way consists of gorgeous brass lined windows and revolving doors.
e. Compression and release of space was the concept Wright used in this design.
f. The low ceilings in the parking lot created the compression of space and the rise of
the ceilings when one enters the building created the release of space. Before
entering the building it is somewhat compressed with a dark and low ceiling parking
garage and upon
entering the building
the space releases
into a large open
entrance. This
concept is
remarkable.
g. The Great Workroom has no internal walls and is the largest expanse of space in the
Johnson Building.
h. The construction created great controversies for the architect. At that time, the columns
at first did not meet with building codes.
i. Additionally, it was hard to seal the glass tubing installed in the roof to prevent leaking.

N.B. : In spite of these problems, Johnson was extremely pleased with the design. Therefore, in
1944, he commissioned Wright to design the 14 story Research Tower. When the tower was added
the building was made even more impressive. Although the tower is no longer in use due to the
changes in safety codes, the company is committed to preserving the tower.
Current Use
The Johnson Wax Building located in
Racine, Washington and currently still is
the administration building and
headquarters, as well as a research
laboratory for the company Johnson &
Son. It has been a family run business for
more than 100 years.
Reception Desk
With Atrium…….
 Presented By :
1. Name : Shahnaz Parvin
ID : 201232016001
2. Name : Md. Kamal Hossain
ID : 201312017018

Department of architecture
Subject : History of Architecture – iv