In 1936. Frank Lloyd Wright created the (almost) perfect headquarters. Upon entering the Johnson Wax office building in Racine, a forest of concrete ‘trees’ appears to the eye. On the one hand, the architecture of the building is meant to mimic nature, while on the other, it is meant to provide comfort for the company’s employees. Concrete, glass and brick bathed in the architect’s favourite colour, Cherokee Red, form a coherent and functional whole. Interestingly, the tower added later is one of only two vertical structures designed by the architect. Wright’s approach to offices is decades ahead of the competition, which only proves his genius.
In the 1930s, Herbert Johnson’s company originally manufacturing floor wax was thriving quite well for the Great Depression. The owner of the company wanted to expand his premises, but without having to move to another city. Johnson didn’t want to abandon his hometown of Racine, Wisconsin, even if it meant making his business less profitable. Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to design the company’s large headquarters, as the renowned architect already had experience with this type of building. Over time, however, it became apparent that a project in tiny Racine would become much more challenging than his previous projects.
Still life
The dynamic shapes of the building are a manifestation of the Streamline Modern style (ship style), a simpler response to the rich art deco ornamentation of the early part of the decade. The rounded corners may suggest the gentle nature of the structure, but the architect intended the building to be a bunker enclosing nature within. In fact, Frank Lloyd Wright wanted to ‘recreate nature’ more in a human way. From the outside, only the heavy man-made building is visible, and the low frosted windows are merely openings to let in light.
The Cherokee Red bricks combine well with the light cream mortar and white accents announcing the ‘trees’ inside. Interestingly, Pyrex glass tubes have been inserted in the windows. Towering over the site, the tower of the research centre rises to 46 m and is a particular demonstration of the rounded shapes of the Streamline Moderne style. Through the Pyrex tubes one can see the upward rows of circular floors located in the centre of the tower. The floors emerging from a single concrete ‘trunk’ resemble the branches of a tree enclosed in a frosted greenhouse.
Approaching the main entrance, one can see columns intended to resemble trees. Cast in concrete, the columns support the ceiling despite their unusual form. The concrete trees expand upwards gradually, and the convex lines of the upper part of the columns allude to the nerves of the leaves or branches of the trees. The low ceiling of the car park is intended to intensify the feeling of tightness, which dissolves when the large delightful interior comes into view.
Concrete forest
Upon entering the main room called The Great Workroom, the eye is presented with a whole ‘forest’ of concrete trees, much taller than those in the car park. The Great Workroom has no partition walls separating the workstations and the desks are arranged side by side. The large mezzanine floor houses the management offices.
The concrete ‘trees’ are worth looking back at. The narrow shafts of the columns expand sharply upwards. Interestingly, the width of the flat heads exceeds that measured at stem height by several times. This idea of Wright’s proved very problematic for the whole project. The building inspectors’ doubts about the strength of the unusual columns resulted in the withholding of planning permission. The thin and tall shafts may not have been able to support the heavy heads and, above all, the entire roof. Frank Lloyd Wright persisted and demonstrated to the inspectors just how strong his concrete ‘trees’ were, on which ever heavier weights began to be imposed. A crack appeared in the surface of the column only at a load of 60 tonnes, which was much heavier than expected. The architect’s experience convinced the inspectors of such an unusual idea.
The space between the crowns of the concrete lily leaves consists of pyrex skylights. Borosilicate glass was used to create the tubes that diffuse the light. In addition, the mounted clerestory lets light in from the side, enhancing the diffusion effect. The large skylight posed further problems for the project. In the 1930s, technology did not allow the pyrex tubes to be sealed thoroughly. The roof leaked and Herbert Johnson even had to keep a bucket on his desk in case of rain. The problem was solved by installing fibreglass and acrylic glass (Plexiglas) panels. It is worth mentioning that some employees also complained about too much light letting in through the skylight.
a (not) perfect site
Interestingly, Wright was also responsible for the furniture designs at the Johnson Wax headquarters. Most of these are still used today. Interestingly, that architect also had a few misguided ideas in this regard. The three-legged chair was intended to motivate people to maintain a healthy back and leg position while working. Johnson found the design impractical and asked Wright to test the chair. The architect sat down … and after a while fell over with his own invention. After this test, the furniture was redesigned to have four legs.
The construction of Johnson Wax HQ in Racine was also a financial challenge for Johnson. Originally, the architect and the owner anticipated that $200,000 would be enough to cover the investment. As it turned out, Wright’s imagination and problems with materials pushed the price up. In 1939, the final cost of construction was $900,000, and Johnson was said to have joked that at first Wright worked for him, then they worked together, and in the end it was he who worked for the architect. Despite these problems, the building was able to be completed. What’s more, Johnson was so pleased with the result that he commissioned Wright to design a research centre tower and personal estate at nearby Wind Point. In the 1980s, the tower was decommissioned – it no longer met fire safety requirements. Wright deliberately did not add fire sprinklers to the facility because he considered them unsightly.
Nokomis and Nokoma
Many years after Wright’s death, two sculptures of his design were placed in front of the building. The architect’s fascination with Native American tribes often runs through his various projects. In the 1970s, it was decided to make a posthumous gift to Wright in the form of two sculptures depicting a warrior and a woman from the Winnebago tribe. Interestingly, the architect had created the sculpture design back in 1924.
The Johnson Wax headquarters is a timeless classic of office architecture. Wright succeeded in recreating the ‘forest’ inside in a human way. The gentle shapes, delightful skylights and dendritic columns are a display of the architect’s imagination. Although the Racine headquarters is not a technically perfect building, it cannot be denied its status as an architectural icon from which inspiration continues to be drawn. S.C Johnson continues to use Wright-designed offices to this day, and the building complex has been a listed building since 1976.
Source: atlas of places
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