JOHNNSON WAX BUILDING

-F. L. WRIGHT

7TH SEM, B.ARCH

SUBMITTED BY-SHUBHAM SRIVASTAVA
What is Industrial Building?

Industrial buildings are buildings used for industrial activities. Industrial buildings as an
identifiable architectural type rose to prominence during the industrial revolution during the
18th and 19th centuries, when new activities, and the availability of new materials and
techniques led to the creation of some of the most innovative buildings of the period.

Factories and other premises used for any of the following:

● manufacturing, altering, repairing, cleaning, washing, breaking up, adapting or

processing any article

● generating power
● slaughtering livestock.
JOHNSON WAX BUILDING

Architects: Frank Lloyd Wright

Year: 1939

Johnson Wax Headquarters is the world headquarters and administration building of S. C.

Johnson & Son in Racine, Wisconsin. Designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright for
the company's president, Herbert F. "Hib" Johnson, the building was constructed from 1936
to 1939. Its distinctive "lily pad" columns and other innovations revived Wright's career at a
point when he was losing influence.[4] Also known as the Johnson Wax Administration
Building, it and the nearby 14-story Johnson Wax Research Tower (built 1944–1950) were
designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976 as Administration Building and
Research Tower, S.C. Johnson and Son.
DESIGN
Often referred to as the Johnson Wax Building, its most identifiable element are the

dendriform columns, the name used by Wright because of their tree like shape. Wright’s

ability to effortlessly incorporate the organic metaphor into his architecture is revealed in

the building via a tall slender mushroom column that tapers to a base of a mere 9-inch

diameter.

They rise 30 feet and terminate at the roof level as broad circular lily pads of concrete 18 1/2

feet wide. Wright’s imagination led to creating these hollow cored columns that serve as

storm water drains and which feature hinged bases with pin jointed bronze shoes.
The exterior walls are non-load bearing and were constructed using red brick. Other
materials used in the construction of the Johnson Wax Building included red Kasota
sandstone and reinforced concrete with cold drawn mesh used for the reinforcement. He also
designed over 200 different shapes of bricks that can be found in the building. The earthy
colors he used including his signature Cherokee Red color were typical of Wright’s work at
the time.

The mushroom columns and glass tubing ceiling formed a large workspace, nearly one half
acre in size. The Great Room, as it is referred to, is furnished with specific Wright designed
pieces, two circular elevators, and a mezzanine.

He truly provided a complete design for this building thoughtfully creating over 40 pieces of
furniture. The elevators took on a birdcage like appearance providing a panoramic view of the
Great Room traveling from the basement to the Penthouse level.

The building is a bit like being in a forest. A low ceiling carport featuring shortened mushroom
columns leads to the lobby. When you reach the Great Room the sky opens and you are
surrounded by slender mushroom columns and light streams in from overhead.
In anticipation of this Wright had a test column constructed of which proved that the design

could support over five times anything they would be asked to carry.

Wright provided almost utopian workspace, self-sufficient and a bit futuristic. The modern

streamlined atmosphere was communicated through a consistent circular language; curved

corner profiles, rounded shapes in furniture pieces, and use of Pyrex glass tubing extending

beyond roofing materials for wall dividers and replacing conventional windows.
PLANS AND SECTIONS
LIGHT
Light played a major role throughout the project. Wright sought to reach the light in a
uniform way to all corners, and two resources used to achieve this, undo the ledges and take
the residual spaces between the circles that generated columns in the ceiling.

To achieve break the cornice Wright had to create two separate structures, the facades and
the forged, leaving between them a break, a gap that would be covered by a cornice formed of
glass Pyrex tubes placed on racks about triangulares metálicos.

Thus Wright weigh not only achieves natural light inside, but once again gets rid of the right
angle and creates a kind of cornice never seen before, something that gives us an idea of how
far considered its unique architecture, a New different style to what had been done before.
Within this glass cornice placed the installation of artificial light, seeking to reach the minimal
differences in the level of illumination during the day and night. If during the day the light
came from all directions in a uniform was the same thing happen during the night, should be
avoided point sources of light, less suitable to illuminate the work.

To achieve uniformity of light in the interior also created a glass ceiling, based on the same
Pyrex tubes, covering the residual spaces between the circles through which the columns are
provided with forged.

In light of these entries was also necessary to give an internal volume to accommodate the
installation of electric light, but as a cloudy day or a snowstorm would impossible working
conditions in the main hall. These spaces are accessed from the plant cover, where skylights
were set up to four water glass for easy access.

The tubes had to be replaced after some years but identical plexiglass tubes to solve some
problems of sunstroke and especially vulnerable.
SPACES
Wright to the car in 1935 was undeniably a part of architecture, and therefore planned
taking into account these machines from the start, deny them or leave them in a second plane
would be absurd. That is why the Johnson Wax Building parking entrance is the only possible.
Cars entering for a discreet entrance on the west side and penetrate to the center of the
building, looking for its place in a parking lot of low ceilings supported by columns similar to
those that give the interior appearance of a cave.

Pedestrians, if they had any in the world imagined futuristic Wright, they should use the same
parking space to reach the main entrance of the building.

Once inside the building lobby is expanded, inviting contemplation of the space that lies
ahead. And after that under a desk and a footbridge that crosses the site is the main hall, the
cathedral’s work, a rectangle of 45×65 meters completely transparent, able to accommodate
about 200 employees under one roof, without any partitioning or heavy or light. In this space
everyone is equal, there are no restricted areas, all are free to move wherever they want,
from the logistical to the department of legal affairs, from trade to the area of international
sales. While working under the roof of Johnson & Sons all employees are equal, as Hib
Johnson had asked Wright, an excellent interpretation of the American dream.

Management areas are located in a second floor, along a walkway around the main room and
contemplates. This time the offices themselves are divided, but not lead to a hierarchy among
the employees, but for practical and necessary to be able to bind simultaneously to various
activities such as meetings, presentations, talks, etc.. To avoid doubt about the role of these
divisions that Wright wanted to be glass, as though they were not compatible for activities
performed in a single space these were not secret, no one should have more or less privacy
than others, no could give rise to the belief that the work was less appreciated that one of the
others.
This second plant is located is also a common place for all employees, an auditorium that is
used in turn as the cafeteria or break room and on a small platform where you can give small
speeches to employees.

A third floor, that it restricted access, houses a meeting room and private office Hib Johnson,
which, in turn, with the only open space in the building, a small rooftop terrace.
TOWER
Ten years later the company was forced to expand their offices due to the operation of a
business and Hib Johnson decided to call Wright to design a tower where it is located
adjacent laboratories.

The tower is of simple shapes, a square extruded with rounded corners. The antepechos are
of the same brick that the original building and the windows are all the same Pyrex tubes
which were used in cornices and skylights, the first building.

Wright wanted to understand this tower as part of the package, he wanted both phases of
the project were one, a bystander who passed through there without knowing the history
knew no distinction between the two buildings. For that reason gave the new tower, a
separate entrance but is placed within the existing building, ligándolos with one another so
inescapable.
STRUCTURE
The building is held by 60 columns of 6.5 meters in height, with a base of only 22 cm which is
expanding to reach the roof covering the whole surface.

This novel structure caused a lot of mistrust between the authorities, who not only asked for
a thorough study of it but in turn requires a test with a real pillar model. Each pillar should be
able to support 6 tons in weight, however, due to the skepticism that has generated this
structure, the commission approved only if they were capable of withstanding twice.

On June 4, 1937 was the date set for the test. Column 6 tons, without problems, then 12, but
Wright, offended by the distrust of the authorities ordered further adding weight to the pillar
until it finally collapsed after bear 60 tons.

The columns are, in addition to the characteristic element of the project, a key to the design
of the building, which not only give a spatial order, but are responsible for maintaining all
facilities throughout the building.

The columns are in fact hollow, and inside the facilities of moving light, telephone and
downspouts and stormwater devices.

To achieve such a small section of pillars at its base and hollow Wright devised a new system
of reinforced concrete where the armor is no longer the typical round of steel but is replaced
by a steel Maya, achieving significantly reduce the thickness.
THANK YOU