Wingspread Green Initiatives

“Going green” and environmental responsibility are trendy watchwords that have only lately caught on in the last decade. For some forward thinkers, though, “going green” was part of their life and philosophy before many of us were even born. Two of those forward thinkers, Frank Lloyd Wright and H. F. Johnson, came together to create the last of the great Prairie houses: Wingspread. Wright is of course well known for his philosophy that a building should be in harmony with and grow organically out of its environment. Rather than espouse a particular architectural style, Wright chose to let a building’s environment guide him to its final form.

On the other hand, it is probably not as well known that Herbert Fisk Johnson, Jr. was also a proponent of the environment and sustainability long before it became socially acceptable. For example, in 1927, H.F. Johnson traveled to Brazil to study the sustainability of the carnauba wax forest from which S. C. Johnson Wax obtained its chief raw material for its products.1 After his return to Wisconsin, Johnson published a book about the trip and his findings.

Johnson had originally commissioned Wright to build the S.C. Johnson & Son headquarters in Racine beginning in 1936 and during its construction, asked Wright to also design a private home for himself and his wife. Located on 30 acres in Wind Point, the 14,000 square foot house was finished in 1939. Wright himself christened the home “Wingspread” because of its four wings extending from the central Great Hall. H.F. Johnson and his wife eventually donated Wingspread to The Johnson Foundation in 1959 and moved into a smaller home on the property known simply as “The House.” (This home was designed in the mid-50’s by Californian architect Henry Eggers, not Wright.)

Today, Wingspread, as well as “The House” and the Guest House built in 2001, are home to The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, an organization whose primary mission is to promote, discuss and help provide solutions for the environmental dilemmas the world is currently facing. From its founding in 1959, conferences held by the Foundation have also been instrumental in the formation of the National Endowment for the Arts, National Public Radio, the International Criminal Court, and The Presidential Climate Action Plan.

Because of its dedication to its primary mission of environmentalism, the Foundation practices what it preaches by initiating and sustaining green practices anywhere and everywhere it can at the Wingspread campus. Those projects include making eco-friendly changes to Wingspread itself, LEED certification for the Guest House, Green Seal certification, renewable energy through solar energy and a geothermal field for water management.

Wingspread itself is a National Historical Landmark and, as such, any changes made to the structure are taken under careful consideration by the Foundation who keep its historical significance in mind at all times. Some of the changes at Wingspread include replacing some of the incandescent lights in the Great Hall with fluorescent lights, replacing some single pane windows with thermal pane and replacing the outdated air handling units from 1959 with air-to-air heat exchangers. Additionally, the climate at Wingspread is now computer-controlled, giving the caretakers of Wingspread the ability to constantly and remotely monitor the house.

One of the most dramatic and measurable actions taken at the Wingspread campus is its water management program. A geothermal field rather than municipal city water will be used to cool the chiller at Wingspread. Wingspread will be able to reduce its dependence on city water by an anticipated 1,539,000 gallons per year. This will result in an anticipated 50% reduction in water consumption over the entire campus. The geothermal field is currently being installed and will be in operation this spring.

Built in 2001, the purpose of the Guest House is to provide residences for and facilitate discussion between conference attendees in order to build an environment of trust. The Guest House was designed with sustainability in mind from its very conception. Its placement on the land ensures that it is sheltered from harsh winter winds and is also able to take advantage of natural light. Much of the guest house is made of natural materials such as wood, stone and brick that originated in Wisconsin thereby saving on transportation and reducing its carbon footprint. All building and waste materials not used in construction were recycled. The displaced dirt from the site was used in the surrounding landscape and fescue grass was planted that requires mowing only twice a year.

Recently, the Guest House received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Existing Building (LEED-EB) certification at the silver level. This certification is awarded to those buildings that meet a stringent list of requirements regarding green initiatives. Buildings with LEED certification have been shown to be healthier living and working environments with the added benefit of savings from making a building more efficient to run.
The Johnson Foundation has also received a gold-level certification for its Guest House from Green Seal, an independent organization that provides environmental standards to the lodging industry in order to both improve the environment and the cost of running a lodging facility. Currently, the Foundation is the only gold-level facility in the United States.

It would be hard to imagine it today, but Frank Lloyd Wright was originally underwhelmed by Wingspread’s surroundings, remarking that it was “not at all stimulating before the house went up.”3 Fortunately, by marrying the design of Wingspread to its environment, Wright not only designed one of the most remarkable of the Prairie houses but also gave a leading crusader in environmental initiatives a permanent home.

Thank are due to Ms. Lois Berg, the Director of Administrative Services, and Mr. Donald Guzzetta, Maintenance Supervisor, both of The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, for providing information in this article about the environmental initiatives being undertaken at the Wingspread campus. For more information on The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread and its programs, please visit their website at www.johnsonfdn.org.

1,2 Johnson Wingspread Foundation

3 Wingspread by Craig Canine, © The Johnson Foundation, Inc., 1977.