SC Johnson’s innovative Fortaleza Hall, named for the city in northeast Brazil that was at the heart of two life-changing expeditions by the Johnson family, represents a commitment to the company’s legacy of visionary thinking and inspired architecture.

Designed by world-renowned architect Norman Foster and his firm, London-based Foster + Partners, Fortaleza Hall is a contemporary partner to the innovative buildings and offerings of Frank Lloyd Wright. It earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2011.

The 60,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 2010, has two distinct sections: Fortaleza Hall, which provides historical context for the company and the advances that continue to take place, and The Commons, which offers a myriad of employee amenities. Soaring at the building's heart is the replica twin-engine S-38 amphibian plane that Sam Johnson flew to Fortaleza, Brazil in 1998.

Innovative Experiences

Several artists worked within Fortaleza Hall to create an atmosphere that captures the company’s culture, commitment to the environment and spirit of adventure. The experiences seek to inspire, motivate and renew the building’s visitors, and include:

•    Polyconic mosaic map – Depicting the rich topography of the Western Hemisphere and tracing Sam Johnson’s journey from Racine to Brazil, the map was created using 19,200 three-inch pieces of four different types of sustainably harvested wood: black walnut, American cherry, maple and hornbeam.

•    Legacy gallery – This unique gallery shares stories of Sam Johnson, the Carnauba expeditions and the history, values and principles of the company.  

•    Soundscape – Fortaleza comes to life with the sounds of Brazil, such as flora, fauna, street life and wildlife in our unique soundscame that is designed to sync with the time of day and weather.  

•    Waterfall and reflecting pool – Water falls 14 feet into a reflecting pool that is 28 feet long, with the system circulating 750 gallons of water.

•    Mural – The first installation of its kind in North America, the mural features 8,000 square feet of precast white concrete with rasterized images of the Brazilian palm forest, recreated from a photo taken during H. F. Johnson, Jr.’s 1935 expedition.

•    Vertical Garden – One of four permanent Patrick Blanc-designed vertical garden walls in the U.S., the garden is 49 feet wide by 18 feet high and features 79 species of living plants and nearly 2,500 plants in total.

•    Frank Lloyd Wright Research Library - One of the largest collections in the country that's focused on Wright's unique contributions to a single community. It features more than 300 books, 250 digital drawings and blueprints, an original Wright desk and three-legged chair from the Administration Building, and more.