AIA Wisconsin honored nine award-winning projects this spring for their creative, innovative, and environmentally sensitive design solutions. All located in the Badger State, the projects range from an elegant transformation of existing urban infrastructure to a functional work of civic art that connects neighborhoods while offering dynamic views of downtown Milwaukee.

Honor Awards

Marsupial Pedestrian Bridge and Urban Plaza, Milwaukee, by La Dallman Architects Inc., for the City of Milwaukee
The architects regenerated a derelict zone surrounding a city viaduct with two distinct yet interrelated design solutions. Under the viaduct, the Urban Plaza portion of the project converts an eyesore into a welcoming civic gathering space for multimedia presentations, regattas, and other river events. Lighted concrete benches grace a “moonscape” of gravel and seating boulders. The second element, the Marsupial Bridge above, weaves through the viaduct and hangs from over-structured steel originally used for trolley cars into the early 1900s. The concrete-deck bridge features handrails of mahogany and an integrated lighting system that includes a ribbon of overhead theatrical lighting with minimal spill to the landscape below. Altogether, the project creates a media garden and green highway that encourages pedestrian and bicycle use while connecting residential neighborhoods to natural amenities, downtown, and the commercial district. “The outdoor theater space is really compelling, and the pedestrian walkway is designed with detail and thoughtfulness,” the jury said. “This project asks us to look at urban infrastructure as interesting parts of our urban situation.”
Photo © La Dallmann Architects Inc.

Booth Street Stairs, Milwaukee, by Vetter Denk Architecture Inc., for the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee
The Booth Street Stairs create a pedestrian link that stylistically connects two neighborhoods—Beerline along the Milwaukee River and the adjacent Brewer’s Hill—by traversing a steep park bluff with a dropoff of 67 feet. Both neighborhoods share a common, yet unconnected, roadway—Booth Street—which this project effectively reunites. The design, which had to overcome significant landscape barriers and budget concerns, incorporates the existing concrete retaining wall along with new prefabricated components. As an additional benefit, the structure provides a dynamic viewing platform overlooking the downtown Milwaukee skyline. “This project is architecture as art,” the jury declared. “Very sculptural and beautifully executed, it really captures the context of the site and surrounding neighborhoods.”
Photo © Vetter Denk Architecture.

Merit Awards

Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Chapel, Mequon, Wis., by HGA Architects and Engineers for Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
This renovation, which “opens up” this 1920s chapel, brings with it an airy elegance. The architects removed the original low, flat ceiling to reveal the space once occupied by a tall gabled attic. The additional volume improves the chapel’s aesthetics and acoustics, and the architects further took advantage of natural light and pastoral vistas by opening four arched windows previously bricked over. Other interior treatments complement the new openness: a slate stone floor, monastic oak chairs, and a black granite font. The altar and ambo, crafted of wood, appear as solid and massive laminated blocks. In fact, all liturgical furnishings were hand-crafted from natural materials and designed by the architect. “The detailing and structure is simple, light, and clean,” said the jury. “You get the feeling that conversations in the space might have the same quality as the design: casual, but smart and refined.”
Photo © John J. Korom Photography.

Open Air Classroom, Milwaukee, by La Dallman Architects Inc., for the Milwaukee Montessori School
“There is a lot of care, spirit, and good detailing in this project,” according to the jury. This open-air classroom, sited behind a school in a yard of restored prairie grasses, supports a full range of daily activities from art classes to outdoor games, drama rehearsals to science projects. A simple palette of steel, poured concrete, and wood allows young students to engage the Wisconsin landscape in all seasons. The slated wood windscreen includes a series of windows of varying size, and varying ceiling heights offer large and small gathering zones. Seating areas run along the foundation perimeter to encourage casual conversation and observation. A large L-shaped sandbox off to the corner exterior of the classroom is divided by a wood-deck bridge that leads to the yard beyond. The project, envisioned with a child’s eye in mind, encourages a fertile learning and play environment for youngsters while fostering an appreciation of the outdoors.
Photo © Greg Murphy Studios.

Cathedral Place Roof Terrace, Milwaukee, by Louis Wasserman & Associates, for Cathedral Place LLC
With seating for more than 100, the 11th-floor, open-air terrace successfully transforms the upper deck of a parking garage in the center of East Town into a playful place where professional office tenants and condominium owners can relax while relishing views of Lake Michigan, City Hall, Hogan’s Bridge, and historic church spires. Colorful, geometric shapes identify six social areas connected by meandering seating arrangements and plenty of circulation space. High winds, theft, and the inability to penetrate the floor sparked the architects’ inventive use of connected seating too heavy to be blown off or carried away. Plantings and inexpensive solar lighting are chained to weights secured within planters to prevent vandalism and theft. “This project did so much with so little,” the jury acknowledged. “It created a unique place that is pleasant, playful, and allows different ways for people to interact.”
Photo © Mark Heffron.

Gundersen Lutheran Renal Dialysis Center, Onalaska, Wis., by Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP, for the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center
The Gundersen Lutheran Renal Dialysis Center, a 15,000-square-foot outpatient facility with 30 renal dialysis stations, benefits from the architects’ holistic approach integrating site, building, and interior to achieve the owner’s goal of creating a serene healing environment for patients and an inspirational space for staff. The central plan includes public, treatment, and support zones, with the treatment area organized into “neighborhoods.” Interior use of natural colors, an exposed wood structure, and indirect lighting create a soothing environment for patients. Windows surrounding all treatment areas provide natural lighting and views of the rain gardens. The exterior, a combination of red brick and tongue-and-groove cedar siding, relates well to the warm interior earth tones, Douglas fir ceiling deck, and wood-grain vinyl flooring. “As a health-care facility, this is incredibly accessible and approachable,” said the jury. “The use of the horizontal windows and the exterior façade really tied together the different materials.”
Photo © John J. Korom Photography.

Milwaukee Public Market, Milwaukee, by The Kubala Washatko Architects Inc., for the Historic Third Ward Association
Conceived by the Historic Third Ward Association, the Milwaukee Public Market provides a new year-round venue for local farmers and specialty food vendors in an expression of an old European-style market. The materials—steel, glass, and brick—honor the Third Ward’s industrial warehouse roots while allowing for a transparent airy interior that incorporates sustainable design features. For example, cool daylighting reduces the need for both artificial lighting and HVAC loads. Other sun control features include high-performance glass and sun louvers. The two-story interior houses the mezzanine, a demonstration kitchen, restrooms, and offices. Already a city landmark, the prominent, red neon “Milwaukee Public Market” sign atop the building welcomes and attracts the majority of visitors who use the nearby freeway exit. “The architecture has an urban grittiness to it that is rugged, durable, and appropriate and offers a lot of potential flexibility in its use,” the jury remarked. “The signage is a big plus! It is a landmark destination.”
Photo © Mark Heffron.

Special Recognition

Karen Peck Katz Conservation Education Center, Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee, by HGA Architects and Engineers, for the Zoological Society of Milwaukee
This education center boasts seven multi-purpose classrooms suitable for a broad range of ages, a special-use classroom called the Animal Adaptations Lab, a gathering space, conference room, administrative offices, and storage. Sustainable design strategies—natural light and ventilation, preservation of shade trees, and limited use of applied interior finishes—as well as use of local, natural materials convey the Zoological Society’s mission of conservation. Wheatboard, made from rapidly renewable wheat straw, provides impact resistance in building corridors. An innovative green roof system topping the first floor is monitored electronically for temperature and run-off. A second-floor control roof of equal size will be used for comparison. “This project deserves special recognition for sustainable design,” the jury said.
Photo © John J. Korom Photography.

Historic Third Ward Riverwalk, Milwaukee, by Engberg Anderson Design Partnership Inc., for the Historic Third Ward Business Improvement District #2
“This project deserves special recognition for urban renewal,” said the jury of this three-quarter-mile-long addition to the Milwaukee Riverwalk, which is based on the conceptual design of public artist Mary Miss. This continuous path along the east riverbank—extending under a freeway and connecting to the downtown riverwalk—sits close to the water, where a pile-supported wood boardwalk recalls the area’s industrial heritage. Built out over the water and adjacent to commercial patio/balcony spaces, it connects to a two-tier commercial district at the river’s edge. At one entrance, a whimsical steel spiral ramp becomes an overlook featuring broad steps, a ramped walk, and terraced lawn that connect to the riverwalk. Fifield Riverhouse, an interpretive center for urban river ecology and kayak storage, creates another small entry park. Fully accessible, the riverwalk offers users a lovely place for an evening stroll, complete with lighting designed to resemble moonlight.
Photo © Ellen Pizer.

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