Milwaukee Development News

[Badgers77]

What kind of building do you guys think would work?

I'm trying to think it over in my head. Modern (i.e. mostly glass) probably wouldn't work considering it would have no similar buildings really in the skyline. I don't necessarily think all white would be bad; it would give Milwaukee its own unique feel and if future development did spring up, those buildings could deliver the variety instead. It definitely should not simply be a box though... a giant ugly box is already our tallest building. I just really hope it is a new tallest, or that it is at least big and tall enough to pull attention off the US Bank Center and make Milwaukee a two-building skyline.

[atrain5371]

Someone mentioned that red building in Chicago. What if instead of a red box, some sort of red building with a large glass curtain wall on one side.

I do think it would go well with the white of UCT and the US Bank Center.

[OliverDP]

When Humana built their HQ in Louisville back in the 80's they held a competition between architecture firms and chose their favorite design. The building incorporates other local architectural and natural elements, such as the Ohio River, the dams on the river and nearby bridges. I think this would be a great approach to ensure they get a number of options and a building NM and the city/state can be proud of.

[honest86]

I would like to see something tall and glassy similar to the new NY Time building, or even along the lines of the new Prudential towers being built in Newark NJ(only taller).

[JRedd]

They should be unique and different like the buildings below:

1201 Third Ave. Building(Seattle)




Two Union Square(Seattle)

[IMG]http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t325/Aleks0o04/CSC_0708-
1.jpg[/IMG]


image hosted on flickr



And I don't mean copy these buildings but I think it would look nice with all the white going on, on some of those buildings and the proposed Couture. The Green of 1201 would also look nice but I like the blue of Two Union better against the background of lake Michigan and it would really stand out against all the white buildings in that area.

[JRedd]

The blue of Two Union would look nice along the lakefront

[AdmiralsFan24]

I would love something similar to 1201 3rd Avenue.

[Harpua24]

1201 3rd Ave. looks like a mix of 1000 North Water and Lafayette Park. I like the blue windows as well.

[Harpua24]

^Park Lafayette

[JRedd]

I agree I like 1201 Third Ave. because it looks nice, the building used to be known as Washington MUTUAL Tower. But I like the blue and white of Two Union Square because I think it would look nice considering all the white buildings towards the lakefront and that blue would look nice with Lake Michigan in the background.

[MilwaukeeMax]

I'm not a huge fan of incorporating too much colour into a skyscraper (either in tinted cement or windows), but I must say that mirrored glass skyscrapers do seem to have a timeless elegance about them. There are some glassy towers in other cities that were built 20 or 30 years ago but look like they could have been built today.
I would say a light blue tinted glassy mirror building with gentle curves and no stark corners would look really good in that spot, especially with its proximity to the Calatrava and the Lake Michigan coast. Yes, blue shiny mirrored glass gets my vote. Blue shiny mirrored glass.


Something like the Gherkin building in London would be brilliant.

[Badgerfan]

I really would not mind something white. I do think it could create a modern clean theme for the city, and carry forward in a modern interpretation the idea of Milwaukee as the "cream city". It would either be that or all glass like the john hancock in boston. I dont care too much for cement in a high rise, especially tinted cement . It makes it look too weighted down to the earth like a brick structure, and takes away from the modern feeling a skyscraper should have.

[UWsteve2009]

I agree that a glassy/blue look would be best for that area. It would make a statement and go great with the water. Any updates on the Couture and 833 east? Combined with NML the skyline could really change for the better.

[JRedd]

I just posted two more better pics of Two Union and I think that kind of blue in the downtown lakefront area would look nice

[FIPS133]

Very excited about the NML addition to the MKE skyline. In terms of my hopes for the design - modern, transparent and structurally elegant. There's a building in Hamburg, called the Atlantic-Haus which has more fuss than I'd like, but elements of the main tower are examples of the style I'd love to see NML's architect use as an inspiration.
See below:

image hosted on flickr


As a side note, with the new NML tower, potential development of 833 and Couture and associated redevelopment of O'Donnel Park/Parking Garage it would be wise to consider some sort of pocket park development away from the lake in the middle of all this. Michigan Street between Lincoln Memorial and Cass and Cass between Michigan and Wisconsin is pretty bleak at street level.

While I don't want a suburban set back, some relief with thoughtfully designed landscaping and streetscaping should be a priority for people walking the area. This should be a unique area that feels like a modern financial center, not just a collection of buildings.

Not to slam Dallas, but whenever I visit their city center I'm struck by how tragic it is at street level. We are not immune to this in Milwaukee, and with around $1 billion in proposed investment in a very small area of the city I hope we actually take this unique opportunity to thoughtfully welcome pedestrians to the streets of our city.

[Paule]

Excellent article and video on the new NML tower in the JS today. You must watch the video!

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion...182907111.html

[Dale]

Watched the video and two thoughts:

(1) Doesn't sound like the new building will start until 2015 as he said he expects the current building to be "down by the end of 2014."

(2) He said "30 to 35 stories." If the latter, with any sort of ornamental top, that could easily be a new tallest.

[embora]

Thanks for sharing the video, Paule.

I wonder if we could arrive at a relative average visual thickness of a building that would fit their specifications by using the numbers they've tossed around to approximate the square footages per floor for this building and comparing it with other existing ones we would all be familiar with.

For example, in the video, John Schlifske, of Northwestern Mutual, said the proposal would be in between 800,000 to 850,000s.f., and that it would be 30-35 stories. So my "back of the envelope" number would be 24,285 to 26,666 square feet per floor. I simply divided 800,000/30 to get 26,666. I imagine I am missing something such as a first floor may not typically have as much space, or the existence of design features such as a light well or narrower floors in places, or if parking is some how not included in total square footage or is normally calculated differently, so please feel free to correct my math.

How would these numbers compare with US Bank Building, the Moderne, or other buildings we would all be familiar with?

[UWsteve2009]

Awesome article. Does anyone have any ideas as to how tall the building would be? I'm not familiar with what to expect on that.

[AdmiralsFan24]

Originally Posted by embora

For example, in the video, John Schlifske, of Northwestern Mutual, said the proposal would be in between 800,000 to 850,000s.f., and that it would be 30-35 stories. So my "back of the envelope" number would be 24,285 to 26,666 square feet per floor.

According to their website, the U.S. Bank Center averages 22,100 square feet per floor.

http://www.usbankcentermilwaukee.com...k_AboutUs.aspx

100 East Wisconsin has 12,770.