Winner: Commercial

The Couture

Building the tallest residential skyscraper in Wisconsin is no small task.  The tower consists of retail space, 322 apartments, a public park, and a two-story transportation concourse.  The concourse allows the Milwaukee streetcar and bus system to pass through the Couture connecting the east and west sections of the transit system.

The foundation relies on deep piles and mass foundation pads called raft slabs which support the 47-story tower and parking structure.  To connect the two structures, a unique design element called podium slabs was engineered.  Building the slabs were complicated due to their thickness and 10,000-psi requirements.

The backbone of the building known as “The Core Wall” runs the entire 500 feet, playing a critical role in the building’s structural integrity while doubling as its elevator system.

To withstand wind from Lake Michigan, a 12,000-psi concrete mix was used reaching full strength in 28 days.  The core wall mix averaged an astounding 17,000-psi in 91 days and over 7,000 cy were placed.

Each level was built using post-tension concrete.  The mix was 7000-psi which had to reach a minimum strength of 3500-psi to safely stress the deck in less than 24 hours.  A total of 17,000 cy of post-tension concrete was placed on the project.

Project Team Members

Developer: Barrett Lo Visionary Development

Concrete Supplier: Riv/Crete Ready Mix

Architect: RINKA

Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti

Contractor: Findorff