For Immediate Release: September 28, 2007
UW-Milwaukee Creates Off-campus Identity and Revitalizes Neighborhood with Kenilworth Building
Milwaukee, WI - The land-locked University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has taken the off-campus plunge with the adaptive re-use of the Kenilworth Building on the city's east side just blocks from Lake Michigan. HGA Architects and Engineers in Milwaukee designed the transformation of the former Ford Motor Company facility and an adjacent munitions plant into a new flagship building for UWM. The mixed-use complex of approximately 500,000-square-feet now houses the Peck School for the Arts and the Apartments at Kenilworth Square for graduate students, as well as indoor parking and event space, and first-floor retail.
"Kenilworth is a pioneering project for UWM in several ways," says Claude Schuttey, director, architects/planning and transportation for UWM. "The university boldly stepped out of the bounds of its formal campus to expand its art and residence-hall programs. And in doing so, UWM successfully reused an empty, historic structure that's now a vibrant presence in a growing neighborhood."
The restored building, located about a mile from the main campus, also provides a vital connection between the neighborhood and the Oak Leaf Trail, a pedestrian and bicycle greenway to the lakefront, via a new ground-level "street" between the Kenilworth's two buildings.
"For residents of the east side of Milwaukee our dusted-off buildings are a beautiful sight," says David Lang, architectal intern, HGA. "Where there were dark, drab, vacant structures, the area is now animated with well-lit restored buildings full of arts activities and a student presence."
A Tale of Two Buildings. The Kenilworth Building is comprised of two historic structures. The red brick, east building was constructed in 1914 as a plant for the Ford Motor Company.
"It was one of the first manufacturing facilities Henry Ford put in a neighborhood so his employees in the area could easily get to work," Lang says. In 1943, a munitions factory, called Air Force Plant #58, was constructed to the west, right up against the Ford building, covering its expansive windows and brickwork.
In 1971, both buildings were turned over to UWM to house the university's physical-plant and printing services. The structures also provided storage and research facilities for the university's Department of Anthropology and School of Fine Arts. Meanwhile, a railroad line that had serviced the Ford building was converted into a city biking and walking trail that connected the east-side neighborhoods with Milwaukee's lakefront and downtown.
Before beginning the structures' conversion to new university uses, HGA had to abate a variety of toxic materials embedded in the buildings. Such materials included asbestos, contaminants in the soil, and toxic metals in the munitions factory. "Because we were creating a residence, we went through an extensive abatement period to make sure the soil and all the building levels were free and clear," Lang says.
HGA then separated the buildings by removing two bays of space from the munitions factory on every level. This strategy allowed daylight to enter the two structures, as the Ford building's industrial-sized windows were uncovered and new large windows were installed in the munitions plant. By separating the buildings, HGA was also able to create distinct identities for the project's two primary programs. The art school is in the east, brick building; the residence hall is located in the white west building.
After splitting the buildings in two, HGA added a large sky deck, or upper-level courtyard, between the two structures, as well as a pedestrian corridor that ramps down to an existing bike path, the Oak Leaf Trail, which travels to downtown and to the lakefront.
Creating Community through Design. "Creating community, on both sides of the complex and with the neighborhood in which the project is located, was our design inspiration," Lang says. During pre-design, the dean of the art school articulated the community concept by saying he "didn't want anything that duplicated what was already on the main campus, meaning a building housing separate studios for ceramics, photography, drawing and the like," Lang recalls. "Instead, he wanted 'digital collaborative space.'"
In response, HGA created spaces with an open-lab or studio atmosphere, in which the various artistic disciplines, as well as faculty and students, can collaborate on new ideas. These spaces are largely located on floors 3 through 6 in the brick building, and accommodate art installations, digital and projected media, and other multi-disciplinary arts using emerging technologies. The spaces are also gathered around a large sculpture court. Stairs between levels promote interactions between faculty and students of different disciplines.
"These collaborative spaces for the art school, which are filled with daylight, were also the inspiration for the housing side of the project," Lang says. The residence hall is located in the west building or white munitions factory, on floors three through six. "We maximized views, especially on the east side of the building," Lang says. "Some of the upper-level units have fantastic views of Lake Michigan, and would be A-list condos if they went on the market."
Outside of the one-, two- and three-bedroom units are "micro-lounges" in hallways and outside elevators to encourage interaction and serve as study areas. "We deliberately made the halls wider than normal to accommodate these micro-lounges," Lang explains, "and the second-floor lounge also has views that overlook the neighborhood." The variety of housing types accommodates married students, as well as honors, international, arts and graduate students, ensuring diversity on each floor.
The second floor of the complex has been allocated as university parking, but surprisingly has also become a coveted event space. "Because the bones of the historic buildings are so strong, and because the buildings have fabulous daylight through such large windows, the second floor is a gorgeous space for events," Lang says. "The university recently cleared out all the cars and used the parking deck for its Spring Ball."
The first floor of the two buildings includes reception points for housing and the arts school, as well as pedestrian-friendly retail. The art school's large art gallery and film screening room, both of which are frequently open to the community, are also located on the first floor. "Part of our goal in adaptively reusing these buildings was to create vital neighborhood presence," Lang explains, "which we accomplished by putting retail and the art school's public functions on the first level."
Building Restoration and Neighborhood Reanimation. Sensitivity to the structures' existing neighborhood context drove the design and restoration of the buildings. The warm red brick and limestone fenestration on the 1914 brick building were restored, bringing a sense of renewal to the block. New thermal glazing on the upper levels respects the historic glass divisions found in the building's industrial sash. Meanwhile, new ground-level glazing opens up the building's retail shops and art school gallery and exhibit space to passersby. Innovative streetscaping outside the building includes Milwaukee harp streetlights, distinctive historic paving patterns, and flowering street trees.
The fresh facade of the white 1943 building helps define the space where the two buildings were pulled apart. A new pedestrian walkway between the two buildings helps to humanize the massive presence of the formerly connected buildings, while new trees and high-quality paving invite pedestrians. A 10-foot planting zone along the west parking garage wall allows climbing vines to fill in the light well to the sculpture court above. Landscape pavers define zones for circulation and outdoor seating.
Together, the two buildings create a pioneering live/learn community for students living, studying and working in the complex while also integrating sustainable design elements. HGA not only recycled a brownfield and two existing buildings slated for demolition; it took a dense urban site with easy access to public transit and bike paths and enhanced it with design that maximized daylight, utilized materials with low-VOC and recycled content, recycled construction waste whenever possible, and improved stormwater quality and quantity.
The result is a benchmark project for UWM, and a new off-campus identity, that is helping to reanimate a neighborhood while serving as a catalyst for further investment in this historic Milwaukee neighborhood.
:: View University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Kenilworth Building
HGA Contact: Julie Luers (612) 758-4000 e-mail JLuers@hga.com
Media Contact: Susan Evans, Evans Larson (612) 338-6999 e-mail susan@evanslarson.com