AIA Milwaukee

UNSEEN ARCHITECTURE: MKE is now on Washington DC at the American Institute of Architects Headquarters. The exhibition will on display through August 28, 2010.

Address

The American Institute of Architects
1735 New York Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20006-5292
Directions

Phone
800-AIA-3837 or 202-626-7300

Cambridge Commons is a dormitory for freshman and sophomore students of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.  It is designed as a Live-Learn Community with students grouped together by major.

Gathering spaces and lounges were created throughout the spaces, turning corridors into lively streets with areas designed to take advantage of natural light. In addition to living spaces there are meeting rooms designed to facilitate Professors and students for classes taught on site. A large cafeteria faces the west courtyard with views of the riverbank tree line. The first floor along North Avenue will house the UWM Foundation offices as well as a coffee shop. A connection with the bike path and Riveredge path system is planned.

The building’s construction consists of a cast-in-place concrete parking deck and first floor. The floors above have a light gage steel frame construction. The project incorporates many green features such as rain gardens, rainwater harvesting cisterns, green roofs, recycled content and regional materials and operable windows in all dormitory rooms. The Architects are seeking for a LEED Silver rating minimum but may achieve LEED Gold.

We would like express our gratitude to HGA, architect tour guides Lyssa Olker and Kevin Allebach as well as AIA Milwaukee Construction Tour coordinator John Holz.

The Milwaukee chapter of the American Institute of Architects sponsored and developed an architectural exhibit at the Eisner Museum of Advertising & Design in Milwaukee that was open to the public from September of 2009 through March of 2010. Collaborating with The Eisner’s Executive director, Cori Coffman, her staff and numerous AIA Milwaukee volunteers, we assembled a professional museum exhibit on a very limited budget. This exhibit was so successful that we were invited to bring the exhibit to the national headquarters of the American Institute of Architects in Washington D. C. for a showing this coming July and August.

The April Opening Doors event featured a tour of the Urban Ecology Center with a focus on the many sustainable features of the project.  These features include rainwater harvesting which is used to flush toilet in the building.  Rainbarrel collection used to water the garden. Dual flush toilets and waterless urinals.   Bioswales around the building perimeter and parking lot.  Porous pavement at sidewalks and parking lot.  Reclaimed wood used throughout for beams, columns, roof decking, outdoor decking, railings, furniture, paneling, and flooring.  Sonotube forms used as stools.  Reclaimed furniture, blackboards, and mirrors.  Deep overhangs, high performance operable windows, and internal shading devices.  A vegetated green roof.   And a solar array on the south roof which generates 50% of the building’s electrical requirements.  The tour also included a sneak peek of the “For the Birds” birdhouse competition entries.

AIA Milwaukee construction tour of Eckstein Hall, Marquette University\\\'s new law school > SEPTEMBER 22, 2009.