The organization Friends of Lakeshore State Park unveiled plans to build an off-the-grid visitor center at the downtown lakefront park, the Milwaukee Business Journal reports.
The building will satisfy its own energy using solar cells while accommodating functions in its meeting and event space. Plans also include a rainwater collection system for its gardens, as well as an onsite wastewater treatment system.
Due to restrictions on the park land, the building’s enclosed space cannot be larger than 2,500 sf.
More details on the facility's amenities, as well as a proposed budget and fundraising goal, will be shared during an open house April 21 at Milwaukee’s O’Donnell Park.
A portion of the existing design, about half, was donated by Milwaukee-based Kubala Washatko Architects.
“There is a lot of design work yet to do on the building,” President of Friends of Lakeshore State Park Robert Gosse told the Milwaukee Business Journal.
“Trying to get capital money for buildings in parks isn’t in the foreseeable future,” Gosse added. “We are going to take a shot at doing the fundraising ourselves.”
Gosse expects construction not to begin before 2017.
Related Stories
| Jun 18, 2014
Study shows walkable urbanism has positive economic impact
Walkable communities have a higher GDP, greater wealth, and higher percentages of college grads, according to a new study by George Washington University.
| Jun 18, 2014
Arup uses 3D printing to fabricate one-of-a-kind structural steel components
The firm's research shows that 3D printing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste, and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.
| Jun 16, 2014
6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts
A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”
| Jun 13, 2014
First look: BIG's spiraling museum for watchmaker Audemars Piguet
The glass-and-steel pavilion's spiral structure acts as a storytelling device for the company's history.
| Jun 12, 2014
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects' design selected for new UCSC facility
The planned site is a natural landscape among redwood trees with views over Monterey Bay, a site that the architects have called “one of the most beautiful they have ever worked on.”
| Jun 12, 2014
Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method
Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.
| Jun 11, 2014
David Adjaye’s housing project in Sugar Hill nears completion
A new development in New York's historic Sugar Hill district nears completion, designed to be an icon for the neighborhood's rich history.
| Jun 9, 2014
Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program
The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.
| Jun 4, 2014
Want to design a Guggenheim? Foundation launches open competition for proposed Helsinki museum
This is the first time the Guggenheim Foundation has sought a design through an open competition. Anonymous submissions for stage one of the competition are due September 10, 2014.
| Jun 4, 2014
Construction team named for Atlanta Braves ballpark
A joint venture between Barton Malow, Brasfield & Gorrie, Mortenson Construction, and New South Construction will build the Atlanta Braves ballpark, which is scheduled to open in early 2017. Check out the latest renderings of the plan.
