Join AIA Milwaukee for a tour of the recently completed renovation of the UWM Student Union.

The UWM Student Union is bringing new experiences and a new look to the 350,000-square-foot building at the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus. The union, which was built in phases between the 1950s and 1970s, had been showing its age. As a result, a $40 million upgrade was approved in the 2018-2019 state budget, and work started in July 2021.

One of the project goals was to open up spaces in the building to allow for enhanced natural daylighting. Many of the dark, narrow hallways that once made navigation difficult have been replaced with wide, comprehensible pedestrian concourses. New common areas invite members of the UWM community to gather for studying or socializing, fostering greater collaboration. The project was also awarded the first state variance to allow for gender-inclusive restrooms on the two main levels of the Union.

Completed at the start of the 2023-2024 academic year, the State of Wisconsin Division of Facilities Development partnered with HGA, Inc., J.H. Findorff & Son, and other local consultants to realize the renovation of the UWM Student Union.

Presented by James Shields, FAIA, Design Principal, HGA

Details

The tour will begin promptly at 4:00PM. Please check in with an AIA Milwaukee officer stationed at the main (southern) building entrance along Kenwood Boulevard. Post-tour social to occur at the UWM Gasthaus Grille. Both metered and free street parking is available nearby; the UWM Union Garage is also open for a fee.

Learning Objectives:

• Site: Understand how the project embraced the adjacent urban streetscape and surrounding neighborhood to create an inviting building for the broader university community while maintaining a safe and secure environment.
• Programming: Observe ways in which the project improved accessibility and equity by enhancing wayfinding and by removing impediments to collaboration and interaction.
• Systems: Learn how the renovation process enhanced the existing building envelope, glazing systems, and mechanical equipment to achieve improvements in energy efficiency.
• Code: Gain insights into how the building code impacted the design solution for this renovation as well as the process undertaken to secure a variance allowing for gender inclusive restrooms.

LINKS:

• HGA – From Challenge to Champion
• Findorff – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – Student Union
• UWM – The Story of the Current Union Renovation
• UWM Report – Student Union transformation nearly complete
• Wisconsin Architect – Student Union Renovation

1.5 LU/HSW

No refunds day of event.

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