2026 AIA Milwaukee Emerging Professionals Design Competition Winners

Hosted by the AIA Milwaukee Emerging Professionals, the annual Emerging Professionals Design Competition encourages AIA Wisconsin Students, Emerging Professionals, and Architects licensed up to 10 years to take on a real-world urban design challenge in the City of Milwaukee. This single-stage ideas competition showcases our younger members' bold, creative thinking skills while working with a real client’s program and constraints.

Participants were invited to envision a forward-thinking mixed-use development along a vibrant Water Street corridor. The ground floor of the Water Street frontage must activate the street with commercial uses; creative housing — including staggered row houses — occupies the floor(s) above and/or the remainder of the site. The project should feel like it belongs to the neighborhood while pushing its boundaries: a density-forward, people-first block that demonstrates what “missing middle” development can look like when design excellence leads.

Submissions featured a variety of creative and innovative approaches. Milwaukee-local jurors blind judged the submissions from AIA Wisconsin members across the state, and three projects were named 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners with a cash prize awarded ($1000, $750, and $500, respectively), courtesy of the competition sponsor, Wangard Partners.

THE SITE

Block 22 is part of the Park East Redevelopment Plan in downtown Milwaukee, a district created after the removal of the former Park East Freeway to reconnect the city grid and enable new development. The site, bounded by North Water Street, East Ogden Avenue, North Broadway, and North Milwaukee Street, is one of the final major redevelopment parcels in the area.

Located within the Upper Water Street District, the site sits at the intersection of growing residential, commercial, and entertainment uses. It represents a key opportunity to complete the corridor’s transformation into a dense, walkable, mixed-use neighborhood.

MINIMUM SITE REQUIREMENTS

Design Strategies

• Organize housing around a shared courtyard that maximizes daylight and provides both private and semi-public gathering space.

• Incorporate usable green space at multiple levels, including private, shared, and public-facing areas.

• Explore innovative outdoor programming such as urban agriculture, co-working terraces, or flexible event spaces that comply with zoning regulations.

Water Street Frontage

• Activate the Water Street edge with commercial uses such as retail, food and beverage, small businesses, or flexible workspaces.

• Prioritize transparency, pedestrian engagement, and an active ground-floor experience that contributes to a vibrant streetscape.

Parking & Regulatory Requirements

• Provide parking at ground level and/or below grade, with active uses along required street frontages.

• Comply with all zoning requirements, including height restrictions, glazing standards, setbacks, and permitted courtyard uses.

Housing Requirements

• Include a minimum of 8 single-family homes, each between 1,500 and 2,000 sq. ft.

• Explore "missing middle" housing types such as staggered row houses, courtyard-oriented homes, and live-work units.

• Efficient layouts that increase density beyond the minimum requirement are strongly encouraged.

2026 JURY + ORGANIZERS

This year’s judges represent a wide range of constituencies from Developers, Architects, Emerging Professionals, and the site owner, Milwaukee County. We are deeply grateful for their time and support of this competition and our emerging professional participants.

• Anne White, LEED AP O+M - Wangard Partners, Inc.
• Celia Benton, EDFP - Milwaukee County Department of Administrative Services | Office of Economic Development and Real Estate Services
• Ingrid Rosauer, Assoc. AIA - Ramlow/Stein Architecture + Interiors
• Lyssa Olker, AIA - HGA
• Tanya Fonseca, AICP - Department of City Development | City of Milwaukee

And thank you to the AIA Milwaukee Emerging Professionals Design Competition Committee Members responsible for organizing the competition:

• Emily Neal, Assoc. AIA - Quorum Architects, Inc.
• Pankti Pasad, Assoc. AIA - American Design, Inc.
• John Everitt, Assoc. AIA - Bray Architects

COMPETITION SPONSOR

Special thanks to Wangard Partners, the ongoing sponsor of the AIA Milwaukee Emerging Professionals Design Competition. Their support helps recognize the efforts of our winners through cash prizes and allows our emerging professional winners to attend the annual Design Awards Gala at no cost.