Milwaukee Water Council

The Water Council worked with a developer to identify the project site – a 105-year-old, seven-story warehouse, which will be converted into a water research and business accelerator building. The 98,000 square foot building will house water-related research activities for universities, existing water industry companies, the Milwaukee Water Council’s offices, companies promoting water-related business development and accelerator space for new, emerging water industry companies.

The space will include a shared flow lab that everyone can use. A key component to the lab is a rare piece of equipment that is used for water testing. Most organizations, especially small start-ups would normally have to send specimens out for testing. The state-of-the-art flow lab will allow testing to be performed in-house, quickly and efficiently. Incorporated into the building design is “third place” space – an environment where people from the various organizations can interact and collaborate outside of the labs and spaces over a cup of coffee. The goal is to bring university researchers together with industry experts to create synergies and connections, resulting in new businesses and jobs in the water technology sector.

The building design is driven by sustainability. The building will be LEED certified and smart, sustainable design is a key driver for the project. Located in an historic building, the space will undergo adaptive reuse and historic tax credits will be utilized.