The Water Council was formed to align the regional water research community with water-related industries, and to establish Milwaukee as the world water center for water research, economic development and education. The Council identified the need for a physical space to support and reflect the organization’s mission, which resulted in the creation of the Global Water Center as their home.

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

The space includes a state-of-the-art flow lab that allows testing to be performed in-house, quickly and efficiently. Incorporated into the building design is a public cafe for employees and guests to interact. The goal is to bring researchers together with industry experts to create synergies and connections, resulting in new businesses and jobs. The building design was driven by sustainability and has achieved LEED Silver certification. Historic tax credits as well as new market tax credits were utilized.