Abstract:
The Great Lakes Aquatic Research Center combines a research institution, a graduate school and a public exhibition facility into a single project. The research center deals mainly with freshwater studies of the Great Lakes as well as smaller bodies of water located in the area. The graduate school is connected with the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and is based on the premise that students assist in experimentation, becoming almost a part of the research staff. The public exhibit area supports the research center by informing the public about activities taking place. The total square footage of the project is approximately 80,000 square feet and is located along the shore of Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee.The following is an overview of the nine months which were spent designing the project. These nine months were spent dealing with the selection of the site, programming, site analysis, a building type study, conceptual design and design development.