PROJECT OVERVIEW

Located on Wisconsin’s most prominent development site, The Couture’s position not only showcases Lake Michigan and city views in all directions but takes its architectural vision from the curving lake. A mixed-use structure, The Couture has 41 floors of residential space plus restaurant and retail at the bottom. Milwaukee’s streetcar, The Hop, makes a stop at the building.

Read more about this project in the Fall 2025 issue of Ascent.

PRECAST SOLUTION

Precast concrete provided a flexible design solution for the building’s elliptical architecture while also offering a bright white finish that reflects heat and makes Precast concrete allowed the building team to enclose the structure faster while minimizing site disturbance.

Owner

Barrett Lo Visionary Development, Milwaukee, Wis.

Architect

RINKA, Milwaukee, Wis.

Contractor

J.H. Findorff & Son, Milwaukee, Wis.

Structural Engineer

Thornton Tomasetti, Milwaukee, Wis.

Precast Concrete Producer

International Concrete Products, Germantown, Wis.

Aggregate Supplier

Fister Quarries Group Inc., Batavia, Ill.

Project Cost: $146 million ($2.2 million for the precast concrete)

Project Size: 750,000 ft²

Key Project Attributes

• The 44-story tower stands at 517 ft, making it the tallest residential building in Wisconsin and the third tallest building overall.
• A mixed-use structure, The Couture has 41 floors of residential space plus restaurant and retail at the bottom.
• The Couture also features a transportation hub and includes a public park with green space as well as a commercial and restaurant space.

Project/Precast Scope

• Each of the precast concrete panels were gravity-loaded to each floor and then tied back with lateral tieback restraints.
• Erection began once the cast-in-place structural tower was six floors ahead. The precast concrete producer then followed closely behind with panel installation.
• The projects included 708 architectural precast concrete panels, totaling 62,100 ft²