August 30, 2016

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Sink Combs Dethlefs named architect of record

MILWAUKEE — Marquette University has selected a team to lead the design of its proposed athletic performance research center, in partnership with Aurora Health Care. The team comprises a mix of four national and local firms led by architect of record Sink Combs Dethlefs, whose portfolio includes work on more than 40 NCAA Division I campuses.

Completing the team is Milwaukee's largest architecture firm, HGA, which brings expertise in lean process management, health care design, and urban and exterior design; Boston-based Ellenzweig, which will play a key role in academic facility and laboratory design; and Peter Park LLC, led by the former planning director for the cities of Milwaukee and Denver.

"The team led by Sink Combs truly understood our vision for the APRC and brings the right expertise, talent and creative energy to what will be a signature project for Marquette, Aurora and Milwaukee," said Lora Strigens, Marquette's vice president for planning and strategy.

"We're pleased by what this team of strong, dynamic firms — Sink Combs Dethlefs, HGA, Ellenzweig and Peter Park LLC — brings to the table in terms of national experience and local understanding," said Kelly Noel, director of construction management for Aurora Health Care. "We look forward to working hand-in-hand with these firms to help breathe life into our collective vision for a world-class facility that will advance research in human performance."

"Our team is very excited to begin the exciting and innovative APRC project for Marquette University," said Lindsey Peckinpaugh of SCD. "Our team is built with true collaborators who will meld our award-winning design expertise with the client's goals, aspirations and experiences to create a project that will be so much more than the sum of its parts."

The university announced in January that Aurora will be making a capital investment of $40 million toward the APRC project — the single largest investment it has ever made with a partner in its headquarter community. The center will span 12 acres, bordered by 6th Street, 10th Street, West Michigan Street and the Marquette Interchange, aiming to redefine a vacant corridor near the western edge of downtown Milwaukee.

About the design team firms

In its 54 year history, Sink Combs Dethlefs has become the nation's leader in design innovation for collegiate athletics training and competition facilities. Their portfolio includes work on more than 40 NCAA Division I campuses, including Marquette University. Serving the role as architect of record/athletics design, SCD will lead the design team to ensure that the final design of the APRC matches the inspired vision of Marquette University and Aurora Health.

HGA is an integrated multidisciplinary firm that has been providing award-winning design in the corporate health care, arts, religious and education sectors for the past 63 years. HGA will serve as associate architect to SCD. With their breadth of national and local healthcare experience, HGA will lead the healthcare design. HGA's Milwaukee office will serve as the design team's project hub and host site for the APRC project, with an office located only two miles from the Marquette University campus. HGA's knowledge of the local community and aesthetic will support its role as urban and exterior design lead. To ensure the most efficient project delivery for Marquette and Aurora Health Care, HGA will manage the LEAN Process.

Ellenzweig is an architecture firm located in Boston. Science research and teaching facilities for higher education, including the health sciences, have been the central focus of their practice since its founding in 1965. Ellenzweig is a national leader in academic facility and laboratory design with experience that includes a 30-plus-year continuous relationship with MIT and Harvard University. They will provide a vital role in the APRC project by leading the design of academic facilities and laboratories.

Over the last 16 years, Peter Park served as planning director for both Denver and Milwaukee. In Milwaukee, significant projects include the replacement of the elevated Park East freeway with an at-grade boulevard that catalyzes new downtown development and the Beerline B along the Milwaukee River. He is now teaching at Colorado University – Denver and was instrumental in shaping their new master's in urban planning program. His focus on the linkage between innovative planning and practical implementation strategies has delivered lasting improvements in communities where he has worked. With Park's urban planning guidance, the design team will be able to create a place where students, faculty and staff can engage with each other and the community as a whole.